Does your child have trouble sitting still in the same place for an extended period of time? Did your child run in a circle or climb everywhere? Is your child restless and overactive? Kids may have less sitting tolerance. Sitting tolerance is an important component of focus and concentration. It can impact the child’s academic achievement, social connections, and family bonds. Keep reading to learn more details and tips to improve the sitting tolerance of your child.
What is Sitting Tolerance?
Sitting tolerance is developing the skill to sit still and be patient without getting distracted easily. It is crucial for a child’s development. Sitting tolerance is important in school, mealtime settings, or during playtime. It is crucial to know the ways to improve sitting tolerance in children. Sitting tolerance involves being attentive, manipulating objects, and learning and applying new skills. Children may have trouble acquiring this skill due to behavioural problems.
How to Improve Sitting Tolerance in Kids?
Children who struggle to sit still may have sensory-motor issues. It depends on how they interpret sensory information and translate it into motor movements. It often causes them to fidget. Fortunately, there are ways to help your child become more tolerant of sitting. Here are some activities to improve sitting tolerance and encourage them to develop the habit of sitting in place:
- Singing Songs
- Listening to Music
- Breathing Activities
- Rocking
- Wedge or Sensory Seat
- Board Games
- Craft Activities
- Pick and Fill
- Sitting Position
- Wheelbarrow Walks
- Crab Walking
- Yoga Pose
Singing has many benefits and one of them is stress-buster. The act of singing provides an avenue to de-stress the brain and body. It is an excellent foundation for more challenging activities.
This has huge benefits if it is done regularly. Learning to calm ourselves on cue is a learned state. It can be as simple as putting on a piece of music once a day, stopping activity, and just listening. Let your children listen to music and help them concentrate on it.
Controlled breathing helps the body and brain to calm. But for children, it will need to have structure so that they can concentrate. By counting the breaths, it gives them a focal point. It also helps their brain tune into one thing, rather than being scattered.
You might not see the correlation between rocking and sitting still. Rocking is one of the great exercises to improve sitting tolerance. It helps in stimulating the vestibular system. In a seated position, the child can balance more easily. It strengthens the vestibular system and gives a greater chance to sit still. If a child is struggling with prolonged sitting times, give them breaks in between.
Providing a wedge gives a different vestibular input. If you are worried about the child sitting on a ball and wiggling around, put them on a foam wedge instead. The gradient engages the vestibular senses. It provides the necessary input and challenges to aid in balance, making sitting still easier.
This game requires attention and concentration which assist in developing positive sitting behaviours. There is some movement required while moving objects on a board. Most of the time is spent sitting still and concentrating on the game until their turn comes. Some board games take longer than others.
Craft is a wonderful way to encourage sitting tolerance and concentration. It also addresses sequencing as one has to create a plan. Work out how to implement that plan and then create the craft. The more practice they have, the better their sequencing, and concentration skills become.
Let your child sit on a chair, and place a container with water beads on the table. Then let your child pick the beads one by one and fill a 2-litre bottle. As the beads just fit in the mouth of the bottle, it takes time to complete the activity. Fine motor control and concentration help to make it work. Children love this activity as it provides tactile stimulation with the bead’s structure. Kids love filling the bottle and watching it drop through the neck hole.
Sometimes children find it uncomfortable to sit on a chair with their legs dangling in the air. When their legs swing, it can be an invitation for them to swing and kick. They look for contact with something, providing an additional distraction. This can be because of low core strength, vestibular challenges, or because they don’t feel secure. Try having their feet either on the ground or using a stool so their feet can rest on that.
In this game, one child is positioned on hands and knees, and another child grabs the legs and lifts them. Then they move around the room with the child on the floor supporting their arms. This forces the core muscles to engage and strengthen.
Sitting on the ground, with arms behind, the child raises themselves off the ground on legs and arms. They move sideways like a crab. The core muscles must engage to support the body which aids in strengthening both the core and upper body.
There are different yoga poses that you can do with your children to help build core muscles. From making bridges to Superman, there are many poses that children can do to build core strength.
Sitting still for extended periods can be difficult for anyone. However, this is more challenging for children who have sensory issues. And this can impact their learning and social life. You can help your children by getting them admitted to Kangaroo Kids International Preschool. Kangaroo Kids include different activities that improve sitting tolerance. It helps them remain in place and improve their gross motor skill.
