Proper nutrition is one of the cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle. Discuss the food pyramid with the students and explain how it illustrates different types of food and how much of each type should be eaten. Provide children with blank food pyramids and grocery store circulars. Instruct them to cut out pictures of items that illustrate the portions of the food pyramid. Have them glue the pictures onto the pyramids.
Physical fitness is another important ingredient needed for a healthy lifestyle. Inform them that it is ideal to have at least one hour of physical activity every day. Have students think of creative ways they can be physically fit and encourage them to keep a log that details their physical activities and the length of time they perform each activity. Invite students to share their physical fitness logs with the class so they can gain ideas from one another and develop a sense of pride in their achievements.
Dental health should be a focus of health lessons as good oral hygiene is essential to a healthy lifestyle. Talk about the importance of caring for teeth and discuss foods that are good and bad for teeth. Illustrate the importance of brushing with a science project. Soak a hard-boiled egg in tea and invite children to use a toothbrush and toothpaste to clean it. As they brush, the tea stains will come off the shell.
Handwashing is important for preventing the spread of germs. Use glitter to illustrate how germs are spread. Cover your hands with glitter and shake the hands of one of your students. Have that student shake the hands of another student and so on, until all the children shake hands. Ask kids to look at their hands and they'll see at least a small amount of glitter on them. Explain that the glitter represents germs and when they don't wash their hands germs are spread around.