Kinesthetic desks give students a choice to stand and move during school lessons. This brings various advantages in learning and behaviour.
KINESTHETIC DESK SWING
Kinesthetic Desk Swing enables student proper movement during school lessons. The footrest is in a shape of a swing and enables student to rest and perform movements with both legs alternately instead of staying in a static and unhealthy pose.
By swinging the footrest the student maintains steady movements that activate several brain regions (parietal lobe with motor cortex, region for spatial awareness, sensory cortex and occipital lobe and cerebellum, which is directly connected to frontal lobe where cognition and reasoning take part).
Constant and rhythmic movement also calms their internal state and improves their ability to stay focused on the learning process for longer periods of time.
Automatic height adjustable standing desks. These desks are suitable for adults, office and business settings… Install a few of them in every classroom to accommodate students, whom desks with fixed height do not fit.
BENEFITS AND SCIENCE BEHIND KINESTHETIC DESKS
Children with ADHD are fidgety and can’t resist the urge to move. Hyperactivity, distractedness and impulsivity are a normal part of their school day. Their restlessness make them disruptive if they have to sit behind conventional school desks.
- Kinesthetic desks reduce disruptive behaviour.
- Children are more engaged in classrooms with standing desks.
- Classroom management is easier.
- Children will move if they are allowed to.
- Children feel better if they get a chance to move and are not confined to their chairs.
- Behaviour improves with active learning.
- Standing maintains the integrity of all complex motor skills needed for optimal physiologic activity which has a positive effect on learning ability.
- Standing and moving improve memory and focus.
- Physically active students have better grades.
- Children who move more are more creative.
- Test scores improve.
- Children have the ability to move and change body position while focusing on a task.
- The results show 12% increase in students’ task-engagement after installing kinesthetic desks. This equals an additional 7 minutes of increased task-engagement in every school hour and 45 minutes in every school day which amounts to 135 hours of increased task-engagement in one school year.
Excessive sitting causes illnesses and orthopedic problems, and hinders children’s learning ability. Students who are using kinesthetic desks burn up 15–25% more calories during every school day compared to students who are sitting behind regular desks. When standing, body tissues are unable to adapt to static position and do not damage child’s physiology as sitting does. Reducing sitting time literally reduces cellular aging, meaning that children will live longer and healthier lives. Many research also show that standing helps to prevent type 2 diabetes and lowers cholesterol levels. Kinesthetic desks are also proven to be an effective additional weapon when combating childhood obesity.
Kinesthetic desks are a simple solution for numerous problems
of modern society.
Scientific data confirms that it is reasonable to introduce kinesthetic desks in a school setting since it could reduce musculoskeletal problems, burn off excess energy and improve students’ behaviour and their academic achievements. Kinesthetic desks can be readily and quickly implemented with limited classroom and school management adjustments. Kinesthetic desks are also more accessible solution for a lower income backgrounds, ethnic groups with limited access to health education programme, and more expensive dedicated measures.
