Flexible Seating Options at Home!

With so many children learning from home right now,  what are your options for setting up your child for activities?  How should they position themselves for a zoom session?  What if they can't reach the floor when seated at the dining room table? 

Posture, body position, CHANGE of body position are important for children to enable them to concentrate and develop good habits.  Children will not function well (or even comply) to sitting at a table for hours continuously.  At school, your child experiences lots of changes to their position depending on the tasks they are doing.  They may spend some time sitting on the floor,  seated a desk, walking in the hallways,  playing outside or they may even have flexible seating options in their classroom.  Opportunities for incidental movement and brain breaks are important for the school environment (read more about brain breaks in the classroom HERE) and home learning environment too! 

Flexible seating at home whether your child is doing online learning, homework or in the preschool age-group is worth considering!

General principles for flexible seating at home. 

1) Beds are for sleeping. 
Where possible, don't do school work or activities in bed.  Beds are for sleeping and there should be some separation between sleep and work or even sleep and play.  There is evidence for this separation in adults; that working in bed decreases productivity and affects sleep patterns. 

Children often play on their bed, however you can encourage some time between play and the bedtime routine to help with the delineation between play and sleep. 

2) Consider the task. 

• Do they need to see a screen?  Is the screen at eye level? 
• Can they do this task by listening? 
• Do they need both hands? 
• Are their feet  supported? 
• Can this activity be done outside? 

3) What body positions help your child's development? 

• Can you incorporate tummy time?  Tummy is important for every age group .  Not only does it help babies to develop strong neck, back and arm muscles.... it can help older kids who have postural issues being seated at a desk.  Read more about tummy time positions here and here. 
• Does your child have sensory needs or difficulties?  Do they like enclosed spaces? Do they need some movement to help with concentration?  Does your child need a quiet space? 
• Can short writing tasks be done on a vertical surface? Would a slope board, whiteboard, magnetic board or easel be appropriate for the task? 
• Can you change the work surface when changing the seating is not an option? 

4) How long will they spend doing the task? 
Allow for various body positions, various seating options and opportunities for movement. This  will make it interesting and engage your child for learning.  

5) Flexible seating does not equal "container seating".  Children of all ages need movement and can benefit seating that supports there posture.  Babies and toddlers should be encouraged to develop their muscles and strength (with a parent).  "Container seating", that is leaving a baby or toddler in a contained position (eg. pram, high chair, bouncer, etc) for extended periods of time should be avoided. 

Other considerations .... this is obvious, but consider your child's age and physical size. Obviously a teenager would struggle to sit in a laundry basket and a toddler would struggle to sit on a ball independently! 

Body positions
There are so many options for HOW your child can position themselves!

• Sitting with legs straight together 
• Sitting with legs straight and apart
• Sitting with legs crossed
• Sitting 90-90-90 (chair position)
• Sitting with knees to chest
• Sitting in a straddle position (like a sitting on a horse)
• Side sitting
• Sitting on feet (low kneeling)
• One leg kneeling
• High kneeling
• Side lying 
• Lying on tummy, propping with forearms
• Lying on tummy, propping on elbows and supporting head
• Lying on back
• Standing with work surface at level of forearms (at 90°)
• Standing with vertical work surface

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Note: "W"-sitting should be avoided or not prolonged.  This position is where you see children place their heels behind them and their legs are rotated so that they form a "W".  Children who have difficulty with trunk control and crossing the midline will use this position for stability.  There are a number of concerns with prolonged W-sitting as it can result in hip muscle tightness (affecting walking and running), prevents trunk rotation and midline crossing. In some cases, it may predispose children to hip dislocation (especially if there is a history of hip dysplasia). ​

Flexible Seating Options at Home

• Floor
• Sofa/Lounge chair
• Dining chair
• Bar stool
• Small chair
• Bench seat
• Window seat
• Chair on wheels
• Floor cushion
• Pillows
• Bean bag
• Gym ball
• Floor rug
• Carpet square
• Yoga mat
• Foot stool
• Staircase 
• Room corner (where the walls meet in the corner)
• Inside a box, laundry basket, inside a tent, inside the bathtub, inside the sand pit
• Under furniture (eg. under a dining table, under the trampoline)
• Outdoor furniture
• Trampoline
• Grass
• Dirt
• Sand
• Driveway
• ​Swing

Specialized Equipment Options
(The following contains affiliate links to the YKOT Amazon store so that you can see what these equipment options look like).

Children who are experiencing developmental delays, sensory modulation difficulties, attention deficient or hyperactivity disorders may also consider specialized equipment options. These options may provide extra physical support, sensory input or movement. 

• Stokke Tripp Trapp chair
• Bilibo
• Wobble chair
• Scooter board
• Balance board
• Pod Swing Chair
• Hammock Chair
• Move n sit cushion/Wobble Cushion
• Swing Hammock Pod Chair
• Inflatable Sensory Pod
• Sofa Sack
• Nest Swing
• Lycra Swing​

Are you doing home learning at the moment?  Have you thought about flexible seating options in your home?  

Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia.  She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning.  Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete).  Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT.  Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog

Cindy is a member of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team.  They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK.

​The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. ​​​​

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