Kids ergonomics: It is not only for adults
Ergonomics is not only for adults. Kids need ergonomic setups also. The desks and chairs need to be lower, shorter keyboards, small mice for their smaller hands, and laptop or tablet risers.
To prevent awkward neck postures while working on the laptop or tablet, raise the device on a laptop riser, which angles the screen from the keyboard at approximately 135 degrees. Consider placing the tablet on a laptop riser, which is better than laying it flat on the desk. There are laptop risers that keep the hinge of the laptop at 90 degrees also. The laptop screen needs to be raised to the child’s eye height. If kids are on tablets, buy a protective cover that has a stand built in that can place their tablet at an angle to them versus their head flexed down looking at the tablet flat on the ground/table.
An external keyboard and mouse are suggested since the laptop keyboard and mouse have been raised and it would be uncomfortable to use them at the raised heights. There are short keyboards for kids that don’t have a number pad allowing the mouse to be placed next to the keyboard. If a number pad is needed, a short keyboard can be purchased with the number pad such as the Logitech k360 keyboard, which is 2 1/2” shorter than a standard keyboard. https://amzn.to/4fmikR2. Check out my recommended Amazon products on the resources section of my website.
A small mouse is recommended to fit in the palm of the kids hands such as the Logitech m325, (https://amzn.to/4vRHHPs) or m510, (https://amzn.to/4wYFmTR) mouse. The mouse should fit in the palm of their hand and not be too small where they are squeezing the mouse or too large that they are stretching their fingers to use the mouse.
A chair that fits them is important so check the following: 1) their feet are flat on the ground and 2) they can sit back in the chair and use the chair backrest. The armrests should be close to their body or taken off for more movement for the child. If they are not able to sit back, place a pillow between the chair backrest and their back for back support while sitting in the chair. If you need to raise the height of the chair, where their feet are not going to be flat, place footrest under their feet or a box to provide feet support. A good fitted chair will prevent back discomfort.
A short desk height is recommended so they are not raising their shoulders to use their desk. You should measure from the floor to the bottom of their elbows when their elbows are next to their body at a 90-degree angle. When they put their elbows next to their body, the desk should be a couple inches higher than this if they are writing more than they are using a keyboard or mouse. If the child works on the keyboard and mouse more, the desk height should be at their elbow height.
Check out my other tips throughout the blog section.
