Ground-Level Learning

Two girls learn and play with multifunctional floor elements such as the stacking stones and the Leaf tent of FloorFriends by VS.

Ground-Level Learning Why Children Need Movement

Children love to move. They very rarely stand still and constantly change their positions at times when they are required to be less active. This is completely normal, because children especially like working on the ground until they are around 11 or 12 years old.

No matter whether lying, sitting or crouching. The neuronal networking in the children’s brains is being organised at this life stage. And this needs constant muscular impulses. So children have to move in order to develop healthily. In a digital world in which children are increasingly working with smart devices, we should pay more attention to encouraging them in their movement.

How does learning close to the floor promote children's movement?

If children are lying, sitting or crouching on the ground, it is the best way for them to change their position intuitively and as needed. There are no limits placed on the variety of positions in which children can listen or read at the same time. In other words, in which they can also follow a teacher's explanations.

However, if they are sitting on a chair at a desk, their options for changing position are limited. A rigid seat on a chair is not very conducive to development. Crossing their legs or rocking – children don’t have any other options on them.

A boy learns arithmetics with an abacus on floor-level furniture from the FloorFriends series by VS.

However, if primary school pupils learn on the floor, it’s up to them how they move in the process. There are many options open to them:

• Lying on their back

• Lying on their fronts

• Crouching

• Sitting

• Kneeling

• Sitting cross-legged

• Lying on their sides

• And many more

Supporting Childhood Development Processes

Changing body positions, including on the floor, are important for the healthy development of the growing organism, just as much as other child-friendly behaviours. These include climbing or balancing.

Especially at the start of their time at school, between the ages of 4 and 6, a child’s bones often grow more quickly than their musculature. The body is in a sensitive phase, which can lead to damaged posture or development problems caused by incorrect posture or too little exercise. With ground-level learning we can easily foster the child’s urge to move. When they keep changing their position, they are automatically strengthening their motor system. By contrast, permanently sitting on high chairs with a rigid seat at this age is anything but appropriate for development. In summary, ground-level learning supports two important processes for children:

Healthy physical development
Active intellectual development process

And neither must we forget: if children are more active, the risk of them becoming overweight is lower. Natural movement patterns that we integrate into everyday life are directly linked to a healthy body.

Three children set up the tent element Leaf by VS for floor-level learning.

A girl is studying while lying in the tent Leaf by VS.

Three children are studying sitting in the tent Leaf by VS.

“Children have a great need for movement, intuitively know what their bodies need and react accordingly if we allow it.”
Exercise Expert Dr. Josef Watschinger

Children take their schoolbags out of a VS cupboard

Reflection of Evolution: from Crawling to Walking

Ground-level learning not only helps children in the development of their brain and posture. It mirrors human evolution. In the human maturation process, we once again go through a compressed form of developmental history.

For example, when babies stand up unaided towards the end of their first year of life, this corresponds to changing from being a four-legged to a two-legged animal. This great evolutionary leap is already more than six million years old and our children copy it during their development.

Simple Floor Work Exercises: Learning Easily

Most primary school pupils can concentrate on a single subject for only 20 minutes at a time. After that, many children automatically become restive. We can prevent this with ground-level learning, because the children can then move.

Young children learn with interactive exercises.

Combining More Senses:

When we are moving, we can remember things more easily. For example, if we learn a new English word, we can link it to a silly movement. So, say, the children could lie on their backs moving their legs as though there were riding a bicycle. Or lie on their stomachs making swimming motions. The brain therefore connects this movement to the word that has just been learned.

A girl learns with magnetic letters and digits on a perforated partition screen.

Changing between Lying and Sitting

How about children copying the use of capital and small letters with their bodies? The children lie down when the word is written with a small letter and sit up when it has a capital letter.

Rocking:

If children are sitting or kneeling on the floor or on mats, they can move from side to side without any danger. On a chair, there is a risk of falling, which is no longer the case on the floor. This is especially fun in singing lessons because the children can move with the music.

Find out more about Shift+ here

Education

Shift+ Landscape - upholstered elements for the agile school

Redesigning classrooms to suit your needs time and time again - with the Shift+ furniture range, it's child's play. Everything can be combined with each other. There is suitable and supportive furniture for every learning scenario. On this page you will find everything you need to know about the Shift+ Landscape upholstered elements.

Ground-Level Learning | VS

Ground-Level Learning | VS

Ground-Level Learning Why Children Need Movement

However, if primary school pupils learn on the floor, it’s up to them how they move in the process. There are many options open to them:

Reflection of Evolution: from Crawling to Walking

Find out more about Shift+ here