It’s always been a tough job to make children love school. Some kids truly do, but when the other bunch is in question, there is a bit of a difficulty many teachers face in trying to make everything seem fun instead of a huge responsibility.
School is, of course, a wonderful thing, and since learning is something we do throughout our lives, it’s very important for children to learn to love going to and being in school from an early age.
Just like with any other activity we’d like to turn into a habit, the goal with school is to nurture and promote a passion for learning as early as kindergarten so the kids can really connect with the material they’re given and not feel like they are being punished for having to show up.
To do this you need two things. The first one is a well-thought-out, interactive, and amusing way of teaching through play and planning the classes. The second one is a friendly and comfortable environment. As I am not a teacher, I can’t help with the first one, but I sure can aid when the second one is in question.
Creating an Inviting, Interactive Classroom
An inviting and colourful classroom is exactly what children need to feel more at home while at school. I’m sure all of the students within a class have a very fun and vibrant room at their house, so filling the classroom up with colourful and comfy things is a step in the right direction.
This will help them relax and perceive school as a friendly place, not a cold institution where they have to do hard things. When dealing with young kids, learning through play can increase their information retention and prep them better for the challenges that are to come later.
Still, it can’t all be artwork and interactive games, now, can it? When actual work needs to be done you’ll need desks and classroom stools. Ordinary seating arrangements aren’t that good for the interactive, future-focused classroom, so I have some great alternatives I’d like to talk about, all from an Australian, family-owned brand called Elizabeth Richards.
Let me introduce you and explain why I think they’re amazing.
Work N Wriggle
As I said, regular chairs just won’t do in a modern classroom. Instead, you can add some fun with colourful stools for classrooms. Specially designed for a learning environment, these kid-friendly stools have posture as well as amusement in mind, so you’ll be covered on all ends.
First, I’d like to talk about the Work n Wriggle stool.
You know how some kids just can’t sit still after a while? This can be a real issue for the teacher as well as for the child since their energy is up and all they want is to get it out. Sitting down isn’t quite an energetic activity, so their mind starts to wander, they start to fidget, and their attention is gone.
Instead of battling with the child to conform, the Work n Wriggle stool is a wobble stool that allows the kid to both be active and still pay attention and be productive on their desk. It’s been proven that sitting still isn’t all that beneficial to either children or adults, so having such a classroom stool will help with posture, balance, and healthy muscle forming.
Able to move while still in place, the child’s fidgeting instinct will be gone and they’ll be immersed in the material at hand.
Ergo Stool
Similar to the Work n Wriggle, this extremely flexible wobble stool takes everything just a step further with its interesting design and even more room for active seating.
Unlike the former, which greatly resembles a regular classroom stool, the Ergo Stool is shaped like a harmonica, with a round, comfortable seat on top. Available in a lot of bright colours, it’s a true representative of the colourful stools for classrooms collection and will fit perfectly within any interactive learning space out there.
Because of its harmonica-like design, the Ergo stool bends much more than the Work n Wriggle stool, so it allows for the children to really move around and stretch while still staying in place. Bouncing, swaying, leaning back and forth – it all works.
Made with proper posture in mind, the Ergo Stool makes sure whichever position the child’s body takes, it’s always properly balanced and doesn’t put pressure on the spine, which in turn teaches the child how to properly sit and still be active.
Active Stool
Perfect for children in higher grades, the Active Stool features a cushion seating surface and wheels, much like the ones you find in an office chair. However, unlike your regular office chair, the Active Stool has two modes.
The first is just a regular chair, while the second transforms the sitting platform into a perfectly designed, unstable surface the kid can balance on. Bendy enough to require movement of the upper and lower body to stay flat, but stable enough to not cause anyone to fall down, this flexible stool provides all the benefits of sitting on a fit ball.
Improving the overall balance and stability, working on the back as well as stomach muscles, taking care of the spine and sitting posture this stool is perfect for young kids in their developmental years, but also for teachers as well.
Sitting still on a hard surface is not what our bodies were made to do, so this stool takes a bit of exercise and incorporates it within the concept of active seating to improve both physical and mental health alike.