Stability balls, which are pieces of exercise equipment often found in fitness centers and home gyms, are commonly used as a tool for muscle-strengthening activities. These burst-resistant rubber balls are being used as an alternative for chairs in elementary and middle school classrooms across the country. Benefits of using stability balls in school include increased mental focus and improved physical strength. Focus Children who sit on stability balls instead of traditional desk chairs show increased focus and ability to pay attention to their lessons. This is especially seen in kids who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to research published in "The American Journal of Occupational Therapy." Children with ADHD often display a shorter-than-normal attention span and frequent fidgeting. Sitting on the ball allows students some movement as they learn. The slight body adjustments required to balance on the ball are natural and non-disruptive and provide an outlet for excess energy.

Productivity The increased focus and movement that stability balls provide in school can lead to higher levels of productivity. According to the AJOT study, participants who sat on therapy balls instead of classroom chairs showed higher word productivity during a language arts session than those who sat in regular seats. Ann Stockbridge of the Maine-based Education Foundation of the Kennebunks and Arundel explains that "active sitting" on stability balls stimulates the brain and might improve memory, too. Core Strength Sitting up straight on a stability ball requires good balance and paying constant attention to your body position. The muscles activated while sitting on the ball grow stronger and contribute to increased core strength. Core strength in children is just as important as it is in adults. A strong core protects against injury and can increase endurance. Kids who participate in strength training may have a lower risk of developing chronic illnesses later in life, such as high blood pressure and obesity.

Safety Safety is of utmost importance in school. Therapy balls designated for classroom use should be outfitted with anti-rolling stabilizers to reduce the risk of falls. Students must also learn proper posture when sitting on the ball. lazy boy chair repair manualThey must sit up straight on the ball with their feet flat on the ground. gas lift chair keeps droppingMinor moving and swaying is acceptable, excessive bouncing, however, can be dangerous and disruptive to others.best place to buy papasan chair The American Journal of Occupational Therapy: Classroom Seating for Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Therapy Balls Versus Chairswheelchair van rental mobile al

Education Foundation of the Kennebunks and Arundel: Stability Balls in Our Elementary Schools! The Washington Times: Stability Balls Help Posture, Aid Attention in School Dyersburg State Gazette: DIS Offers 'Chairless Classroom'ikea office chairs adelaide : Strength Training: OK for Kids?eames chair for sale in south africaA perfect stranger pours her heart out to m e ov er th e pho ne. She complains that her six-year-old son is unable to sit still in the classroom. The school wants to test him for ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder). This sounds familiar, I think to myself. As a pediatric occupational therapist, I’ve noticed that this is a fairly common problem today. The mother goes on to explain how her son comes home every day with a yellow smiley face.

The rest of his class goes home with green smiley faces for good behavior. Every day this child is reminded that his behavior is unacceptable, simply because he can’t sit still for long periods of time. The mother starts crying. “He is starting to say things like, ‘I hate myself’ and ‘I’m no good at anything.’” This young boy’s self-esteem is plummeting all because he needs to move more often. Over the past decade, more and more children are being coded as having attention issues and possibly ADHD. A local elementary teacher tells me that at least eight of her twenty-two students have trouble paying attention on a good day. At the same time, children are expected to sit for longer periods of time. In fact, even kindergarteners are being asked to sit for thirty minutes during circle time at some schools. The problem: children are constantly in an upright position these days. It is rare to find children rolling down hills, climbing trees, and spinning in circles just for fun.

Merry-go-rounds and teeter-totters are a thing of the past. Recess times have shortened due to increasing educational demands, and children rarely play outdoors due to parental fears, liability issues, and the hectic schedules of modern-day society. Lets face it: Children are not nearly moving enough, and it is really starting to become a problem. I recently observed a fifth grade classroom as a favor to a teacher. I quietly went in and took a seat towards the back of the classroom. The teacher was reading a book to the children and it was towards the end of the day. I’ve never seen anything like it. Kids were tilting back their chairs back at extreme angles, others were rocking their bodies back and forth, a few were chewing on the ends of their pencils, and one child was hitting a water bottle against her forehead in a rhythmic pattern. This was not a special needs classroom, but a typical classroom at a popular art-integrated charter school. My first thought was that the children might have been fidgeting because it was the end of the day and they were simply tired.

Even though this may have been part of the problem, there was certainly another underlying reason. We quickly learned after further testing, that most of the children in the classroom had poor core strength and balance. In fact, we tested a few other classrooms and found that when compared to children from the early 1980s, only one out of twelve children had normal strength and balance. Oh my goodness, I thought to myself. These children need to move! Ironically, many children are walking around with an underdeveloped vestibular (balance) system today--due to restricted movement. In order to develop a strong balance system, children need to move their body in all directions, for hours at a time. Just like with exercising, they need to do this more than just once-a-week in order to reap the benefits. Therefore, having soccer practice once or twice a week is likely not enough movement for the child to develop a strong sensory system. Children are going to class with bodies that are less prepared to learn than ever before.

With sensory systems not quite working right, they are asked to sit and pay attention. Children naturally start fidgeting in order to get the movement their body so desperately needs and is not getting enough of to “turn their brain on.” What happens when the children start fidgeting? We ask them to sit still and pay attention; therefore, their brain goes back to “sleep.” Fidgeting is a real problem. It is a strong indicator that children are not getting enough movement throughout the day. We need to fix the underlying issue. Recess times need to be extended and kids should be playing outside as soon as they get home from school. Twenty minutes of movement a day is not enough! They need hours of play outdoors in order to establish a healthy sensory system and to support higher-level attention and learning in the classroom. In order for children to learn, they need to be able to pay attention. In order to pay attention, we need to let them move. Enter Word Verification in box below