A post I published in July titled “Why so many kids can’t sit still in school today” seems to have struck a nerve with readers, who continue to read it in big numbers. The piece was by Angela Hanscom, a pediatric occupational therapist, who said that kids are being forced to sit for too long while they are in school and are being deprived of enough time for real physical activity. This, she said, is affecting their ability to learn and in some cases leading to improper ADHD diagnoses.
Here is a follow-up post by Hanscom in which she talks about how to get kids moving in class and some of the mistakes teachers are making. Some of her suggestions may be controversial. For example, she takes issue with a method that some teachers say they are using with success — having students sit on bouncy balls. Hanscom is the founder of TimberNook, a nature-based development program designed to foster creativity and independent play outdoors in New England.
Click here to read the article