What are the benefits of using stools in the classroom?

One of the most dominant trends that we’re seeing in the classroom at the moment is this idea that alternative seating in the classroom is a way of improving learning outcomes. In other words, educators are increasingly looking at the use of seating such as stools in classroom environments.
Why stools in the classroom? The answer is quite simple: stools form a part of a new push in education to get kids on their feet and moving around far more than they once did. When classrooms were dominated by neat rows of desks, each with a simple, rigid four-legged chair behind it, those classrooms were difficult to move around without a great deal of effort in re-arranging desks and chairs, so it made more sense to have stable, rigid chairs that firmly faced the front of the class.

However, research shows that alternative seating models, and “freeing up” the classroom to better allow children to move around, results in:
-Higher Academic Performance
-Improved core strength and posture
-Improved behaviour and social participation
-Lowered restlessness
-Improved calorie burn and energy expenditure
-And better, longer attention and focus

These are, obviously, significant benefits well worth the school’s time and investment in chasing.
It’s for this reason that we’re seeing stools become more commonplace in classrooms. As seating, stools in classrooms allow greater flexibility for students; they can turn around more easily, and move their chairs around the space better. Stools also take up less space in the classroom, allowing teachers to be more creative with the spaces that they have to work in.

Most importantly, stools encourage students and teachers alike to stand up and move around. Research suggests that we are all to sedentary and reliant on sitting down through both our school and working lives. Getting into good habits, around standing up and walking around, working while standing (perhaps consider standing desks for the classroom) and so on is a good way to encourage healthy habits from a young age. Be sure to talk to the experts at Abax Kingfisher for more information on the benefits that stools can bring to your classrooms.