By Shannon and Joy at the Southern Schoolhouse
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Sensory Seating increases engagement. It is an important set of tools that can help to improve the success of your learning environment. We love sensory seating. It can be strategically placed ahead of time for those students that you know need extra sensory input and wiggle time.
There are many different types of sensory seating. Several of our students use the wiggle bottom seats when sitting in class. The littles prefer the smaller ones and the upper grades typically like the full size seats. This item helps our students with extra energy or aids in reducing anxiety.
A cost effective way to bring more students sensory seating is the bands. These work great in both the regular and special education classrooms. The bands fit around the front two chair legs. These bands allow you to push forward, kick back, or bounce your feet up and down. They come in all different colors to compliment your classroom, and will work for multiple grade levels, even high school. Although a bit more pricey, these calming colors would look amazing in our space!
We also have the Bouncyband Wiggle Wobble Chair Feet on some of the chairs. These are favorites-the students really like that bouncy sensation. Portable wedged wiggle seats are helpful when moving from group to group or for helping boost little bodies to provide better body posture.
Every child is different and what works for one may not for others. Once you get to know your students’ needs, you can tailor their seating to increase engagement. Whether it is the regular, special education, or the homeschool classroom, specialized sensory seating can be utilized to increase attention and academic engagement.