---
title: "Stimming — Glossary | Deep Space Family Games"
description: "Repetitive movement or sound — rocking, tapping, humming, fidgeting — used to self-regulate, focus, or process. A normal tool, not a problem to fix."
canonical: https://www.deepspacefamilygames.com/glossary/stimming/
---

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GLOSSARY · Sensory & Neurodivergent Play

# Stimming

Repetitive movement or sound — rocking, tapping, humming, fidgeting — used to self-regulate, focus, or process. A normal tool, not a problem to fix.

## Detailed definition

Stimming is short for “self-stimulatory behavior” — the tapping, rocking, humming, or fidgeting some people do to help regulate focus, energy, or sensory input. It shows up across a lot of neurodivergent experiences and it’s not something that needs correcting; for a lot of people it’s what makes sitting still and paying attention possible at all.

Tabletop games happen to be full of built-in outlets for it. Shuffling a deck, sorting tokens, rolling a handful of dice for a [dice pool](/glossary/dice-pool/) — a lot of games hand you something to do with your hands as a normal part of play, which is one more reason this hobby tends to fit a neurodivergent table well.

RELATED TERMS

## See also

* [Fidget Tool](/glossary/fidget-tool/)
* [Dice Pool](/glossary/dice-pool/)
* [Neurodivergent](/glossary/neurodivergent/)

## Want a game your hands can stay busy with?

Questions about how this applies to your situation? Ask us directly and we will give you a straight answer.

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