New School Year Brings New Chairs For Kindergarteners

There has been alternative options for adults who spend all day sitting.  But, what about kids who spend all day at school? 
 
Mrs. Joyce Wemhoff’s kindergarten class has exercise ball chairs. These new chairs are helping kids in the classroom in more ways than one.
 
“They are supposed to help with abdominal muscles," Wemhoff said. "Strengthen the tummy and back muscles, and just help with learning or focusing.”
 
Wiggling or moving to help learning is not unheard of. According to the National Education Association, a study found that children actually need to move to focus during mental tasks. Moving or fidgeting helps to store or retain the information.
 
“And for your struggling learners, I think that it is a really good thing cause they need to bounce and I think that it gives them positive energy, and a positive way to release energy," Wemhoff explained.
 
Wemhoff thinks that it could be helpful for people of all ages and not just the younger students. She has seen it in previous years that movement helps learning.
 
“Even in 4th grade last year, when I taught last year, some of the kids were standing all day because they just couldn’t sit," Wemhoff said.  "And I think that would have been a good alternative  for 4th grade too.”

School has been in session for just a few weeks, but Wemhoff said that the chairs are a serious success.