ADHD Students: Get on the Ball

A Minnesota school helps their ADHD students stay focused with big, rubber bouncy balls.

Elementary school teachers in Morris, Minnesota, have found a unique way to focus their students’ attention—get on the ball—a big, rubber, bouncy ball. The 3rd and 6th grade teachers at Morris Elementary replaced classroom chairs with stability balls with the hope that the balls would allow the kids to fidget and wiggle without disrupting the class.

The experiment has met with positive results. The teachers found that students are getting up less or asking to go to the bathroom as an excuse to move around. Research has shown that fidgeting helps ADHD students concentrate. Since ADHD kids often have trouble sitting still, the stability balls allow the kids some wiggle room.

Read more about stability balls in the classroom.