Healthy Habits Detective

Overview

Students investigate everyday healthy habits and practise choosing safe, helpful actions in familiar situations. Using an engaging worksheet, they learn to distinguish useful health information from unsafe or unhelpful advice and identify trusted adults and services that can support wellbeing.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• identify habits that support physical, social and emotional wellbeing
• explain why everyday choices can help keep people healthy and safe
• practise checking whether health information is trustworthy
• identify a trusted adult or support service they could approach for help

Success criteria

• I can identify healthy choices in everyday situations.
• I can explain how a healthy choice supports my wellbeing or safety.
• I can name a trusted source of health information or support.
• I can complete a health worksheet using clear reasons.

Curriculum links

• Enhancing wellbeing through healthy lifestyles: identifying practical habits that support health and wellbeing
• Managing risk and enhancing safety: recognising safe choices and when to seek help
• Thinking critically to enhance health and wellbeing: considering whether health information is reliable
• Demonstrating ways to access reliable health information or support services

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Hook: Healthy or unhelpful? Teacher displays the opening question in the hook slide: “Would every health tip on the internet be safe to try?” and briefly explains that health detectives look for evidence and trusted advice. Students respond with thumbs up, sideways or down and give one reason.

2. 4–9 min · Mini-teach: Healthy habits. Teacher uses the healthy habits slides to introduce four areas: caring for the body, being active, managing feelings and staying safe; model one example, such as drinking water during a hot day. Students suggest one familiar example for each area and explain how it may help.

3. 9–12 min · Reliable information check. Teacher presents the “trust check” on the reliable information slide: consider who provided the information, whether it is trying to sell something, whether it sounds sensible and whether a trusted adult or health professional would agree. Students practise checking two simple statements, such as “A water bottle can help you drink more water” and “One special food can prevent every illness”.

4. 12–23 min · Health detective worksheet. Teacher distributes the Healthy Habits Detective worksheet and reads the instructions aloud, supporting the student to complete each section. Students sort or circle healthy choices, match habits with benefits, answer short questions and complete a “trusted help” prompt. Pause halfway for the student to explain one answer and revise it if needed.

5. 23–27 min · Talk it through. Teacher returns to the discussion and support slides and asks the student to choose one worksheet answer to explain. Discuss trusted sources, including a parent or carer, teacher, school counsellor, doctor, nurse or reputable government health information. Students role-play one sentence they could use to ask a trusted adult for help.

6. 27–30 min · Exit reflection. Teacher shows the exit reflection slide and asks: “One healthy choice I can make is…” and “One trusted person I can ask is…”. Students share responses orally or write them on the bottom of the worksheet. Teacher records any area requiring follow-up.

Resources

• the healthy habits and discussion slide deck
• the Healthy Habits Detective worksheet
• Pencil, coloured pencils and eraser
• Whiteboard and marker
• Optional timer
• Teacher examples of safe and unreliable health statements

Assessment

• Listen to the student’s explanations during the hook and mini-teach to check whether they can connect habits with wellbeing or safety.
• Review the worksheet for accurate identification of healthy choices, sensible reasons and an appropriate trusted source of help.
• Use the exit reflection to assess whether the student can name a practical healthy action and a reliable person or service for support.

Differentiation

• Provide the worksheet orally, read each question aloud and allow the student to dictate answers or draw instead of writing extended responses.
• Use picture cues, a word bank and sentence starters such as “This is healthy because…” and “I could ask…”.
• Limit choices to two options at a time and model the first question before independent work.
• For extension, ask the student to create one additional health tip and explain how they would check whether it is reliable.
• Use inclusive examples that recognise different families, abilities, cultures and ways of being active; avoid asking the student to disclose personal health information.