Healthy, Independent
Explorer

Developing active and healthy habits for the future to promote lifelong health.

Overview

This aspect of the curriculum encourages healthy and active habits which will influence lifelong health.

It is underpinned by physical development.

It is important that children under the age of 5 stay active on a daily basis to benefit their health and to encourage positive habits in adult life.

Every nursery will deliver the following programmes to support this aspect of the curriculum:

  • Sun Safe Award
  • Oral Health Programme
  • Let’s Cook! Programme
  • Let’s Move! Programme
  • Let’s Kick it! Programme

Sun Safe Award

All Happy Days Nurseries are registered with Sun Safe Nurseries and have completed the three step programme to achieve the Sun Safe Nurseries Accreditation Certificate. This accreditation is renewed on an annual basis. 

Whilst engaging in the programme the children will have the opportunity to participate in a range of activities that reinforce sun safety education.

The sun safety messages within the programme will influence children to develop lifelong positive behaviours and attitudes regarding the importance of keeping themselves safe in the sun to prevent future serious health risks.

Oral Health Programme

Within Happy Days we will be using both the Cornwall Healthy Under Fives Programme and the Dental Buddy Programme which is accredited by the Oral Health Foundation to promote the importance of oral health to children.

Good oral health habits need to be formed from the earliest age. Tooth decay is largely preventable, but it’s still a serious problem among young children. Nearly a quarter of 5 year olds in England have tooth decay, with 3 or 4 teeth affected on average. Tooth extraction is one of the most common procedures for children under 6 in hospital. Children who have toothache, or need treatment, may have pain or infections. This can have a wider effect on a child’s overall health and well being.

Our selected programmes will support children and their families’ awareness of oral health to ensure that every child has the opportunity to grow up free from tooth decay.

Let’s Cook! Programme

The Happy Days Let’s Cook Programme encourages children to take a more active role in choosing, preparing and cooking simple dishes which will encourage them to eat a wider variety of healthy foods. Research shows that the more familiar children are with ingredients and the more they feel involved in the process, the more likely they are to eat the food at the end.

When engaged in the cooking programme the children will be introduced to new healthy ingredients, and encouraged to explore unknown tastes, smells and textures which will increase their exposure to a wide range of fruit and vegetables, herbs, spices and foods from a variety of cultures.

Teaching children about the benefits cooking and nutrition can make a real difference to the quality of their lives; it equips them with the confidence to make healthy food choices and supports a healthy enjoyment of food. Learning to cook from an early age can contribute to maintaining a healthy weight, good oral health and general health and wellbeing.

Let’s Move! Programme

It is important that children under the age of 5 are staying active on a daily basis to benefit their health and support continued interest and participation throughout adult life.

The Happy days ‘Let’s Move!’ programme recognises the importance of helping children to be healthy. It provides a wide range of learning activities to support the development of babies and young children’s physical development, enabling them to be more active, move with increasing confidence and control, and to enjoy taking part in physical play with others, which in turn encourages their social and interaction skills.

Let’s Kick It! Programme

Let’s Kick It is a 6-week programme to support and develop football skills in early years. The programme will focus on passing skills, dribbling, shooting and teamwork.

At the end of each session, the children will receive a sticker to place on their Let’s Kick It chart.

At the end of the 6 week programme the children will receive a Let’s Kick It medal as recognition that they have completed the 6 week programme.

Practitioners who are delivering the Let’s Kick It programme have been specifically trained by an accredited FA level 1 coach in football.