One of the most common questions I get asked by early childhood teachers is “How do I get my students to sit for instruction?

They are rolling on the carpet and running about the room. What do I do?” To which my response always is “Why do you want them to sit?”

We have been conformed into thinking that to learn one must be sitting in a chair with their hands in their lap or crisscross applesauce.

Why is that? Why have we moved so far from the developmental model, which clearly shows kids wiggle and move but can still attend and learn? In this post I will review the “why” behind students may not be sitting and how to work towards that goal.

Typically, when someone says they want their students to sit, it is because they want them to attend. Now, I am not saying let it be a free-for-all and have students frolicking about, but let’s look at sitting as a long-term goal we are taking baby steps towards and focus on the main goal: attention.

As students get older or progress through grade levels, paying attention becomes more necessary, but that does not happen overnight. They need to build a base. For early learners, especially those who have never been in school before, sitting in a chair or attending to instruction is not something they have been required to really do thus far in life. At home, kids typically engage in preferred, self-motivated, and unstructured play on the floor or outside. They generally never had to attend to something for an extended period of time besides watching TV. So when it comes to that first-morning circle, expect students to plop out of their chairs or wiggle about.

As mentioned earlier, the hyperactivity and movement are normal and developmental. However, that hyperactivity can lead to difficulty attending. In order to promote attendance during whole group instruction, we aim for students to “sit ready,” but that takes time, tolerance, and a regulated mind and body. So, what do I do to promote attention during instruction?

Schedule in Sensory Regulation

I build my schedule so we have built-in breaks, whether they be movement or sensory input. I always do this as a class before we get ready to start small or whole-group instruction. We love any of Jack Hartman’s songs or a quick Go Noodle. For some students, they may even require their own individualized sensory input. This can look like five minutes on the trampoline before story time, a walk down the hall, or time in their favorite center.

Don’t freak out

When a student pops out of their chair or wanders off do not discipline them with a harsh tone. Simply guide them back while holding their hand and giving them a visual prompt. We don’t want to make sitting or remaining with the group a punishment or a negative thing. When we use a sharp voice, students can sense the negativity and react adversely to remaining with the group or sitting. It is okay if a friend is rolling on the carpet during instruction. You can simply roll them back to their seat or spot. The student got up and made a beeline for the trampoline. Totally cool! Pick a number and count out that many jumps before joining the group. Keep in mind that some students need that time away because they are overstimulated by whole-group instruction. For these students, I encourage them to use a break card.

Do not stress eye contact

One of my biggest pet peeves is when teachers say look at me! Students can attend without looking, trust me. I had a student who used to run laps behind our whole group area. When you called upon him to answer a question related to the story we just read, he would scurry over, answer correctly, and return to his lap. Just because a student does not have joint attention and is moving about does not mean they are not absorbing what you are saying.

Flexible Seating

In this day in age, you probably have heard this term. Flexible seating allows students to remain in a defined space while getting their wiggles out. Some of my favorites are cube chairs, carpet squares, scoop chairs, sit spot, or standard chairs with a chair band.

Choices

We often see students who simply do not want to sit or attend because it is not preferred. When we provide choices, it gives students a sense of power, and they are more inclined to participate. Choices can be simply who do you want to sit next to? Do you want to sit or stand? You can even make that friend the teacher’s helper.

Fidgets

Offering fidgets to students helps them self-regulate. However, fidgets can be distracting during whole group activities, so I typically choose ones that do not make any noise, such as scrub pads, coil bracelets, or chewy toys.

Boundaries:

Boundaries serve multiple purposes and can be for the whole class or individualized. Classroom Boundaries help students focus by eliminating outside stimuli. These sorts of boundaries can be created in classroom furniture or by covering up toy shelves. ( Check out my reel on how to make your own shelf covers).
Individual Boundaries: For students that need to move about in order to attend tape out a box on the floor or around their chair. Teach students that this is their space. They can jump, flap, or whatever they want! As long as it is a safe choice and they remain in the box they are free to move about. This helps keeps students with the group but still allowing that movement they need.

Engaging Instruction

In early childhood, especially early childhood special ed, instruction has to be high energy and offer lots of movement opportunities. This can include a hand motion song, getting up to take turns at the interactive board, or interacting with props. The more hands-on and engaging the activity is, the more inclined students will be to attend.

Patience

This one is hard, I know. Right now, if you walk into my classroom during whole-group instruction, it looks like mass chaos to an outsider, but I can tell you right now that I am already seeing progress. Just in the few short weeks, we have been in school, my students who would roam are starting to remain in the area for longer periods of time, and the ones that do sit are tolerating it much better!

Hopefully, you have a better idea of “why” your student may not be sitting and now have some strategies you can apply to promote them remaining with the group and work towards sitting as the end goal.