RIT National Press Release: Kids can fidget—and that’s OK—according to RIT design expert/inventor Sandra Turner ‘Fidget’ chair inspires natural movement that allows children to release energy while learning

Remember telling your kids to sit still and stop wriggling around?  Well, now they don’t have to. Sandra Turner ’12 (MFA, industrial design), who calls herself a “natural fidgeter,” has invented the “Fidget,” a lightweight modular chair for children ages 3-6 that allows them to engage in side-to-side motion that imitates natural fidgeting movement.

Turner is a classroom design expert and adjunct professor in Saunders College of Businessand the School of Design at Rochester Institute of Technology who has studied children’s active behavior in home studies and elementary schools in upstate New York. Her research indicates that natural movement like fidgeting increases focus, decreases anxiety, improves cognitive function, and may help reduce obesity.

“Children sit on the average of six hours a day—often feeling confined and trapped without being able to move around,” said Turner. “I designed Fidget because I’ve always been impressed with the basic design of the stability ball, but this is safe and secure—sort of like Weebles that wobble but don’t fall down.” read more >>

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