What is W Sitting and why do teachers discourage it?

15 May 2021

Learning Support Sessions | In-Home | Teacher | Foundation Phase Teacher | 1.5 to 8 years old | one-on-one or group sessions | Cape Town | Atlantic Seaboard | CBD | Southern Suburbs

It is something I see continuously throughout the day at school, when getting stuck into floor play, snack or activities, toddlers assume the w-sitting position and seem most at home sitting this way.

As adults, it is surprisingly difficult to get into this position, and really uncomfortable for us, but for tiny tots, this is their natural resting position when committing to a task.

Learning Support Sessions | In-Home | Teacher | Foundation Phase Teacher | 1.5 to 8 years old | one-on-one or group sessions | Cape Town | Atlantic Seaboard | CBD | Southern Suburbs

What is W-Sitting?

Your tiny tot’s bottom, knees, and top of the feet will all be touching the ground in this sitting position, when standing above them their position looks like a “w”. They love it because they receive a wide base of support, stability and they don’t need to work their little core muscles as much to sit upright.

It’s easier and more comfortable for their tiny bodies to be positioned this way during high levels of concentration, as they don’t need to exert as much muscle activation as they normally do to position themselves and maintain their balance. It therefore quickly becomes a habitual pose to take. You should start seeing this close to the age of 2 years old, but it is something they should grow out of with time.

Why Do We Discourage It?

  • The wide support base this position provides, means they’re not using and activating their core muscles to provide position.
  • It enforces static movement; they no longer need to shift weight from side to side therefore decreasing their balance reactions.
  • By not shifting weight from side to side, they will not be integrating the left and right side of their body, leading to a lack of coordination between the two sides
  • Being able to rotate the body is vital for midline crossing (integrating movement from left and right side of the body – e.g., transferring objects between hands in play), development of hand preference, and is therefore super important for fine motor skills development and bilateral integration. A lack of trunk rotation means they are avoiding crossing their midlines and are activating mixed hand usage and preference in this position.
  • It encourages slouching, which affects their sitting posture, due to the tilt of their pelvis in this position. Continuous hunching over means weaker core muscles.
  • Hip joints are in high contact with joint bones, therefore placing stress on the joints, this can negatively affect their movement and walking patterns over time.
  • Their little trunks, core, and leg muscle activation, strength, and endurance is not being activated or enhanced.
  • The wide support base this position provides, means they’re not using and activating their core muscles to provide position.
  • It enforces static movement; they no longer need to shift weight from side to side therefore decreasing their balance reactions.
  • By not shifting weight from side to side, they will not be integrating the left and right side of their body, leading to a lack of coordination between the two sides
  • Being able to rotate the body is vital for midline crossing (integrating movement from left and right side of the body – e.g., transferring objects between hands in play), development of hand preference, and is therefore super important for fine motor skills development and bilateral integration. A lack of trunk rotation means they are avoiding crossing their midlines and are activating mixed hand usage and preference in this position.
  • It encourages slouching, which affects their sitting posture, due to the tilt of their pelvis in this position. Continuous hunching over means weaker core muscles.
  • Hip joints are in high contact with joint bones, therefore placing stress on the joints, this can negatively affect their movement and walking patterns over time.
  • Their little trunks, core, and leg muscle activation, strength, and endurance is not being activated or enhanced.

How Do You Get Them to Sit Differently?

Constant repetition and reminders to sit differently!

I constantly encourage my tiny tots to sit like a butterfly, crossing their legs in a seated position or sitting with one leg placed on the other (like you would in yoga), asking them to flap their big butterfly wings and tip them from one side to the other. It gets them to stretch out their body and to display how much more movement they could have when they sit this way. We start the day by saying, “Let’s sit like little butterflies, tell me what colour your wings are today?”

You can try “feet in front”, encouraging them to sit with their legs out in front of them, spread out.

A few minutes of simple core strengthening exercises will help to naturally curb this position – simply stretching forward and back to reach toys, balancing on one leg, planking (a simple version of course), froggie squats, sitting on their bottoms lifting both legs up with their hands, yoga for children, will all help to get their tummy muscles going and naturally start discouraging this position.

Although I prefer them to sit on the floor as it provides a more natural play environment for them, if your little one is really struggling, get them a special little chair to sit on with a small table to play at. Alternatively, a special “play cushion” will encourage them to sit on their bottoms, vs assuming the w-sitting position.

Keep observing and encouraging them, if they easily move in and out of play positions and easily assume a different seated position on your encouragement, all signs should point to them growing out of it. If it is their preferred and consistent position of choice, and has been for some time, and they have difficulty shifting out of this position, despite continuous encouragement, and you are worried about their development, rather be safe and contact your local OT for reassurance and advice.

I hope this helps!

Remember these are just my own thoughts, learnings, understanding and practical tips I apply and feel works best, everyone is different, and you need to do what is right for you and your tot.

Teacher Amy! x

Learning Support Sessions | In-Home | Teacher | Foundation Phase Teacher | 1.5 to 8 years old | one-on-one or group sessions | Cape Town | Atlantic Seaboard | CBD | Southern Suburbs

Amy Stevens, more affectionately known as Teacher Amy is a qualified foundation phase and early childhood development teacher. Her mornings involve running a private play school in Sea Point, Cape Town and in the afternoons she offers in-home learning support sessions for children between the ages of 1.5 to 8 years old.