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Flexible seating is all the rage these days, especially in elementary classrooms. Yes, I drank the juice too and I introduced flexible seating in my second grade classroom. Even though flexible seating was successful, I really wish that I would have done a few things differently before I introduced it in my classroom.

I'm starting to see something that's a bit concerning. Teachers are so hyped up about flexible seating that they are buying up every pillow, chair, crate, and tire that they can find before ever having read about flexible seating. Not only that, teacher are not making a plan for how to implement this system in their classrooms.

This is your teacher friend here speaking from pure experience when I say to pump your brakes before you begin flexible seating in your classroom. There are a lot of things to consider, and you might not want to "buy all the things" without knowing all the things.
Disclosure: This page may contain some affiliate links. When you purchase items after clicking on links or images, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. I only promote products or services that I have either used or strongly believe in. Please read my full disclosure for more information.
What's the Fuss over Flexible Seating?

Let's assume that you know what flexible seating is at this point, so I'm going to spare you the long explanation. Basically, flexible seating transforms the look of traditional classroom seating. Gone are the desks and chairs in favor of pillows, bean bag chairs, stools, and pretty much anything your students can safely sit on.

If you do a quick search on Pinterest, you will see many pictures of classrooms that have been transformed. Instagram is another place to see other teachers' flexible seating finds and DIY flexible seating projects like tire seats.

This is a picture of my second grade classroom. I implemented flexible seating during the 2016-2017 school and it worked really well for my students...luckily (more on that later). Kayla Delzer explains that research shows that flexible seating "[increases] motivation and engagement."
Great, so all of my students will be focused on me in the classroom while they bounce around. Awesome, sign me up!
Ha, if only it were that easy.

How Are Teachers Messing Flexible Seating Up?

I previously mentioned that flexible seating worked well the first year that it was implemented in my classroom. There are a few things that I did correctly, but I also did several things that could have sabotaged the whole thing. Avoid these things if you are thinking about starting flexible seating in your classroom.

1. Buying all the things: You ain't got no money honey! You're a teacher. Why are you spending all of your Starbucks and student loan money on stuff that might not work? The summer before I implemented flexible seating, I bought so much stuff. Five Below was my second husband and Target was my third child. I bought all of these things because someone else bought them and put them in their classroom. My thought was, "well they put these pillows in their classroom, so that must mean that it will work in my classroom too." Instagram be influencing me.

Unless you are looping up with your students, you have no clue what kinds of children are going to walk in your room for the upcoming year. You could potentially buy a ton of flexible seating options that don't work because your group of kids don't or can't vibe with it. I had a few students who were not allowed to use flexible seating because they never used it correctly. You may have students with behavioral issues that could not possibly sit on a crate seat or stability ball. Do you have a plan for those kids? This brings me to my next point...

2. Forgetting to make a plan: The summer before I implemented flexible seating, I read as many blog posts about it that I could find. I did all of this before ever purchasing a single flexible seating item. I really dislike following trends and fads in education without researching them. I tried to figure out what was best to start with. I downloaded free items from Teachers Pay Teachers to teach my students about flexible seating. I found sample letters to send to parents explaining flexible seating. Even with all of this planning, I never stopped to think about the kids who be unsuccessful with flexible seating. Not every kid is going to be able to handle bouncing in a seat all day. The truth is that some kids are going to need to stay in a desk and chair all day. I feel like the blogs and Instagram don't tell you that part.

Besides having a plan for students who might not be able to participate in flexible seating, you need a plan for implementing it in the classroom PERIOD. If you bought "all the things" and then have to ask someone how you're supposed to make it work in your classroom, you're doing it all wrong. You should know how each piece of flexible seating will work within the plan of your classroom before you buy anything.

I messed up because I implemented all of my flexible seating options on the first day of school. I had pillows, lowered tables, stability balls, and traditional desks. We all know that the first day of school is crazy town. It was stressful to model and explain all of our seating options among the countless other things I had to explain the first day. I didn't have enough traditional desks and chairs for my students to sit in, so I had to tell them about it. They couldn't sit on the carpet all day!

What I should have done was introduce one type of seating at a time. This would give all the students a chance to practice using it. Yes, they need to practice every single piece of flexible seating that you put in your classroom! If you are a Daily 5 person you know what I mean when I say they need to build their stamina while using flexible seating as well.

Don't be mad when little Johnny bounces through the ceiling while on the stability ball on the first day of school. You set your rules and expectations, yeah, but this is a toy to him right now. You have to let your students experience each type of flexible seating, one at a time and then analyze how it's working. Model, re-direct, set expectations, set consequences...there's a lot more that goes into flexible seating than throwing random crap into your classroom and calling it flexible seating. This brings me to the next thing that teachers are doing all wrong.

3. Not reflecting on your teaching style, classroom management, and behavior management: I run a pretty tight ship in my classroom. After my disastrous first year of teaching, I got a handle on my behavior management, and I've been good ever since. That being said, I don't really like too much chaos in my room. Flexible seating somewhat requires you to let go of the traditional thinking that students should sit still in their desks.

In my classroom, you'll find students laying on the floor, sitting on pillows, rocking on Hokki stools, and bouncing on stability balls. During my first year of implementing flexible seating, I had to remind myself that all of this movement was okay. I had to remind myself A LOT.

Before you decide to implement flexible seating, think about how you like your classroom to run. For some teachers, all of the movement that can take place with flexible seating might be a little bit too much. If that's you, don't do flexible seating.

Likewise, you need to honestly assess how efficiently you run your classroom. I'm talking about classroom management and behavior management here, folks. Mrs. Russell has made a clear distinction between classroom management and behavior management. You better check yourself before you wreck yourself. Let me be frank, teacher friend...if your management sucks is not on par, flexible seating is not for you right now. If you can't control your class now, do you think you'll be able to control 20 bouncing kids? If you don't have procedures for everything in your classroom, do you think you'll be able to develop a system to make sure every child has a fair turn using your flexible seating options?

Hopefully, I've given you a little food for thought before you implement flexible seating. Remember, not every trend and popular idea you see on the blogs, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram is a right fit for you as a teacher or your classroom. This was not a bashing session for flexible seating. It was more of a what-not-to-do guide for those who are interested in flexible seating. So before you spend a cool buck on that discarded rocket ship seat you saw on Craigslist that would make the perfect addition to your flexible seating classroom, make sure you are crystal clear about how it will work in your classroom. Flexible seating has been so successful in my classroom that I have declared to several of my colleagues that I'll never go back to traditional seating. Flexible seating requires some trial and error, but keep some of my suggestions in mind if you're on the fence about starting it in your classroom.
Share this blog post with a friend who's interested in flexible seating. In the comments, tell me your experience with flexible seating.

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Before You Buy That Discarded Rocket Ship Seat...A Cautionary Tale About Flexible Seating | Tame the Classroom

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Flexible seating is all the rage these days, especially in elementary classrooms. Yes, I drank the juice too and I introduced flexible seating in my second grade classroom. Even though flexible seating was successful, I really wish that I would have done a few things differently before I introduced it in my classroom.

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Flexible Seating Elevates Student Engagement

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Breaking up rows of desks fosters collaboration and empowers kids to think about how they work best.

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Flexible seating has become all the rage in elementary school classrooms. Rather than confining kids to traditional tables and chairs, teachers are giving students lots of different seating options so that children can take control of their learning and find a classroom work space that feels best to them.

Get inspired by this roundup of our favorite flexible seating ideas and then hop over and snag our free editable teacher planner too!
This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Setting Kids Up for Success

Now, before we jump in, you may be wondering, "How in the world do you keep kids focused when they're allowed to wander around the room?"

The answer? Setting expectations and providing lots of practice.

With privilege comes responsibility so students must find a spot that helps them stay productive and focused. If they don't, they can be moved and (gasp!) assigned a work spot.

And just like anything new, modeling what good choices look like and giving children plenty of opportunities to practice during those first few days of flexible seating sets the class up for success.

Kids will love trying out all of their options those first few days so that they can find the few that work best for them.

Now let's checkout some inspiring flexible seating ideas...

This first grade classroom includes balance disks like this for kids who want to sit on the floor and yoga balls like these for children who prefer a little height. // Miss Snable's First Grade

I love Heidi Songs' low cost version of the yoga balls: a bouncy ball in a crate. Genius! // Heidi Songs

And one teacher lets her kids move their seating options around the room. // Teaching with a Mountain View

In another classroom, kids can use lap desks like these ones from Amazon when they're sitting on the floor. // Kindergarten is Grrreat

Want reusable sit spots instead of buying an expensive rug?! Three words: velcro sit spots! // Teaching with Grace

Kids can lounge in foldable beach chairs ... // Mrs. Reller's Classroom

Or adirondack chairs. // Sparking in Second Grade

They can even get comfy in laundry baskets! // Heidi Songs

Let kids lay on a rug or cozy up in an oversized chair. // Snarky Gingersnap

Set up a cafe table with stools. // Teach Create Motivate

If you're up for a DIY project, you can even turn some recycled tires into super cool furniture. // The Real Housewives of Riverton

Or make some colorful benches. // The Teeny Tiny Teacher

You can use risers like these ones to make standing desks. // Teel's Treats

Set up a reading fort with PVC piping. // Little Miss Kimberly Ann

Or make a no sew teepee! // EHow

There are so many possibilities!

Grab Your Free Teacher Planner

Hop over and snag our free editable teacher planner too! (Editable is always a great word to hear, isn't it?!)

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15 Flexible Seating Ideas - Playdough To Plato

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Flexible seating has become all the rage in elementary school classrooms. Rather than confining kids to traditional tables and chairs, teachers are giving students lots of different seating options so that children can take control of their learning and find a classroom work space that feels best to them.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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After seeing and hearing about Flexible Seating via Facebook and Instagram, I decided it was something I may want to implement and decided to further research it. Considering I was going to be starting the school year at a new school this year I knew I had to speak with my principal about the idea first before I made any decisions. I must admit that I was a little nervous about what my principal would think about the idea because this idea is a little out of the norm. However, when I approached her with the idea, to my surprise she was all for it! Getting her approval made me super excited because I knew that with her support I was on my way to beginning my journey with flexible seating! Here are the 4 steps I took to prepare myself and my classroom for flexible seating.

Step 1: Decide on Seating Options

After reading blog post after blog post I thought about all of the different seating options I have seen and which ones would provide my students with an option that would fit best for all of my different learners. Each year there are students who are extremely active and need constant movement, there are students who like to stand, and others who like to work on the floor. With this knowledge I decided that in my classroom I wanted to have a standing table, floor pillows, scoop rockers, and wobble stools. (I really wanted to add yoga balls too but didn't want to dish out the extra 100 dollars without knowing if this whole flexible seating thing would work in my classroom.)

(This was my favorite step, considering I am a bit of a shopaholic when it comes to my classroom)

Stools for Standing Table

I was lucky enough to be visiting my parents in Orlando this past summer where they have an IKEA 10 minutes away, That was pretty exciting considering living in Knoxville the closest IKEA is in Atlanta which is a solid 3/4 hour drive depending on traffic. At IKEA I was able to grab these stools for ONLY $5 each. I have also heard that both 5 Below and Dollar General have similar stools. However, I was unable to find them at any of the stores near me.

After seeing these all over Instagram this summer I was on the hunt for them. I must admit that it took me going to about 5 different Walmarts to actually find them. The awesome part about them is that they were ONLY $4.88 each. I only picked up 4 at the time and am kicking myself just a little considering they no longer carry them in stores. However, you can order them online but they are a little bit more expensive than they were in stores.

I was able to snag my floor pillows this summer at Hobby Lobby on clearance for $8.00 each. I also had a coupon for a percentage off so that was an added bonus. If you are looking for floor pillows be sure to check out 5 Below, and the clearance section of Hobby Lobby, Target and Walmart for great deals. I also snagged super cute round lemon floor pillows for $3.00 at 5 Below.

Now I will admit that these stool as well as the Hokki Stools are a bit pricey, they were $80 each.

In order for me to get these into my classroom I created a GoFundMe project. These stools were the perfect additon for my very busy students who need to constantly wiggle while they work. If you are looking to add flexible seating options into your classroom that are a bit out of your budget GoFund Me or DonorsChoose are a great way to get others to help you get them into your classroom.

These adorable frog mats were actually given to me by a teacher friend. I love having these in my classroom because my students who like to work on the floor are able to pick them up and bring them anywhere in the room to create their own workspace.

I also used a big metal ice bucket from Target to store our clipboards. This storage solution allows my students who are working on the floor to grab a clipboard to complete their work on.

Unfortunately I was not able to do away with my desks because at my school there isn't anywhere to store unused furniture. So this meant that I had to find ways to utilize my desks. After turning desks into station tables and independent work areas I used the remainder of the desks to created two groups of desks.On the first day of school these were the students go to seating option but I really think that was because my students were familiar with traditional desks. Now about 3 weeks into school I do find that the desks seem to be a less popular option among my students, but they are there just incase.

Step 3: Decide on Organization

Now that students no longer have a desk to store their supplies in it was important for me to figure out how my students would manage their notebooks and folders. In order to manage their books, folders, and notebooks I assigned each student a drawer using my sterilite 3 drawer towers. These towers allow each student to have their own space to keep their necessary supplies. Originally I had all of these drawers stacked in one area of my classroom, however, I realized that when it came to retrieving our supplies it caused a bit of a traffic jam. Because of this I decided to then scatter the 3 drawer containers about my room. This has had made a world of a difference in the amount of time it takes my students to retrieve and put back their supplies.

Ever since I began teaching 5 years ago I have always used community supplies so I knew that it would make perfect sense to continue using community supplies. Our community supplies consist of crayons, scissors, glue, pencils, as well as erasers. These supplies are kept at each table in a table caddy (purchased from Target Dollar Spot) for easy access. In order to help my students stay organized I placed picture tags on the caddys to clearly label where each supply is suppose to go.

Inside each caddy there are cups holding scissors/glue and another holding pencils/erasers. These cups are recycled icing containers that I covered with patterened duct tape. Each table or group of desks has their own caddy with enough supplies for all those working there. For my work areas without a table or desk the students are able to grab a pencil box to bring to their workspace.

These pencil boxes hold the same supplies found in the table caddys and are kept on a little shelf that I have near our classroom door.

After purchasing my seating options and setting up my room I knew it was time to come up with a game plan. How was I going to introduce this to my students? Where was I going to have them go when they entered on the first day? I knew I had to have a plan for it all. So I started creating a list of ideas in my notebook and decided that I wanted to jump in and start flexible seating on our first day of school. With that I decided that throughout the first week of school I would assign each student a different seating option. I wanted to ensure that during the first week each student had an opportunity to try all seating options and find which ones worked best for them.

After deciding on how the first week would go I knew it was time to think about what my procedures and expectations were. I knew that if I was unclear on my expectations and procedures my students would be too and it would just be chaos. Which is why it was back to my notebook to brainstorm and create another list. I thought very carefully about what my overall rules for flexible seating would be. Then I began thinking about each seating option. What would it look like for them to successfully use that seating option while working? After mapping those expectations out and finalizing them I created my seating expectation posters. These posters were added to a bulletin board so that we could review them as needed and have them as a constant visual reminder. You can grab these editable flexible seating expectation posters in my TPT store here.

I hope you found these steps and ideas helpful as you possibly begin your journey with flexible seating. Stay tuned for an update on what the first week of flexible seating looked like in our
First Grade classroom.

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Preparing Your Classroom for Flexible Seating in Just 4 Steps

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After seeing and hearing about Flexible Seating via Facebook and Instagram, I decided it was something I may want to implement and decided to further research it. Considering I was going to be starting the school year at a new school this year I knew I had to speak with my principal about the idea first before I made any decisions.

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A post shared by Aly (@justaprimarygirl)

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One of the hottest trends in the education world today is flexible seating in the classroom. We know you've heard about it, seen millions of pictures on Instagram and Facebook or seen it on your Pinterest feed. We all know that pictures taken of classrooms to post online are often times staged (aka....you won't see any messy papers jammed in the desk, pencils on the floor, and all the books in the library are perfectly placed and color coordinated.) This blog post is as real as it gets! You'll get to see our classroom in action and a true picture of how we implemented flexible seating. We'll also share with you 10 mistakes teachers make when starting flexible seating and how to avoid them!

Mistake #1 Not Having a Plan

Before you introduce flexible seating into your classroom, it's important to make a plan for organization of your students' materials. What will you do with their notebooks, textbooks, and writing supplies? Will you share materials at tables or will everyone still use their own supplies? We decided in our room to have students keep their own supplies in a zippered pouch. They store all of their notebooks and supplies in a cubby that is attached under our tables. These cubbies are great if you're lucky enough to have them. We assign each student to a "home base" which is where they keep their things. It's also nice for taking attendance in the morning so you can quickly take a look around the room and know who's absent that day. Throughout the day, our students visit their home base often to grab supplies needed for the activity we're currently working on, but they don't have to stay there if a different spot works better for them.

Mistake #2 Not Making Your Expectations Clear

You're probably thinking right now, "Of course I would make my expectations clear!" Our tip here is to encourage you to take time to really show your students how to correctly use and take care of their new seating options. For us, we took a good chunk of time to first go over our general expectations for any of the seats. We had our students help us create a poster that we keep on display all the time. We also took a class period and went into detail with each seating option and talked about what a student should look like and sound like using that seat. As with any procedure you teach at the beginning of the year, students will do it best if you MODEL, MODEL, MODEL and then PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. It's helpful at first to give each student a chance at trying out each of the seating options so that they can practice using it correctly before you allow them free choice.

Mistake #3 Teaching Your Expectations but Never Revisiting Them

One of the biggest mistakes in implementing flexible seating is to initially take the time to teach expectations, but never revisit those expectations again. As teachers, we all know that it often takes several opportunities of hearing information before a student truly understands and can apply it consistently. The same is true with your expectations for flexible seating, especially after a long weekend or Spring Break. We keep our expectation chart up all year long as a constant reminder to students and we often refer to it if we see a student not using a seat in an appropriate way.

Mistake #4 Forgetting that You're Still in Control

Some people think that giving students the choice to pick a seating option that works best for them means that they no longer have any control over the classroom environment. This is simply not true! The most important rule on our expectation chart, and one that we revisit often, is: "Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Warnock have the ability to move anyone at anytime." This is such an important guideline to put in place because there will be students who make unwise choices with their seats. They will choose to sit next to their best friend and try to talk instead of focusing on their work. Having this rule on our expectation chart gives us the power to allow student choice while also ensuring a successful work environment for all.

Mistake #5 Redesigning your Entire Classroom Overnight

When we first heard about flexible seating, we were excited about the possibilities and wanted to dive in head first! While it's exciting and tempting to completely overhaul your entire room overnight, we found that it works best to start small. Can you use anything you already have in your room and repurpose it? Are you able to take the legs off of a table to place it lower to the floor? Sometimes making small changes and implementing them slowly allows both you and your students to better adjust to the change. It's also helpful to only introduce one new seating option at a time and wait until your students have mastered using it before introducing a new one.

Mistake #6 Spending Tons of Money Out of Pocket

How much money did you spend on your classroom last year? If you're anything like us, it was probably a lot. Implementing flexible seating will require an initial investment, but there are options that can save you a lot of money. Almost all of our seating was purchased by a grant through Donor's Choose. All it required was a short explanation of our classroom and project to be posted. We signed up during the Target match, so much of our project was funded by Target. There are often companies that offer match opportunities, and you can sign up to receive email notifications when one is available in your area. Here is a link to our funded project if you need ideas on writing your own. Your school PTA/PTO might also offer teacher grants, so make sure to check with them too!

Mistake #7 Buying Everything New

While it is fun and exciting to open new boxes and packages, you can find many great seating options that are used. Think outside of the box! Look around your house (and your classroom) and ask yourself, "How could I use this in my classroom?" Garage sales and Goodwill are also great places to purchase things. In our classroom, we repurposed some old crates and turned them into seats with just a few dollars spent on plywood, fabric and foam. We've also seen pictures of teachers getting old tires from mechanics and adding a pillow inside (what a creative idea!)

Mistake #8 Forcing your Students to Stay in the Same Place All Day

In our classroom, we allow students to change their seat throughout the day. We often notice that students might choose to sit in the morning because they're not quite awake yet and stand in the afternoon after coming in from recess. If you think about yourself throughout the day, you probably notice that you have different levels of energy too. Allowing students the opportunity to pick the best seat for them at that point in the day is very beneficial. We have a rule that says, "If a spot is not working for you, ask to move to a better spot." Having this rule allows students to become self-aware of their learning styles and helps them become more self-directed learners. Notice that we don't allow them to move whenever they want (remember you're in control!). Rather, we have them ask us if it's a good time to move so it's not too disruptive.

Mistake #9 Not Informing Parents

Flexible seating is a huge shift in thinking from what "traditional school" looks like. In our experience, parents and administration were much more open to the idea of flexible seating once they were informed about it. We included a paragraph in our teacher introduction letter that is sent out to parents during the summer. In this letter we stated that our classroom looks different from what they're used to and gave a short explanation of how flexible seating works. This cuts down on the shock parents and students might feel walking into our room on Meet the Teacher Night. We also send home a more detailed letter explaining why we do flexible seating. You can get this letter for free in our store by clicking HERE.

Mistake #10 Being Afraid to Try Something New

We all like to be comfortable and, let's be honest, it's sometime easier to do things the same way over and over again. It would be easier (and sometimes quieter) to just assign seats to students, but is it what's best for kids? Sometimes it's necessary to step out of your comfort zone because the benefits far outweigh the risks. This has proven to be true in our classroom. Implementing flexible seating has empowered our kids, increased student engagement and has helped us prepare our students for the real world. What an amazing journey that would never have happened if we stayed "comfortable".

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New to Flexible Seating? Here's 10 Things You Need to Know

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One of the hottest trends in the education world today is flexible seating in the classroom. We know you've heard about it, seen millions of pictures on Instagram and Facebook or seen it on your Pinterest feed.

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How Flexible Seating Transformed My Classroom

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Meghan Snable can confidently say that flexible seating has been a success for her class. "I can't imagine going back to traditional seating."

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Options for flexible seating in the (elementary) classroom