Flexible Seating Ideas to Make the Alternative Work for Your Classroom

Thinking this is the year to implement flexible seating in the classroom? It’s well-documented that the learning space plays an integral role in students’ academic success, and that includes how — and where — students sit.

We’re seeing more and more movement incorporated into the school day, from brain breaks that get kids up and out of their seats to sensory pathways that let students jump, skip, and hop on the way to specials. Flexible seating is yet another means to give kids more freedom of movement in the classroom with ball chairs, wobble stools, and more that let them bounce, shift, and tilt, but it’s more than that. Why is flexible seating important in a classroom? And for that matter, what exactly is flexible seating?

Our teacher team dug deep to share everything you need to know if you’re adding flexible seating this school year!

Download and print flexible seating expectation posters for your classroom!

What is Flexible Seating in the Classroom?

Just as the name implies, flexible seating ditches the traditional notion of “rows of desks facing the teacher at the front” in favor of giving students a variety of seating options so they can choose the one that is most comfortable for them, much like adults — teachers included — who are finding increased flexibility in their workplace seating. 

Sometimes called classroom ‘un-seating,’ the goal is to create a learning environment that more truly reflects the nature of the hyperconnected, ever-changing, globalized world that we now live in; a learning environment that inherently requires students to master skills such as flexibility, creativity, problem-solving and collaboration.

“I like having the choice to sit where I want to sit. Somedays I feel different and can choose somewhere that I can focus better.”
– P.B, Grade 6

Why Is Flexible Seating Important in a Classroom?

Flexible seating in first grade and up looks less like a kindergarten and more like a cafe, according to renowned 3rd-grade teacher and “flexible seating guru” Kayla Dornfeld. Dornfeld suggests that some of the benefits that students experience when using flexible seating include:

• increased metabolism
• increased oxygen flow to the brain
• burning extra energy
• improved core strength and posture
• and increased motivation and engagement.

These benefits combined, are linked to higher academic performance, better health and improved behavior.

Middle school teacher Paige Simonka has introduced flexible seating in her classroom. The room provides students with a variety of seating options for both group work or more focused, individual work. 

How to Introduce Flexible Seating in the Classroom

To understand the philosophy behind this student-centered approach to classroom setup, it can be helpful to think about how an early learning setting often features different ‘zones’ for children to engage with, such as a reading nook, an open floor space, and a “home corner”. Providing these zones in daycare and kindergarten classrooms encourages each individual child to play, explore and learn in the way that appeals the most to them.
Some children will play in groups. Some children will play alone. Some will sit and draw, while others will stand. This physical flexibility increases each child’s level of engagement with concepts and activities. Teachers can then support and extend individual learning within a ‘space’ that the child themselves has established is one they are comfortable in.

“I like when Miss Simonka comes to help us. She will just sit with us wherever we are sitting even if it’s on a cushion on the floor. I think that’s cool.”
– M.P, Grade 6

In essence, flexible seating in the classroom allows students to form their own micro-climate, where they can exercise some control over the physical and mental “conditions” in which they learn best.

Flexible seating in a primary or high school setting looks less like a kindergarten and more like a cafe, according to the renowned 3rd-grade teacher and “flexible seating guru” Kayla Delzer. Delzer suggests that some of the benefits that students experience when using flexible seating include:

• increased metabolism
• increased oxygen flow to the brain
• burning extra energy
• improved core strength and posture
• and increased motivation and engagement.

These benefits combined, are linked to higher academic performance, better health, and improved behavior.

Wobble boards, low stools, bench seats. and crate seats are some of the options available in this flexible seating classroom. Photo credit: @teaching6

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Flexible Seating Tips & Tricks

Flexible Seating Ideas

The flexible options that you can provide for your students are limited only by your imagination and your budget. However, getting creative with swapping furniture with other teachers and sourcing unused seating from parents and other community members can make creating your new classroom space much more affordable than you may expect.

Some commonly used flexible seating options include:

• bath mats
• yoga mats
• exercise balls
• cushions
• fold out couches (lower grades)
• milk crates with a thin cushion or bath mat seat
• wobble boards
• low stools
• high stools
• chairs
• standing desks (with no seating)
• bean bags
• a small couch or sofa
• clipboards or lap-tables

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Flexible Seating “Plans” — Who Gets to Sit Where?

There are no seating plans in a flexible seating classroom, however, some teachers may agree on a ‘standard seating plan’ with their students to be used with substitute teachers or on other occasions.

• Create at least 5 more seating options or spots than the number of students in your class. This increases flexibility and reduces the chance of conflict over seating choices.
• Have students try out every seating option in your new classroom environment for at least one full day before allowing free selection. Students may find they are more comfortable in a certain type of seating for one activity and a completely different type of seat for another.
• Another awesome tip from teacher Angie Olsen of Lucky Little Learners is to let students move from whole group instruction on the floor to their chosen seat one row at a time, alternating which rows select their seating first each time you finish up a group activity.

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Set Up Clear Expectations

Like any new process or routine, the success of flexible seating lies in setting up, clearly communicating, and following through with expectations. Students will need time and support to learn the new skills required of them in a flexible learning space. Some common “rules” include:

1. The teacher can move a student at any time.

“We can sit with our friends as long as we are on task. Sometimes we have to sit in our Collaborative Learning groups for some activities, but it still is comfy no matter where we sit.”
– M.J., Grade 6

2. Students select the seating option that they know helps them to work best for the activity they are completing.

“I really like reading on the lounge. I am comfortable and can enjoy reading and really focus on the book.”
– K.M., Grade 6

3. Set up a clear process to settle arguments over seating.

For example, if two students would like the same spot they could play “scissors, paper, rock” to determine who gets the spot. Alternatively, the teacher can decide where both students will sit or may remove a specific seating option for a period of time.

4. Establish familiar attention grabbers.

This classroom management technique is important in any classroom, however, agreeing on whole-group attention grabbers with your students as you transition into a new classroom environment will help!

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Storage

Teachers are freeing up floor space by allocating cupboards, shelves or boxes for student workbooks and folders and pooling student equipment, such as stationery and other materials, into shared stocks that are brought out when required.

Rather than being time-wasting, Angie Olsen from Lucky Little Learners says this actually speeds up transition times as students are no longer digging through messy desks trying to find their own materials.

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Testing

How can you set up test conditions in a flexible learning environment?

You will likely find that students can easily sit on their own, ‘private’ space within a flexible seating classroom meaning you won’t need to change anything for testing. However, if you do require more formal test conditions, consider using another space in the school such as the library or swapping classrooms with another teacher for the time. You could also use testing dividers.

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Rotations, Activity Centers or Stations

You can set these up around a flexible seating classroom as you would in any other. As rotations or activity stations are typically used for a small part of the day, students will usually settle into whatever seating is at their station, or they may quickly swap out one type of seating for another if that can be quickly and easily accommodated.

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Moving Against the Tide

In systems that are increasingly dictated by structure and expectation, more and more teachers are seeing flexible seating as a means to incorporate more student-centered, autonomous, and responsive philosophy and pedagogy in their classrooms.

While still meeting the day-to-day obligation of curriculum and assessment requirements, teachers taking this approach see their students’ soft skills develop in a way that requires little scaffolding beyond the initial transition to this new way of working.

If you use flexible seating in the classroom or are looking to communicate the benefits to parents, colleagues, and administrators, take a look at our set of Flexible Seating Posters.

Start your year off right with all the back-to-school resources you need in your teacher toolkit!

Banner image via shutterstock/Tyler Olson