Sitting for long periods of time is difficult for most people. Put a child who has the wiggles in a hard chair and it’s nearly impossible, especially when asking them to concentrate all day. Wiggle seats, wobble cushions, ball chairs, and other kinds of stools have been such a blessing for most kiddos in school these days. But they can also be used at home for completing homework, watching TV, or craft time
The cushion that started it all, the inflated stability wobble cushion. I remember having this cushion in my classroom when I first started teaching. I only had 1 and the kids fought over it. Wobble cushions help in two ways: one is to provide stimulation to keep the child alert, hence the nubs. And the other is to help the child activate their core muscles when they wobble, assisting with building core strength for less floppy sitting on a regular chair. When their core is strong, sitting quietly in a regular chair in the future won’t be so painful, meaning less wiggling.
This particular cushion by Trideer has two sides: one side is nubs that are spaced further apart and don’t stick up very high, and the other side has many nubs, spaced tightly together and sticking out from the cushion more. This gives kiddos a choice as to what feels better to them.
It also comes with a pump to inflate the cushion. The Trideer comes in a variety of colors, is eco-friendly, and anti-burst. This is a great cushion to start with if your child has never tried any other style of sensory seating. It can be taken anywhere and is sure to be a favorite.
For kiddos who don’t like the feeling of the nubs (and I understand because my daughter hates the nubs), try the Gaiam Balance Disc Wobble Cushion. It still offers the wobble effect of a typical wobble cushion, helping to build the core muscles, but without the pointy nubs. It comes in three colors and can be inflated to a firmness that fits the needs of your child.
Wobble chairs are a fairly new idea for classroom use and they are fantastic. Wobble chairs, like wobble cushions, help with focusing and building core muscles. Wobble chairs provide a full body wobble movement, and for some kids, this really improves focus.
This particular wobble chair comes in a variety of colors and heights. Check their description for which height would be right for your child. It also has no nub stimulation on the seat part, which for my daughter was extremely important as other wobble chairs in her classroom had something in the form of nubs and she refused to sit on them.
This is the stool that my daughter refused to sit on at school. Though it is not exactly nubs, as she explained it, “it felt as though her pants were stuck to the chair and she didn’t like the way that felt”. Shes talking about the non-slip rubber coating on the top of the chair.
Other kids in her classroom had no issues, so just pay attention to the needs of your child, as this chair is a perfectly fine wobble chair. It comes in 4 sizes and a variety of colors.
For a growing child, buying multiple stool heights can be a pain to keep up with and get quite expensive. The Learniture Adjustable-Height Active Learning Stool is one option to consider as the stool adjusts in height to keep up with your growing kiddo.
It uses a pneumatic gas lift system and has a non-slip, softer than other stools, seat. It also comes in three colors.
If your kids don’t mind the non-slip rubber feel and want a more traditional style wobble chair, the ECR4Kids SitWell Height-Adjustable Wobble Stool may be a good option. Just like their traditional wobble stool, this also comes in a variety of colors and uses an easy push button system for height adjustment.
Another option for kids to get their wiggles out while promoting good posture is a balance ball. The Gaiam Kids Stay-N-Play Children’s Balance Ball is different than a traditional yoga ball because it has four little feet that help the ball stay in place when not in use.
But the feet easy squish onto the floor so the kiddo can still get that bounce and wiggle feel they are looking for. It comes in a variety of colors, 2 sizes, and a pump.
If you do find that your child needs a bit more stability of a more traditional chair, but the bounce of a ball, the Gaiam Kids Balance Ball Chair provides the perfect combination of both. Because the ball sits a bit off the floor, this is designed for kids between 42 and 51 inches tall. This is what a true “active chair” looks like in my opinion. The chair sits on 4 wheels so the kiddo can easily maneuver around to what they need to reach. The back height is also adjustable, and the ball promotes the core muscle strength required for good posture.
If your looking for a floor chair for your kids to read in, the American Plastic Toy Kid’s Scoop Rocker is perfect. This little rocker supports their bodies perfectly, but also provides a rocking motion they can control with their legs, giving them some wiggle and movement feeling. They come in a variety of colors, a pack of 6, and stack together when not in use.
If your child just has fidgety legs and concentrates better when bouncing them up and down, the Original Bouncy Bands are a great solution. I’ve used exercise resistance bands in the past, but these Original Bouncy Bands are made to fit around the legs of a traditional classroom style chair, and provide the perfect amount of bounce for the child’s legs. They are quiet and promote focusing.
The Steelcase Turnstone Buoy may be a better option for larger or older children. It comes in a variety of colors and has a pneumatic gas lift for adjustable heights of up to 5 1/2 inches. Think of this as an extra weight wobble stool. It provides all the same benefits of a wobble stool, but with height adjustment, and is wider.
For a more stable option than a wiggle stool, the KidsErgo Ergonomic Stool is perfect as the bottom is flat. It still provides some wiggle in the core muscles, and a bit of an up and down wiggle feeling, but kids who aren’t very stable will definitely not topple this stool over.
It comes in a variety of colors and 3 heights.
I hope this article helps you choose a style of wiggle seat that is best for your child!
