Does your child have difficulty sitting and staying focused at school? Do they wiggle at the dinner table, or are they always slouching?
Then let's take a moment to talk about active seating and the importance of offering multiple options to ensure success!
The below options have a wealth of benefits. As always, don't hesitate to get in touch with your therapist with any questions and suggestions for your child.
Overall benefits of active seating options:
It gives your child the opportunity to move, wiggle, and bounce, therefore remaining in a state of motion.
Engages core muscles.
Improves sitting posture, which leads to improved respiration and digestion.
Improves pelvic mobility, improving gross motor skills.
Improved concentration and focus due to better blood flow and glucose metabolism throughout the body, increasing brain function.
It provides sensory input, which in turn improves concentration and behavior.
Exercise Ball – Sitting on the exercise ball with feet planted on the floor strengthens abdominal, leg, and back muscles. It also provides opportunities for bounce breaks to provide sensory input to calm and refocus your child.
Ball chair: This chair provides the same benefits as the exercise ball with increased stability built in.
Wobble cushion: The wobble cushion provides many of the same benefits as an exercise ball and is a great, space-saving alternative that can be used in a chair or on the floor.
Peanut ball: Children can straddle the peanut ball with both feet firmly planted on the ground. They can bounce while watching TV or reach to the floor and overhead to pick up objects building improved gross motor skills and bilateral coordination. The peanut ball also provides many opportunities to cross the midline. If your child is feeling dysregulated,
you can have them lay on their back or belly and
provide input by gently “steamrolling” the ball on
top of your child from head to toe.
T-stools: Once your child gets accustomed to sitting on the t-stool they have been shown to improve concentration and decrease their need to fidget.
Rocker Chair- These chairs essentially give your child a hug. Along with the rocking
movement, they can help with emotional
regulation, provide sensory input and calm
an overstimulated child. This may not be
the right choice if your child has poor posture
or back pain, as it can promote more slumping
and rounded back.
Floor cushions: This active seating option
promotes improved pelvic positioning when
sitting on the floor, leading to an upright posture
and improved truck activation and alignment.