Why Some Children Can’t Sit Still — and Why That Matters for Learning

Understanding behaviour, learning, and nervous systems

It’s a familiar classroom scene.

A child fidgets.
Rocks on their chair.
Taps their pencil.
Gets up repeatedly.

Often, the response is to focus on stopping the movement.

“Sit still.”
“Keep your body calm.”
“Try harder to concentrate.”

But for many children, movement isn’t the problem.
It’s the solution their nervous system is reaching for.

Movement is not always misbehaviour

For some children, staying still requires more effort than learning itself.

When a child’s nervous system is under stress or carrying a high level of arousal, movement can:

• release tension

• increase alertness

• support focus

• help regulate emotions

In these moments, asking a child to sit still is not a neutral request.
It’s a biological demand.

What’s happening underneath

When children struggle to remain seated or still, it’s often because their nervous system is trying to:

• stay awake

• stay organised

• stay regulated

Movement provides sensory input that helps the brain:

• filter information

• maintain attention

• manage internal discomfort

This doesn’t mean boundaries don’t matter.
It means movement is often functional, not defiant.

The either/or trap (again)

Movement in classrooms often pulls us into binary thinking.

Either:

• we clamp down on movement to maintain order
  or

• we allow movement without structure

Neither extreme supports learning well.

Children still need:

• safety

• predictability

• shared expectations

But they also need:

• ways to regulate their bodies

• opportunities to move with purpose

Calm bodies don’t always look still

One of the biggest misconceptions in education is that calm equals quiet and still.

For many nervous systems, calm looks like:

• gentle movement

• fidgeting with hands

• shifting position

• standing briefly before returning to work

Stillness may come after regulation — not before it.

Supporting learning without removing expectations

Supporting movement doesn’t mean abandoning classroom structure.

It can look like:

• intentional movement breaks

• flexible seating options

• permission to stand or stretch

• tasks that involve movement

• short bursts of activity before focused work

These supports don’t lower standards.
They increase access to learning.

What movement tells us

When a child can’t sit still, it’s often a signal that:

• their nervous system needs input

• the learning demand is high

• regulation support is required

Responding with understanding allows us to guide behaviour rather than battle it.

A reframed question

Instead of asking:

Why can’t this child sit still?

We might ask:

What does this child’s nervous system need in order to engage with learning right now?

That question changes how we design classrooms — and how children experience them.

Movement isn’t the opposite of learning.
For many children, it’s what makes learning possible.

These articles explore how stress and calm show up in everyday classroom moments.
The foundations that sit beneath them are explored in
The Daily Needs of Calm, Connected & Creative Classrooms — a practical guide for educators and parents who want to better understand how to support children’s learning, behaviour, and wellbeing.