Make an Ergonomically Friendly School Space
With many districts beginning the school year at home, we wanted to continue our back to school theme, and talk about how to set up an ergonomically friendly school space for your child.
The good news is that kids have the same needs as adults, just in smaller sizes. To make an ergonomic school space for your child, you will want to make sure their:
- Feet are flat on the floor or resting a footrest
- Wrists and hands don’t rest on sharp or hard edges
- Chair offers back support
- Computer screen is at or slightly below eye level
- Mouse and keyboard are positioned at a 90-degree angle to the elbows and the shoulders are relaxed.
If your child is using a laptop for online learning it can be difficult to position both the screen and keyboard at the prime levels for your child. We recommend that parents use a stand-alone keyboard and mouse. Now you can lift the laptop onto a stand or books until the screen is eye level. Looking down for an extended period can lead to neck and back pain.
Breaks Between Classes:
Breaks between classes are a great time to get your kids moving! Kids need about an hour of physical activity each day. To help with this, we have put together a list of physical activity recommendations. We have ideas for students from elementary through high school, so make sure to check it out and have fun with it!
Start the school year off right by taking advantage of our tips on how to make an ergonomic school space for your child. If you or your child begin to experience pain while working from home or participating in online learning, we have a talented group of physical therapists throughout the country that can help you get rid of pain and make sure your home setup is working for your family.
