Children and young people may have high or low energy and it is important when completing the needs summary to establish whether this is situational or environmentally-based.
Sleep may be impacting energy levels. Speak to family or young person about their sleep routine.
High energy can make sitting in class more difficult and regular movement breaks may be needed to help manage the school day. Standing desks, wobble cushions, stools, foot boards and bands for chairs can be beneficial. Allowing children access to different sensory tools including therapy putty, blue tac, stress balls, doodle pads can help. It may be helpful to provide guidance on how to use sensory tools properly.
A young person who is lower energy may need to move regularly to alert them. Asking the whole class to stand and stretch, move around, or give the individual a responsibility that includes movement may help.
Some young people are kinaesthetic learners and learn best through movement and physical interaction with environments. Incorporate kinaesthetic elements into your teaching approach.
Being aware of what the young person is eating and drinking is important as good nutrition can sustain energy throughout the day without spiking it. Some young people with high energy may need regular snacks throughout the day to sustain energy levels and support attention and focus.
Useful resources
- What you need to know about high-energy kids.
- Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust have an 'Energy accounting tool' which is a visual resource to show different activities that can drain and recharge energy levels.