Why do children need a designated study station

I think with the current pandemic, every single parent has at one point worried for their children’s progress with online school. Online school, already without the social aspects, talking to a screen, it’s rather difficult for a child, but the least parents can do is try to create a comfortable designated study station, allowing them to get used to concentrating in ‘class’. Investing for the children’s study station now too would carry forward to the future to adulthood.

Step 1: Choosing the right furniture

Just like picking a sofa, dining chair, bed, first time buyers are unaware of how to best consider furniture for their children, and are looking for resources online to read up. There are actually many guides for children furniture in Chinese, if you search up 儿童学习桌推荐, or 儿童成长学习桌, due to the fact that the trend of ergonomic children furniture started from Taiwan and spread to globally.

Here’s an excerpt from 阿念, a designer from China who has written extensively about ergo-growing children desk and chairs. You can view his post here

“When I was in elementary and junior high school, the school desks were basically wooden, and the size and height of the fifty to sixty desks in the class were also different. When I was in the classroom and doing homework, I was basically slouching and slumping on the table, not to mention how uncomfortable it was. After graduation, I worked on the computer all day long, suffering from backache every day. It was because of my own experience that made me gradually realize the importance of good posture, and furniture that helps promote that habit.

Although I bought a ergo-growing study table for my nephew, I think it’s undoubtedly the best that parents can invest in their child’s study station. If the child sits incorrectly for a long time, it is easy to cause hunchback and myopia. Although the study table cannot guarantee that the child is not nearsighted, a correct sitting posture is still no problem.

And the study desk is not used for one day or two days. Even if you graduate from elementary school to junior high school, you can use it for nine years, so I think it is very necessary to spend some money to create a good learning environment for children.”

He goes on to break down the various considerations (size, materials, chair ergonomics, and desk adjustability mechanics) in the rest of his article. It also follows our own article quite closely, which you can read about here!

In summary, the table and chair should be fully adjustable, made of non toxic materials, how comfortable it feels (very subjective opinion of course, we do recommend trying it out before purchasing), and from a reputable brand that is known for these products, such as Comf-pro/康朴乐 from Taiwan, who are highly regarded in Asia. Other writers such as 追着太阳跑 on Zhihu breaks it down to 3 points to focus on when choosing a ergonomic children furniture set which are similar to Dc Andre’s recommendation below.

Step 2: How to best setup a ergonomic study station

According to medical professionals such as Dc Andre Abader from Kiropraktis Chiropractic Center and the Children & Screens Foundation, they recommend just like adults, a designated children study station needs to be 

1. Brightly lit with over the reading material to protect the eyes
2. Free of clutter around the ‘work zone’, with bookshelves or an alternate table for storage
3. If there are any screens used (tablets/monitors), to arrange it at eye level to protect neck and eyes
4. Chair and table height should not leave their feet dangling to ensure even blood flow
5. Chair is well cushioned and provides good support that will encourage good posture
6. The table is not too high that results in having children’s shoulders raised, protecting the child’s shoulders

From top right to left credits to @用户6761869699, @画皮测评团 ,@毛豆的mm from Weibo

You’ll notice that all 3 children in the above picture all have brightly lit areas, with a clutter free work zone, and with furniture that perfectly suits their size (They are all using variations of the M17 Purely Desk and variation of the KB639 chair, which are for children on the younger side).

Step 3: Matching the furniture with the room for the child

While we all know posters are meant to attract, I think we all take inspiration from such designs. Credit: Comfpro Weibo

Parents have many considerations, apart from just choosing what is the best for their children. Just like how we do not buy a sofa without considering the style of the living room, the same could be said for the study station of the child’s room.

We have had customers express how futuristic the desk and chair does look, even leading to one customer in particular coming over with their interior designers to ensure it matches the style of the child’s bedroom 😆, with another customer even detailing to us the colour of the curtains against the colour of the furniture. 

In general, according to general study room interior design theory, its best to: 

• Choose a productive colour (natural white, pastel colours, anything to evoke calming feelings. Avoid bright colours that hurt the eyes)
• Ensure natural and proper lighting in the room (avoid too harsh LED lights, and have a lightsource near the study table to control brightness)
• That there is plenty of storage space that is not on the study surface, to give peace of mind and less visual clutter.

Take a look at Weibo’s Mommy Blogger celebrity 关于dodo张’s review for her daughter’s Comf-pro themed study station. The white and pink board do not go against the wallpaper, and gives off a very minimalist vibe. 

Step 4: Effective children studying tips & tricks within their study station

Look at how immerse Mico is at his Comfpro desk! Credits to: mico_mom1316

Though getting the proper furniture for children is important, they’ll also need careful parenting in order to minimize the stress of studying from home. We’ve compiled a list of tips & tricks from our interviews with Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, and even from the Children & Screens Foundations. 

In summary, its recommended to :

• Ensure the learning space is tidied every day to prevent visual clutter, and to give the child a routine (such as when they are picked to wipe the chalkboard/whiteboard, or sweep the class floors)
• While they are learning from the screen, encourage them to take notes, as research has shown that more stimuli allows for the lesson to be easier to recall.
• Ensure digital breaks. Now that studying is part of the screen time of children, encourage them to play and be entertained from non-screen sources, such as reading a book, or playing with toys. If children were to play computer games after having online lessons the whole day, it might lead to stressing the eyes and headaches. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the best setup for children’s study stations at home is one where the child is comfortable while studying, and in order to achieve that, one must have an ergo-growing table and chair set, while also being mindful of how the child interacts with the space and the habits developed while studying. 

Ultimately here at Ergoland we’ve helped thousands of customers with their purchase of ergo-growing kids study desk sets, and it’s why its so important to have a conversation with the child as well. We still have customers who come back to us many years later, praising the durability of our products and lasting customer service, just read some of our reviews from Google and you’ll know what to expect; quality and professional customer care services. Investing in an ergo-growing set doesn’t have to be difficult, and if you have any questions about anything related do give us a call at +603 7732 7671, Whatsapp at + 6012 303 8522, or connect with us on Facebook Messenger and visit our stores in 1U or QBM!