Various Sitting Positions that Help Kids Concentrate

Are you a preschool teacher? Do you find it exhausting getting your kids to concentrate when they’re sitting? I see this all the time when I go and observe classrooms. When the teacher says, “Okay kids, let’s all get into a circle for reading time. Everyone criss-cross your legs”. That criss-cross leg position actually is part of the reason why your students may be having a difficult time concentrating. When you get into the criss-cross leg position, it puts your pelvis into a position that encourages flexion (or forward bending). Before you know it, your student is hunched over and relaxed. Next thing you notice, their hands are covering their eyes because they have drifted off to sleep.

In the perfect world, you want all your students to pay attention to you every time you speak. Now, we all know this isn’t a perfect world, however, there are some concepts you can implement into your classroom, to enable your kids to sit in various ways, which will better cater to their unique learning styles.

As you watch my video, I explain all the different ways you can allow your students to sit from sitting on an air-filled disc, to incorporating controlled fidgeting when your students are sitting for long periods of time, or even using stuffed animals or pillows with a weight component, which can make students feel more grounded in their seated position. I really enjoyed making this video and I hope you will take some good lessons away to share with your students. Thank you so much for working with children. I look forward to reading your comments about your experiences after trying my various sitting positions in your classroom.