What is flexible seating? - Fabrication Enterprises

CanDo inflatable exercise ball with feet

Earlier this week we told you about Katie Griffiths and her goal of incorporating flexible seating into her classroom. Today, we wanted to talk a little more about flexible seating and why it is important for young students.

What is flexible seating?

Flexible seating is the first step towards independent learning. It allows children to make choices alone, rather than being told what to do, or in this case where to sit. Giving children a choice unlocks the ability for them to solve problems which, in turn, will make children more proactive learners when they are older. This first step of allowing flexible seating unlocks collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking among children.

Kayla Delzer, a second grade teacher, decided to renovate her classroom so it looked like “a Starbucks for kids” and provided her students a variety of seating options instead of having the same option for every student.

“If student motivation and higher engagement is truly the desired end game, then we as teachers must adapt right along with our students in our classrooms,” Kayla pointed out.

What are the benefits of flexible seating?

Students are required to sit for hours on end while they are at school and, just like adults who sit at work all day, that is bad for their health even if they exercise early or late in the day. Unlike adults, children do not have the option to skip school to go for a long walk during the day and many children would rather look at a screen than be active during recess.

Part of the solution to help kids live a healthier lifestyle is introducing flexible seating in classrooms, whether it be adding inflatable balls to bounce on, placing plushy mats on the floor to lay on, or lowering tables to create standing stations.

Immediate benefits of incorporating flexible seating into classrooms can include:

Better health
- Reduced risk of disease
- Less stress
- Strengthened mental health
- Improved physical fitness
Effective learning
- Better cognitive performance
- Higher ability to concentrate
- Improved memory retention
- Higher academic achievement
Improved behavior
- Students are less disruptive
- Students are better able to focus on the tasks they were assigned
- Fewer disciplinary incidents are reported
- Excess energy is used up

How do I incorporate flexible seating into my classroom?

Some products made by FEI are often used in flexible seating classrooms, including: