Affirming Wellness: For Our Kids
When it comes to our kids and their health there is one thing we can all get firmly behind, they should be proud of their bodies because bodies can do amazing things!
As we get into the clinical research around child health and wellness, and it is important, we sometimes lose sight of the fact there are things we can agree on. We can agree on these things because we have a common goal.
Supporting Each Individual Child’s Journey to Health and Wellness
This is a goal we can all get behind. There are millions of messages a day infiltrating our children’s lives that tell them how they should look and what “healthy” means. However, what does healthy mean to you? What does healthy mean to me? Certainly, our definitions will be different.
Every Health Journey Will Look Different
If we, as educators, can do a better job of remembering to support each child’s health journey we can make a greater impact. Our goal is to discuss health and healthy lifestyle choices while decreasing shame and guilt. The newest piece from Savor Education is an Affirming Health and Wellness Journal for kids in grades 1-3.
Page 1:
Daily Wellness
Discuss the five food groups and which foods are enjoyed!
Sixty minutes of physical activity is recommended to make our bodies healthy and strong!
When you look in the mirror today, what is your favorite thing about your body? Bodies are amazing. They do incredible things.
What does affirming and inclusive language look like around health? You are creating an ally. You are validating an experience. Here is a tip:
You don’t have to agree with the statement, thought process or belief
to affirm and validate their experience.
Validate: What might this look like with a child talking about health? Here are a couple of examples:
Child 1: “Refined sugar is bad for you. It is a sometimes food we shouldn’t eat.”
Affirming response: Thank you for sharing that. I can see where you are coming from. Would you like to discuss some solutions? Did you know there are natural sugars in fruit? What is your favorite fruit?
Affirming response: I hear you. It can be tricky to know how much sugar we should have.
Page 2: Goals & Challenges
Goals and challenges are important for any jouney.
We can ALL make healthier choices. Regarless of where we are on our own personal health journey.
Normalize: What might this look like with a child talking about health? Normalization happens more naturally in a group setting. Here are a couple of examples:
Child 2: “I don’t eat vegetables they taste bad.”
Affirming response: “You know, you are not the first child to tell me they feel that way about vegetables.”
Affirming response: “You shared that vegetables are not your favorite. I have felt the same at times. I’m wondering if there is one you haven’t tried yet that you might like?”
Affirming response: I remember feeling like that about asparagus when I was little. I am curious if you would consider a health goal this week about vegetables.
Page 3: All About Healthy Me
Celebrate every child’s journey by letting them tell their story.
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Enjoy the journey!
