You can use special privileges to motivate a child to sit still.
Many children who are in kindergarten are naturally prone to wiggle and move. It can be frustrating to try to get some of these students to sit still for more than a few moments at a time. If you want to get a kindergartner to sit still, the key may be found in properly motivating the child. There are multiple ways you can make sitting still worthwhile for a kindergartner.
Instructions
1. Set up a reward system. Explain to the child that if he sits still for a specific period of time (such as for the duration of a story-reading segment), that he will earn a certain reward. Figure out what motivates that particular child. Possible rewards include stickers, healthy snacks or special privileges, such as being the teacher's special helper.
2. Use visual cues to help the student stay focused. Tell the child that you will give her a signal occasionally if she is doing what she should, as well as a signal if she is getting too fidgety. If you make the signals special "secret" signs, the kindergartner may be more excited about following them. For example, a touch to your elbow could mean that the student is on track, whereas crossing your arms over your chest and touching both shoulders could signal that the student needs to stop moving around.
3. Use a kitchen timer. Some children have a hard time sitting still because they have no idea when the current activity will be over. If you set a timer, the child can see how much time is left. The "ding" when the timer goes off is a type of reward that signals the end of the sitting-still period.
4. Allow plenty of time for movement in between periods of sitting still. If a kindergartner knows that he will have a chance to move around and play soon, he will be more likely to sit still for a short period. Plus, young children generally have a lot of energy. Burning off this energy during activity breaks makes sitting still later easier.
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