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Congratulations to the students, teachers, parents, and caregivers for making it through the first few weeks of virtual learning! Virtual learning has brought more attention to proper set up and positioning for ideal learning and to prevent discomfort, but really, these ideas can and should be applied in any scenario when a child (or adult) is sitting at a computer doing homework, playing games, or in a virtual classroom. Today, I wanted to share my advice to keep everyone comfy and happy!
The most important rule to remember when setting up the desk and computer at home is “90/90/90”, meaning the hips, knees, and ankles are positioned at a 90 degree angle. To achieve this position, the feet can be supported on a stool, box, or stacked books to create the 90 degree angle at the ankles and knees. Next, the back should be in an upright position with the head in neutral. This means that there should not be slouching in the chair and the child should not be looking up, down, or to the side to see their computer screen. If the chair is the right size, the child’s bottom should be touching the back of the chair. If the chair is too big, pillows can be added behind the child’s back in the chair to create the upright posture. When this happens, the hips are at a 90 degree angle which is optimal for positioning and comfort! The computer screen should be at eye level and straight ahead to ensure a neutral position of the neck. To do this, books can be stacked beneath the computer to raise the height of the screen to eye-level.
What if my child is a wiggle worm?
So what happens if you have a great set up, but your child has trouble sitting in one place for a long period of time? Learning can still happen in other positions to add some variety into the virtual school day! Some alternatives to traditional sitting include:
- Laying on the belly on the floor propped on the elbows
- Sitting on an exercise ball - this is great for kids who are more fidgety and feel the need to wiggle or bounce while learning to stay focused!
- Kneeling on the knees with the bottom lifted off the heels. Blankets can be used to pad the knees for increased comfort.
If you are interested in hearing more about this topic, please visit www.lifeafterbabyshow.com and listen to the latest podcast episode, where I go into greater depth about positioning and other activities for fidgety kids. I hope these tips are useful during the period of virtual learning!
