MOVEMENT FOR MIND AND BODY – OUR CHILDREN KNOW HOW TO DO IT

Children are naturally inquisitive and eager to move. They have a very intuitive motivation for questioning things, learning new things and, above all, giving their bodies enough exercise. So we can learn a lot just by watching our children.

“Sit still already!”, “Don’t wiggle the chair!” – Do these statements sound familiar to you? We’ve all probably heard them ourselves and most likely pass them on to our children. At school in particular, exercise is often limited to breaks, and tends to be perceived as disruptive during class sessions. Nevertheless, it is a fact that children like to move a lot. In addition, even as adults, we are realizing more and more that movement is good for our bodies, and that rigid sitting postures harm our spine and cause our muscles to atrophy. So it’s time to completely rethink our idea of sitting still and start doing it in school.

Promote movement

The initiators of “Bewegte Schule” recognized this need years ago, and yet new developments always need time to become established. In the meantime, however, there are already many schools that are actively implementing this concept. Because more and more studies show, exercise not only strengthens our body, but also improves concentration while learning. As a specialist in ergonomic seating furniture, we feel it is our responsibility to share these findings with you. On the one hand, we are convinced that conscious movement sessions in the form of sports, yoga or balance training positively support the development of our children. On the other hand, we also know how important it is to additionally promote movement in the daily routine. This is true not only for sedentary jobs in the office, but especially for school – and for students and teachers alike. The use of ergonomic furniture that supports movement in a natural way is essential here.

Use ergonomic furniture in the classroom

Flexible, height-adjustable seating and tables can be individually adjusted to the physique and thus ensure an ergonomically correct posture. In addition, they promote the change of positions – sitting, standing and moving are then no longer opposites, but are in a natural flow. This allows the children to react to the impulses of their body in a very targeted way. Particularly through the use of movement stools, small balancing movements are already performed while sitting, which have a positive effect on the entire body and the learning success. It has proven effective to integrate three to five movement stools per class in addition to conventional chairs, which the children can use alternately.

Mindfulness and positive learning environment

The children’s natural urge to move is incidentally encouraged by the use of ergonomic furniture during lessons. This avoids rigid posture patterns and makes children feel freer and more relaxed, which in turn increases their enjoyment of learning. In addition to this, balance is trained and the children learn very early to develop a good body feeling. Something that we as adults today often rediscover only in the form of mindfulness training.

A good body image is closely linked to a healthy self-esteem, which subsequently also has a positive effect on the classroom climate. The concept of a “moving school” therefore encompasses much more than just physical activity. Here, school and learning are rethought: contemporary forms of teaching, a variety of methods, individually equipped classrooms, motivated teachers and, above all, a mindful approach to the needs of the children.