A weighted stuffed animal in the classroom: tips for teachers

Perhaps a parent or a pupil asks whether the weighted stuffed animal can come to school. Or, as a school, you are thinking of getting a weighted stuffed animal for the quiet corner yourselves. For some children, a soft, heavy cuddly toy in the classroom is a lovely point of calm. This article helps you as a teacher to use it well: with clear arrangements, a set place in the day and safety as a natural foundation. You can read more about other groups under who it is for.

What can a weighted stuffed animal in the classroom give a pupil?

A weighted stuffed animal gives a pupil something soft and heavy to hold. Many children like that weight on their lap or against their chest. It feels reassuring and gives them something to hold on to at a busy or tense moment. In this way, the stuffed animal can help them settle down for a while, for example after a busy break time.

Research into weighted stuffed animals in the classroom is still in its early days. With weighted vests at school, researchers found no clear effect on concentration or on how long children stayed on task. So see the stuffed animal mainly as a help with calm and wellbeing, not as a way to improve behaviour or performance. The best way to find out whether it suits a pupil is to try it calmly together. You can read more about concentration in weighted stuffed animal for focus, and about pupils with ADHD in weighted stuffed animal and ADHD.

When and where do you use it?

A set place or a set moment makes things clear and familiar for a pupil. Good moments are, for example:

• in a quiet corner, where a pupil can take a moment to recover;
• on their lap during instruction or story time;
• after break or PE, when the switch to quiet work is difficult;
• at a tense moment, such as a test or a class presentation.

Keep its use short and purposeful, so it stays something special. A British children's occupational therapy service advises using weighted lap pads for short periods, not all day. There is no set ideal length of time, so see what suits the pupil. Agree together on a clear start and end, for example with a sand timer or until the end of the instruction.

What do you agree with parents and the support team?

Clear arrangements made in advance make things easier for everyone. Ask the parents whether there are any health problems that call for caution, such as problems with breathing, the heart or circulation, epilepsy, low muscle strength or fragile skin. In those cases, advice from a doctor or occupational therapist is needed first. Parents can find more about use at home in a weighted stuffed animal for your child.

Also involve the support staff at school: the person who coordinates extra support, such as the special needs coordinator, or the school support team. Briefly write down together:

• why the pupil uses the stuffed animal and what the aim is;
• when and for how long;
• who supervises;
• when you will review it together.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends setting a goal in advance for sensory therapies, keeping track of what you see and reviewing it afterwards. That works well for a stuffed animal in the classroom too, because it shows you what the pupil gets out of it. If you notice no difference after a few weeks, or the pupil no longer enjoys it, stopping is a good outcome too.

How do you keep it voluntary and safe?

Here is how to use a weighted stuffed animal in the classroom safely and pleasantly. It is always an offer: the pupil decides whether to use it. Never use it as a punishment or to make a child sit still, and do not turn it into a reward that a pupil first has to earn. Never wrap a pupil in it and never put the stuffed animal on the head, face or neck.

The pupil must always be able to lift the stuffed animal and push it away themselves. Supervise, and stop straight away if a pupil shows resistance or discomfort. Also watch for signals without words, such as turning away, becoming restless or sweating. You will find all the basic rules together in are weighted stuffed animals safe?.

Can you share a weighted stuffed animal in the classroom?

It is nicest when every pupil who uses a weighted stuffed animal has their own, for example one from home. That is more hygienic, and the pupil feels it really belongs to them.

Do several pupils share the same stuffed animal, for example in the quiet corner? Then clean it regularly according to the care label. Not every weighted stuffed animal can go in the washing machine. A cover that you can wash separately makes sharing a lot easier. Do check, though, that the zip is properly closed and that pupils cannot get to the filling. Is an infectious illness such as a stomach bug going round the class? Then take the stuffed animal out of use for a while until you have cleaned it.

And in childcare?

At day nurseries, many children are younger than 3. A weighted stuffed animal is not suitable for that age: stuffed animals with a pellet filling are not intended for children under 36 months. This also applies in the Flemish instapklas, the youngest pre-school class, where some children are not yet 3. For the youngest children at day nurseries, VeiligheidNL, the Dutch consumer safety institute, also advises against large stuffed toys in bed, and in Flanders, Opgroeien, the Flemish agency for children and young people, says the same.

In after-school care, a weighted stuffed animal can certainly have a place, with the same arrangements as in the classroom. Never use it during a nap, and take it away if a child falls asleep. You can read more about use in childcare and care settings in weighted stuffed animals in care and occupational therapy.