How to Create an Ergonomic Workspace for Your Child’s At Home Education

By: Jessica Ellison, M.S., CPE, CSP

With school underway across the country, many parents are dealing with the reality that their children’s schooling will continue to be done remotely at least until the virus is under control in their local area. Concurrently, other school districts have opted for a mix of in-person and remote learning to adapt to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, leaving parents grappling with the challenges of their own remote work and productivity, in addition to their child’s.

While parents did not have the benefit of planning for remote work and online schooling this past spring, when millions across the country were sent home as a result of the pandemic, many have had the past few months to plan, adjust and prepare for the “new normal.”

While back to school shopping looked a little different this year, there are a few items we’d encourage parents to purchase to enhance their child’s at-home ergonomic set up to ensure they have a workspace that is conducive for remote learning.

A comfortable workstation

Make sure your kids are comfortable in front of the computer. The more comfortable they are, the better they will pay attention and the easier it will be for them to continue to sit and be attentive for longer periods of time. It’s a simple idea but considering an overall sense of comfort is a great starting point when setting up workspaces for kids.

Ideally, the child’s feet should be supported, their backs supported and upright, the keyboard and mouse/touchpad at elbow height, and the top of the monitor at eye height.

This doesn’t always require spending money. Consider these “free” ideas that use existing and common items around the house, such as folding tables, kitchen tables, or desks you already have on hand, then do the next 3 steps:

• Utilize reams of paper or books as laptop risers to bring the top of the monitor up to eye height. The key is to make sure kids aren’t leaning over to view the screen. if you don’t have an external keyboard or mouse – skip this step and concentrate on the second step to get the keyboard at elbow height and tilt back the screen so it can be more easily viewed.
• Use pillows or couch cushions to add additional height to chairs to raise kids up so that their elbows are at the same height as the surface they are working at.
• Use an empty box as a footrest if your kids feet don’t touch the floor. This keeps their legs supported and will reduce the contact stress on the back of their legs.

If you have a little bit of budget to spend, you can take this a bit further to provide additional comfort and support.

Ergonomic Support for Under $25

Purchase an external mouse. This reduces the awkward postures while using the touchpad and makes it much easier to control the cursor on the screen.

Tip: Pick a mouse that fits your child’s hand. The mouse should support the palm without over extending. Look at travel mice for smaller kids because they are generally smaller and may fit kids hands better. On the other hand, if you have a middle school or high school kid, they will need a full-size mouse, as a small mouse will cause pinching and resting the wrist on the desk which could lead to strain and injury.

Mid-Range Ergonomic Support: $25 - $75

Purchase an external mouse, keyboard, and possibly a lapboard or similar lap/knee-top computer support. Make sure that these items fit your child as well. Typically, a keyboard that is about the same width of your kids’ shoulders will work well. Travel-size keyboards are likely better for children than full size ones, unless you have a middle school or high school aged child. Pick a keyboard without a number pad (10-key) on the right side to make the reach to the mouse easy.

If your kid is like mine and a little further along on the ADD/ADHD scales, or just needs a change of scenery often, consider purchasing a lapboard so they can be more mobile and find different places inside, or even outside, the house to sit and do their work. Kids can also use this lapboard to hold their keyboard and mouse while having their laptop up on the desk allowing for the keyboard and mouse to be at elbow height with the top of the monitor at eye height.

Ergonomic Adjustments More Than $75

If you have the budget, you can take it even further by adding a height adjustable desk to grow with your kid (and it would even work for you, helping you get set at the right height as well!). Look for a desk that can be set at elbow height that is either adjustable by manually sliding the legs up and down or using an electronic adjustment.

An actual laptop stand, or monitor, and footrest can be added to the set-up with the external mouse and keyboard.

In addition to the workstation set-up, other tips to help your kids with their studies include:

Give your kid options for a change of scenery. Can they join their class while sitting outside? Can they do their work after “class time” outside or in a different room? Changing it up and not sitting in the same place all the time will help them focus more and not feel stuck in one place. Flexibility in work spaces also helps as family schedules require spaces like the kitchen table, or existing home offices, that may only be available part of the time, or that might need to be used by different family members at different times.

• Use the lapboard on occasion to allow them to sit on the couch and work for part of their day.
• Give them movement and mental break times – go for a walk around the block at lunch, play in the yard on quick breaks, even if only for 15 minutes at a time, and take shorter more frequent breaks during the day as well. As little as a minute or two standing up after sitting for an extended period can help with comfort and mental fatigue.
• If they are stuck on an assignment, resist the urge to just push through, give them a moment to relax and de-stress by letting them do something they want to do for 15-30 minutes and then come back to it. The change of pace will help them recover and reengage with the more difficult task.

In the Spring, it was unclear how long we would all be facing remote work and learning. Now, as we move into winter and the middle of the academic year, it’s important to consider making a few ergonomic changes which can help ease some of the challenges children face with their remote education, and decrease the potential for pain and injury, as it’s likely to be the new normal for much longer than we all anticipated.