The REAL reason children fidget — and what we can do about it | Angela Hanscom | TEDxPortsmouth

In this insightful and research-backed talk, Angela Hanscom delivers a profound case for the restoration of more movement and outdoor play experiences for children.

Angela Hanscom is a pediatric occupational therapist and founder of TimberNook—an award-winning developmental and nature-based program that has gained international popularity. She is also the author of Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children.Awarded a “Hometown Hero” by Glamour magazine for her innovative work with TimberNook, Hanscom has also been a frequent contributor to The Washington Post, and was featured on the NPR education blog, Children & Nature Network, Edutopia, and Johnson & Johnson’s TEDxJNJ. ​

[sues]

As a homeschooler, I will put out the days work for my kids, then they get to decide the order in which they do each subject. They rule is, that they just need to complete it by the end of the day. If my child slept poorly the night before, then I let them sleep in. They can concentrate better with proper sleep. They are allowed to take breaks if they are having trouble concentrating at a particular moment. If they get frustrated with a lesson, then I tell them to put it aside and try another subject, then go back and see if they can get it later on. If they are still struggling, then I intervene and help them to understand it. Most of the time they simply need to take a temporary break from it. Sometimes, all they need is a hug and encouragement. Parents, you know your kids best. The wonderful thing about homeschool is that everyone is not locked into a box. My kids can choose to do their work at a desk, in their bed, on the couch, the floor, outside, or basically whatever works for them. People are not robots, but unique individuals. Kids need to move. Teenagers sleep patterns are wacky because of their changing hormones, and they seem to do better if you just let them sleep longer in the mornings. I pulled my children out of the public school system years ago, and I have never regretted it. Plus, we get to spend more time together and it has strengthened our relationships.

[hypnotherapyholistichealth]

Big thumbs up for this. I am a consultant for Rhythmic Movement Training in order to help children and adults integrate retained / active primitive and postural reflexes. This gets the message across very strongly that society needs to change.

[JeanFeldman]

This is sad, but true! Every parent, teacher, and administrator should be required to watch this!!! Time to turn off the screen and get outside and PLAY!!

[catherinedignan]

Sounds like what has really changed in the last 50 years are opportunities for children to play outside and the increasing amount of screen time involved in their time outside school hours. In the 1940s and 50s the classroom was arranged in rigid rows of small desks that did not allow much movement, let alone getting up and walking about the classroom for group work etc. Talking and moving during a lesson was unheard of and compliance rigidly enforced. But outside school hours, children would spend hours outdoors, catching minnows or tadpoles in the local stream, climbing and running about green spaces, playing ball games or skipping ropes or just running around in the street inventing games of all kinds. Do they feel safe enough to do these things now and are they in front of a screen of one kind or another during their free time? The advent of television was the beginning of the change toward the digital age. Screen time and lack of unsupervised play outdoors are the two most significant factors that could account for classroom fidgeting. But due to constant media stimulation, they may also have a much lower boredom threshold. The kids have changed because their world has changed.

[fillmorehillmore]

3 hours a day during the summer is nothing for our kids, but as soon as a couple months of -30 hits they are inside doing screen time with their kinect. Since we home school we do about 20 minutes work and 40 creative play and active play per hour for 5 hours.

[joyfullyhealthypets]

Love this talk. I had 90 minutes at lunch and recess and 45 minutes for recess in the AM and same in the afternoon. But that was a long time ago.

[rebeccadunphy]

I think it would be interesting to include how many children today are born premature or by cesarian. Also what about the impact of car seats, used not just in the car, but in the home too? Also the integration of their primitive reflexes?

[xeniamundi]

This is a convenient explain away. But what this talk is not taking into account is the largely artificial diets kids are on today, the massive amount of screen time they get, the medications they are exposed to and the high benchmarks in place in the classroom. I would also concur with an earlier poster who mentioned caesarian and premature birth rates. In countries where outdoors play is impossible for six months of the year they still have children prepared for school. So I don't agree that the lack of play is the total reason. I think it's a combination of things prevalent in modernity that is contributing to this sizeable screw up.

[meggy]

hour recess? It was 15 minutes when I was in school. And the classroom was rigid . But we moved all the time outside of class. No TV, just play.

[nykclmp]

I use to suffer from this when i was a kid. Now that I’m 19 instead fidgeting i just be walking all the time...
At least 3 hours of my day is just me walking around. Literally can’t sit in a chair longer than 45 minutes. It’s a problem for me cuz i wanna gain weight. Too skinny. 😔

[madmonkeystudios]

I'm afraid this is only true for a part. I know several school that implement moving and playing as an important part of their school activities. They have woods, open playground and open classes where children are moving a lot during the day. Even the parents that bring their children to these school are more than other parents using bicycles or walk to go to school and do sportactivities after school time. And yet, they seem to experience the same issues other schools have. I'm not saying that movement and playing is not important for a good education, it is. I'm saying it is not the only reason why behavior in the classrooms has changed. Also keep in mind that it is very difficult to measure this "moving"<->"behavior at school" in an objective way.

[franklynrizzo]

What constitutes a fidget? No no really what constitutes a fidget?

[tmphil]

It all makes sense and sounds wonderful... until her solution at the end. It's just not feasible to implement 3 hours a day, every day, of outdoor play time into anyone's life during the school year.