An Uncomfortable Truth
The importance of ergonomic design in schools and virtual learning situations is a subject that’s not given enough attention. But you’d be surprised to know that in a study conducted in 2014, 72% of primary school pupils examined reported back and/or neck pain the past year. The study also noted that percentage of paediatric referrals to physiotherapy for back and neck pain rehabilitation more than doubled in a year.
We can only imagine what those numbers are now almost a decade later where most of children’s schoolwork are done with a laptop or a tablet! Ergonomic interventions have to be done for our children as soon as possible, as their pains will worsen over time and end up as more serious Musculoskeletal Disorders that will last until adulthood. “Prevention is better than cure,” as the old adage goes, and luckily there are ergonomic solutions that can help with our children’s posture improvement; and one of them are kid-friendly laptop stands.
Their Classroom Is Their Workplace
Laptop stands have been around for decades and are known for promoting correct posture in people who frequently use laptops for work. These stands are staples in the workplace, whether in offices or in remote setting, and have been known to aid in minimising pain and discomfort that often accompanies long hours of laptop use. Children typically spend 5-6 hours in a classroom, which can be considered as their workplace.
Why Kid-Friendly Laptop Stands?
With children spending that amount of time mostly in a classroom that has a standardised (i.e. non-ergonomic) chair and desk, kid-friendly laptop stands are one of the few equipment for creating comfortable study environments. These specific stands are beneficial to your child in a number of ways:
• Promotes healthy posture – using stands that are specifically designed for kids teaches children proper posture.
• Reduced strain – the neck and the back are the two most affected by bad posture in laptop use. Over time, the effects on them become more and more painful. Utilising a laptop stand greatly minimises strain on the neck and back.
• Enhanced comfort – doing assignments or studying on a screen for long periods of time can be very uncomfortable and can make a child grumpy. By training our kids to use a stand with their laptop, they would feel much better and more comfortable!
• Better Focus – pain is a frustrating distraction that pulls children’s attention away from what they need to accomplish. With the laptop stand effectively lessening pain, your child can study a lot more comfortably, keeping your child’s focus on schoolwork.
Features to Consider
The features, or lack thereof, of a laptop stand can make or break the purchase. The stand that you’ll be investing on for your kids must have the following design elements to optimise virtual learning and classroom ergonomics for your child:
• Designed specifically for children – a typical stand is primarily made for adults, which reflects their standard larger size. A stand that’s made for children has to be smaller to accommodate their shorter bodies.
• Adjustable height – these stands must feature height adjustability to cater to children’s varying heights, as well as to adapt to your child’s growth.
• Durable – let’s admit it, children are more prone to breaking things! It stands to reason that the stands they’ll be using almost every day should be durable enough.
• Easy to Use – most kids aren’t fond of complicated toys and gadgets, what more with laptop stands! If the stand is easy to set-up and pack away, the more likely they’ll use it.
• Ultralight – with children carrying the stands on their backpacks, its weight has to be a major consideration. The lighter the stand is, the better it is for your child’s back.
• Multi-use – aside from laptops, tablets have also become one of the digital learning essentials that we’ve invested in for our kids. Our kid-friendly Oryx JR hybrid laptop / tablet stand can easily hold both devices.
Invest in Their Future
Teaching our children proper posture and ergonomics early on in their learning experiences will be a concept that they’ll bring with them even when they are already working. A laptop stand that is designed for kids is an inexpensive investment for your child’s future – one that they’ll thank you for when they’re older!