What Sitting Still Really Tells Us: Rethinking Attention and Behavior in Young Children

When we think of a “ready-to-learn” child, the image often includes a still body, folded hands, and eyes facing forward. But in real early childhood classrooms, most children wiggle, shift, bounce, or sprawl. It’s easy to assume these behaviors mean a child is inattentive, impulsive, or misbehaving. But often, they’re telling us something entirely different. They are telling us about something physical.

Before we can expect children to sit still and pay attention, we need to understand what their bodies need in order to do so. Sitting still isn’t just a behavioral expectation, it’s a motor skill, and it requires a foundation of strength, stability, and sensory integration.

Good posture isn’t “passive”. It’s actually hard work. Staying upright in a chair or on the floor requires strong core muscles, active postural control, and balance. For many young children, especially those with low tone or underdeveloped core strength, sitting for extended periods takes tremendous effort. As they fatigue, they may slump, lean on friends, shift positions constantly, or lie flat on the floor. This isn’t a child “refusing to listen.” It’s a child whose body is signaling fatigue or discomfort.

Children who struggle with posture may:

• Use their hands to prop themselves up
• Constantly change positions to find stability
• Seem fidgety or disengaged during group activities
• Avoid tabletop tasks that require sustained sitting

What appears to be a lack of focus, may often be a lack of physical readiness for seated learning.

In addition to core strength, attention also depends on the ability to process and respond to sensory input, including things like noise, lights, touch, and body position. When sensory processing is inefficient, children may become overwhelmed (seeking to escape) or underwhelmed (seeking more input).

For example:

• A child may rock in place or wiggle to help their brain stay alert
• Another might press their body into the floor during circle time to feel grounded
• A child who’s constantly getting up may be trying to regulate their energy—not disrupt the class

Understanding sensory behavior shifts the question from “How do I make this child stop moving?” to “What kind of movement does this child need right now?”

Rather than correcting posture or stillness immediately, observe the child over time. Look for patterns. “Do they struggle most after transitions?”, “Are they slouched at the start of the day or only after lunch?”, “Are they able to sit upright when engaged in movement or hands-on play?” Careful observations can help guide the right supports. 

When we start viewing movement as communication, we open the door to more compassionate, developmentally informed teaching. Rather than labeling a child as disruptive or inattentive, we begin to ask:

• What is this child’s body telling us?
• How can we respond in a way that supports regulation and participation?

Flexible seating, visual supports, movement breaks, and motor-based transitions can benefit the whole classroom, not just the kids with the “big behaviors.” Expecting stillness before a child has physical stability is like asking them to read before they know their letters. Instead of forcing stillness, let’s build the foundations that make focused learning possible.