Everyone who’s ever spun a yoyo as a kid knows just how fun it can be and how impressive it looks when you master a trick. However, there are actually great cognitive and mental benefits for kids by playing with a humble yoyo.

US-based World yoyo champion Gentry Stein, 26, was recently in Australia to tell us about his very own new yoyo and let us know what he’s learnt from becoming a yoyo pro.

What should a parent look for in a good Yo-Yo?

A good yoyo should make learning tricks easier. Unfortunately, there are a lot of yoyos out there that don’t work well and make learning difficult. I’ve just recently partnered with Woolworths to make my Spinstar yoyo with Yoyofactory available across Australia which is designed to spin long and is easy to return to the hand. It’s the perfect yoyo to start with.

What are the cognitive benefits for kids when yoyoing?

It definitely improves your eye hand coordination, but developing perseverance is also a big one. The year before I won my first world title, I actually didn’t make the finals. It was this failure that helped drive me to win the following year. Every time you throw a yoyo, there is something to learn and a problem to be solved. I owe most of my successes throughout my life to the things I’ve learned through playing with a yoyo.

What’s the best advice you can give to kids if they’re finding yoyo tricks a challenge to master?

Don’t be afraid to fail! Failure is the best opportunity to learn and get better. Everyone experiences it, so get back to it and keep trying! Next, write down your goal. This way you have a constant reminder of why you want to keep working toward success. Finally, enjoy the process. It feels great to achieve the end goal, but once you reach it, you will realize enjoying the process is actually more important than reaching the end.

Are most professional yoyo players guys or girls or both?

Most are guys, but over the last couple years there has been a lot of girls getting into it as well. Anyone can become great at playing yoyo so it’s great for both boys and girls.

Why does a yoyo make a great gift for a kid?

I think a yoyo is one of the best activities for kids to do. A lot of other toys you come across get boring after an hour or two because there’s only so many ways to play with them. With a yoyo, it never gets boring because there’s always a new trick to challenge yourself with. The biggest thing I’ve noticed in the thousands of kids I’ve taught how to yoyo, is the level of confidence a yoyo can bring into your life. The sense of accomplishment after learning a new trick is extremely impactful for kids.

Why is it good to have a skill like yo-yo playing as a ‘party trick’?

Yoyos are an amazing conversation starter! Everyone that sees me playing yoyo always has a million questions. It’s the best thing to do to get off the screens and out into the real world so I can’t recommend getting into it highly enough.