Healthy Choices Today

Overview

This is Lesson 3 of 3 in the “Healthy Bodies, Happy Minds” unit for Grade 1 students. The lesson emphasises the connection between physical health and mental well-being, encouraging students to understand how daily healthy choices affect their feelings and actions. Students will collaborate to identify healthy behaviours in daily life and create a personalized action plan promoting both physical and mental health.

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Curriculum Alignment

Ontario Health and Physical Education Curriculum, Grade 1 (2020):

• Overall Expectation:
  B1. Demonstrate an understanding of personal safety and identify ways to maintain health and well-being.
• Specific Expectations:
  • C1.1 Identify feelings and behaviours that demonstrate respect for self and others.
  • C1.2 Identify the relationship between daily choices and personal health.
  • C2.1 Demonstrate an understanding of factors that contribute to healthy growth and physical activity.
  • C2.2 Recognize emotions and understand that healthy choices can affect feelings.
  • D1.1 Demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively with others during group activities.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this 30-minute lesson, students will be able to:

• Explain how making healthy choices such as eating well, being active, and resting affects their feelings and behaviour (C1.2, C2.2).
• Recognize daily opportunities to demonstrate healthy behaviours that promote both physical and mental well-being (C2.1, C2.2).
• Collaborate constructively in a group setting to identify healthy habits (D1.1).
• Create a simple personal action plan outlining at least three healthy behaviours they will practice each day (B1).

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Materials Needed

• Large chart paper or whiteboard
• Colourful markers
• Pre-prepared “Healthy Choices” picture cards (depicting activities like eating fruits, playing outside, brushing teeth, resting, talking about feelings)
• Personal Action Plan templates (simple worksheet with spaces for drawings or words)
• Stickers or stamps for positive reinforcement

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Lesson Procedure

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Greet students warmly. Briefly review the previous lessons on healthy eating, hygiene, and physical activity.
• Ask: “Can anyone tell me how taking care of your body helps you feel happy or calm?”
• Record responses on the board, guiding the discussion to link physical health with mental feelings, e.g., “When I run and play, I feel happy,” or “Brushing my teeth keeps me neat and can make me proud”.
• Share the lesson title: "Healthy Choices for a Happy Mind" and explain today we will explore how our choices affect not just our body, but also our feelings.

2. Exploring the Connection: Group Activity (10 minutes)

Healthy Choices Sorting Game

• Divide students into four groups of five.
• Provide each group with a set of “Healthy Choices” picture cards.
• Ask each group to sort the cards into two piles:
  • Choices that keep our body strong and healthy
  • Choices that help us feel happy or calm
• After sorting, groups come back together and a spokesperson shares at least one choice from each pile, explaining why.
• Teacher supplements explanations to highlight overlap (e.g., active play is good for body + mind).

3. Class Brainstorm: Daily Healthy Opportunities (5 minutes)

• On chart paper or whiteboard, create two columns: “Healthy Body” and “Happy Mind”.
• Invite students to suggest times during their day when they can make healthy choices (e.g., “At snack time, I eat an apple”, “When I feel upset, I breathe slowly”, “Before bed, I wash my hands”).
• Record responses; celebrate diverse ideas. Use language reinforcing control and personal power over choices.

4. Personal Action Plan Creation (8 minutes)

• Hand out the simplified Personal Action Plan worksheet.
• Explain: “On your paper, draw or write three healthy things you will do every day to help your body and your feelings.”
• Provide examples: eating vegetables, washing hands, talking about feelings with a friend or adult, playing outside, getting enough sleep.
• Circulate to support students’ ideas, encouraging use of both words and pictures.

5. Sharing and Closing (2 minutes)

• Invite 2-3 volunteers to share one healthy choice from their plan.
• Reinforce the importance of making these choices daily to keep both body and mind happy.
• Provide a sticker or stamp as a “Healthy Hero” mark for effort and participation.

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Assessment and Evaluation

• Formative Assessment: Observe participation during group sorting and brainstorming activities to assess understanding of the relationship between healthy behaviours and feelings (C2.2).
• Personal Action Plans: Review completed plans to ensure students list at least three realistic healthy behaviours, indicating understanding of personal responsibility for health (B1, C1.2).
• Anecdotal Notes: Document collaboration skills and respect shown in group work (D1.1).

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Differentiation

• Provide picture-only Personal Action Plan templates for students with emerging literacy skills.
• Offer sentence starters for students who need help expressing their ideas (e.g., “I will eat _______, so I can feel _______.”)
• Use peer partners to support students who may need extra help during the group activity.

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Extensions (Optional)

• Create a “Healthy Choices” classroom display featuring student action plans and photos/drawings of healthy behaviours.
• Encourage families to reinforce action plans at home through take-home newsletters outlining the lesson’s focus.

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This lesson plan merges physical health and emotional well-being, matching Ontario’s Health and Physical Education curriculum values. It empowers young learners to make meaningful daily choices by fostering self-awareness, social skills, and personal responsibility in a fun, inclusive environment.