"Sitting still is overrated. It makes sense for the opera or for meditating, but in most classrooms and child care centers, it's given far more honor than it deserves. Children need to move." ~Tom Hunter, National Association for the Education of Young Children
I have 25 students in a very small fourth grade class.
We do not have a lot of room to move around. My kids are amazing. They care about one another, and they love to learn, but they really need more movement in their lives. I watch them struggle every day to focus when their bodies are telling them to do something else. I know they are trying and they care about their education, but being forced to sit still is stiffing them in so many ways.
My Project
I hope to have 6 wobble chairs and 6 cushions for my classroom that my students can share. They would take turns using the chairs at their seats and the cushions at the rug. Some students need this type of physical movement more than others. Ideally, those students would have the opportunity to use the seats more often, but all students would be able to use them once in a while. This would be especially helpful when teaching a whole group lesson. Since the students will be able to move and strengthen their muscles, they can focus their thoughts on the lesson we are completing.
More and more often, I see articles about our students struggling with attention issues that could be solved simply by having the opportunity to move more.
While I know these seats will not be a magical fix, I think my students would truly appreciate having the chance to move and exercise in a way that they can be rewarded for instead of being reprimanded for. This would then give them more confidence in class and help them to be more successful in all areas of their education.
More than a third of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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