Watch this video [1:51] to learn why teaching little kids on the carpet can stimulate behavior problems. Learn when to use the carpet and when to avoid it.

In the classroom we often teach young children from the carpet.

They poke each other, look at each other, bother each other, or squirm all over the place.

Let’s face it, the carpet is where kids play with their toys.

(My biggest worry about sitting on the carpet is will I get up out of this position! Most five and six year-olds don’t have that same worry.)

If we are on the carpet and I am ready to teach a concept, I like to move my students. Not only are we getting off the carpet, but movement itself is great. We transition kids a lot and getting their bodies up and moving helps them to pay attention.

I may say, “We’re going to bring our chairs to the carpet and teach a concept about reading. And then we’re going to take our chairs back to our seats, and we’ll sit our bottoms back on the carpet because we’re going to read a story.”

Story time is more social. It’s less focused for the children and we all can relax.

Now let’s think about slightly older kids – the fourth and fifth graders.

If we put them in desks that are facing each other, they’re going to talk.

I always put them in rows so they attend to me. Then, when it’s their seat work time, they turn their desks to face each other.

When I put little kids on the carpet, I may teach one or two short segments of a lesson but then it’s really time for story time.

Click on my video above for more.