Many educators and parents work hard to create an active and healthy childhood for their students. Faced with a world designed to make kids sit both in and out of school, it can be difficult to find ways to create an active environment. Vari® Education is redesigning the student experience with our line of standing school desks and accessories. Studies show that students who use stand-biased desks are more focused, maintain lower BMIs (Body Mass Index), and may even experience improved cognition.
- Active students are focused students Many students find it impossible to sit in one spot. While standing, pupils are focused on their learning, not on keeping still. Students find it easier and less distracting to shift their weight and tap their feet, both adding activity to their day and focusing their minds. One study suggests that students who use a standing desk could experience a 7-14% increase in executive function and working memory, both cognitive skills that are imperative for better focus and learning.
- Create a healthy environment Childhood obesity is on the rise as students spend most of their day sitting: they commute to school, learn in the classroom, do their homework, and spend their free time while seated. This study shows that students with standing desks maintained a lower BMI than sitting students over the course of two years. The group with stand-biased desks experienced an average BMI 5% lower than the sedentary students – a huge improvement for their overall health.
The Vari Education line is an easy way to implement healthier habits for students while at school.
- Implementation at your pace A limited budget shouldn’t keep you from creating an active classroom space. Some teachers place a couple of desks in the back of the classroom. This way, the few desks can be used on a rotating basis, as a reward, or even as a focus station for students who could use a set-apart space.
- Freedom with stand-biased desks The Vari Education line offers students ownership of their posture. The footrests on each of our desks offer opportunity for movement, and the Stand2Learn™ Stool pairs perfectly with the school desks for an easy, stackable seating option that doesn’t require a desk adjustment.
- Easy classroom setup With the Vari Education line, you can keep a traditional setup or switch it up for group spaces. The desks line up nicely in rows, or you can easily arrange them to create more collaborative stations. According to this study, teachers find standing desks keep students engaged without causing distraction.
- Dependable solutions Our solutions are tough – because we know your students can be, too. We use heavy-duty steel and durable laminate, so come the end of the school year, your classroom solutions will still be going strong.
For more information on the benefits of the Vari Education line — or to present your case for standing student desks — click to download this information deck.
- Benden, Mark E., and RK Mehta. “Standing Up for Learning: A Pilot Investigation on the Neurocognitive Benefits of Stand-Biased School Desks.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 13, 1, December 2015
- Benden, Mark E., Christina Jeffrey, Monica L. Wendel, and Hongwei Zhao. “Stand-Biased Versus Seated Classrooms and Childhood Obesity: A Randomized Experiment in Texas.” American Journal of Public Health. 106, 10, August 2016.
- Benden, Mark E., Jamilia J. Black, Marianela Dornhecker, Monica Wendel, Hongwei Zhao. “The effect of stand-biased desks on academic engagement: an exploratory study” International Journal of Health Promotion and Education. 53, 5, April 2015.