The Healthy and Active Child

The unit develops knowledge and understanding of a range of health related areas that impact on the lives of children and their families. Pre-service teachers will learn about specific childhood illnesses and conditions, the importance of overall health and nutrition and how to offer a variety of opportunities for young children to engage in a range of physically active play opportunities and learning experiences that foster health and wellbeing.

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
1. Describe children's specific health-related conditions, illnesses and patterns of growth and their implications for children’s inclusion in early childhood services.
2. Articulate the significance of brain development in the early years, contributing factors and the implications for teaching.
3. Identify a range of contemporary health issues that affect children, including protective behaviours, obesity, exercise, body image and sex education.
4. Evaluate strategies for children to learn about health, nutrition, hygiene and keeping themselves safe.
5. Identify healthy and safe educational environments for children birth to eight years and challenge concepts of risk and reasonable risk-taking and how this affects development and learning.
6. Develop learning plans for physically active play (birth to eight years of age).