As the school year begins, our kids are spending more time on the computer at a desk/table to participate in school from home.
Here are some helpful tips to set your child up for success when engaging in lessons and getting work done.
- Sit up straight!
- Encourage your child to sit up tall with a straight back. I often see children slouched over with their elbows resting on the table and hand supporting their head. Let’s keep those elbows off the table and heads held high.
- Bottom touching back of chair.
- If the chair is too big, simply place a pillow between the chair and lower back so they have support.
- Feet flat on the floor.
- If the chair is too big and their legs don’t reach the floor, place a step stool (or something similar) to rest their feet on.
- Computer screen at an appropriate level.
- Often with laptops and ipads, our heads are looking down at the screen, and this causes strain. Our eyes should be parallel to the top of the computer screen. Try placing a container, box, or stack of books under the computer to raise it higher.
- 90°, 90°, 90°
- We want to see a 90 degree angle at our children’s elbows, hips, and knees. If there is not a 90 degree angle, try the following tips listed above: placing a step stool under their feet, a pillow between the chair and lower back, and/or raising the computer screen at an appropriate height.
- 20-20-20 rule.
- Our eyes need breaks during the day, as looking at the computer screen can cause eye strain and may lead to headaches. Every 20 minutes, try looking at a wall 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
- Let’s move our bodies!
- It’s so important to get up and move. Here are some ideas: having a ‘dance party’ with fun music, jumping jacks, yoga poses/sequences, Simon says, wall push-ups, and animal walks. Reach out to your child’s therapist to gather movement/break ideas for your child.
- Having a difficult time sitting still at the table?
- Use a wiggle cushion by placing it on the chair so your child can wiggle and wobble while they learn.
- Place a heavy resistive Theraband around chair legs, let your child kick and bump the Theraband with their legs to provide input to their muscles and joints.
- Please reach out to Connect the Dots with questions, comments or concerns. We are here to support your child in having a successful school year.