My son loves cars, trucks and machines. He is constantly constructing and deconstructing. He doesn’t have a strong grasp of language yet but he uses his hands to build, carry and maneuver. He is strong, and thrives when he can move his body.

The other day whilst on a walk, we stopped to watch some building construction happening across the street. My son was enthralled with this scene. But observing these builders had me thinking. There are so many kids at school who can’t sit still, who don’t thrive with bookwork or sedentary tasks. They’re constantly told they need to sit still, write more, be neater and do things that aren’t consistent with their learning style. Sadly, the structure of school means that if these children do embrace their need to move and fiddle, they are disrupting others. There is literally no room to move. Yet I was watching these tradesmen across the road doing their job and making a living, and they were: moving their bodies, using their hands, calculating, designing, pushing, lifting. They were taking notes and calculating mathematical concepts on timber beams while climbing a ladder. They were not sitting still or staying at their desk. Just like mechanics and electricians and other trades people, chefs, hairstylists, firefighters, physical and occupational therapists, police officers, fitness trainers, paramedics, athletes, performers, farmers, and a plethora of other occupations that are valuable contributions to our society.

So why then, do we expect children to sit still, and to stop fiddling? To stop touching, to be quiet, to somehow thrive in an environment that consists of mostly deskwork? Why do we expect children to do things a certain way, when many of the jobs they might have in the future have nothing to do with any of those skills?

Let the children move their bodies. Let them touch things, fiddle, tinker and play.