Does a 9 year old need a desk? Mine studies flat on the floor and his marks are fine

moss_camera_619211 May 2026

Every bit of reading, homework, even the holiday workbook, happens lying on his stomach on the hall floor, usually with one leg in the air. We bought a proper study table two years ago. It holds his Lego. His report card was fine, so I can't point to any harm, and part of me thinks I should leave it alone. But grade 5 means more writing, and his handwriting already slopes downhill when he's tired 🤷 Do you insist on a table at this age, or pick a different battle?

1 comment

violet_compass_360212 May 2026
Our elder daughter did homework on the floor for years, and we fought about it far longer than it deserved. What finally settled it was splitting the two: reading anywhere she liked, writing at the table. She accepted that because it didn't feel like we were taking the floor away completely. She was a bit older than nine, though.
- moss_camera_619212 May 2026
  Tried the split this evening. Reading on the floor, writing at the table. We then had a twenty-minute argument about whether filling in a crossword counts as writing. He won. Will try again tomorrow with clearer rules.
- ochre_pool_75513 May 2026
  I teach, and I'd gently correct one thing: the floor itself is rarely the problem. The sloping usually comes from the notebook sitting at an angle and the wrist resting on nothing, which happens on a bad table too. If he writes on a clipboard on the floor, you may get most of the benefit without the fight 😄