Physical activity is to be encouraged, but it’s also important to help children who can’t seem to sit still. Sue Cowley explains how to succeed without resorting to extreme measures…
Young children love to move – this urge is apparent from the earliest age as babies roll over, or try to sit up. Indeed, with tiny children it can seem like the only time they are still is when they are asleep.
Movement is vital for children’s development: it helps them build strength and learn how to control their bodies.
However, as children move towards school age, they also need to learn to be still, and to focus their attention on what an adult is saying.
These skills are vital for them to get the most out of carpet-time sessions in a Reception classroom and beyond.
You have a group of five or more children who simply cannot sit still. At story time they wriggle around, roll on the rug, and behave exactly as though they have the proverbial ‘ants in their pants’.
Your fidgety children also find it hard to keep their hands to themselves on the carpet. You have noticed that the same children often rush around the setting, without settling for any length of time to a single activity.
It is completely normal for young children to want to be on the move – this is a key way for them to learn and develop.
However, it is also important that they learn how to be still and particularly how to focus their attention.
Some children find it harder than others to stay still, perhaps because of an underlying behavioural difficulty, or because they have never been encouraged to calm themselves at home.
The ability to focus, to pay attention and to be still is a skill that you can help your children build up over time. Here are some points to consider:
1. Consider how long you are asking your children to be still, and whether this might be more than is appropriate. There is no specific amount of time that every child should be able to sit still. Instead, you will need to build up the duration gradually, taking individual needs into account.
2. Story sessions are a great time for children to learn how to be still. There is something very calming about listening to an adult read a story to the group.
3. You will have seen how young children can focus really well when they are engrossed in something of keen interest to them. Consider how you can make use of your children’s interests to encourage focused attention.
4. Look at the overall layout of your setting, and the resources you offer. Ensure there are spaces and activities that encourage calm, quiet behaviour and focus.
To help those children with ‘ants in their pants’, and to build your children’s focusing and listening skills, particularly during story time:
Sue Cowley is an educational author and helps to run an ‘outstanding’ preschool. Visit www.suecowley.co.uk or follow @Sue_Cowley
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