Physical wellbeing
Good physical and mental health is important for learning.
Mental health and physical health are inextricably linked. Schools play a vital role in promoting physical activity and quality sleep, providing advice about nutritious food, and providing targeted support for students and families. Creating opportunities to enhance protective factors and reduce risk factors related to aspects of mental and physical health leads to enhanced wellbeing and learning outcomes.
Develop whole-school approaches to create a positive and healthy learning environment:
- Explicitly teach and embed social and emotional skills related to personal safety, resilience and help-seeking to enhance protective factors for students
- Teach and model effective practices to promote healthy exercise and nutrition
- Create opportunities for students to practise decision-making skills to make informed choices around tobacco, alcohol and drugs
- Respond to individual needs of students and families with support strategies
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Physical activity
Physical activity is critical for children's quality of life
This research examined the relationship between children’s 24-hour time use and their health-related quality of life.
Healthy Young People
Find information and resources to promote secondary students' physical and mental health.
Sports ability
Find activity cards that assist teachers in the delivery of sports-based activities for all abilities.
Olympics Unleashed: Encouraging students to be the best versions of themselves
In this webinar recording, dual Olympian 400m runner Steven Solomon talks about the Olympics Unleashed program and associated education programs.
Get ready to learn: Interoception and self-regulation
This resource is designed to help children and young people feel more connected to their bodies, and to interpret and express their emotions helpfully.
Brain break bops
Short animated videos featuring an interoception movement, plus other fun dance moves and memorable song lyrics.
Healthy eating
Eat well, get active
Find information for kids and parents about healthy lifestyles, focusing on healthy eating and physical activity.
Eat more fruit and veggies
This fact sheet for parents and students provides information about recommended servings of fruit and vegetables, and healthy snack ideas.
Heart healthy eating principles
These five healthy eating principles from the Heart Foundation promote healthy hearts.
Arc: Healthy eating
This package provides students access to Vic Government resources and data about healthy eating.
Creating resilient kids together
This family information sheet outlines the skills children need to become resilient.
Eating disorders in schools
Eating disorders: prevention, early identification and response.
Sleep
Understanding school-age sleep
Find information and practical support to help your child's sleep and enhance their wellbeing.
Research: Sleep and mental wellbeing
Recommendations on sleep duration for all age-groups, including examples of behaviours that contribute to poor sleep patterns and interventions that have worked with teenagers.
Healthy sleep
The Sleep Health Foundation provides information and tips which help improve sleep.
Sleep and young people
Find out what is considered ‘normal’ in terms of sleep habits and what you can do to get a better night’s sleep.
Sleep lesson plan – Year 6
Developed with teachers, this lesson and accompanying video explores the benefits of good quality sleep for the body and brain.
Mathematics: Sleepy statistics
Learn how different bedtime behaviours affect the quantity and quality of sleep, and understand the importance of statistical analysis in real-world data representation.
Chronic conditions
Chronic conditions and schooling
This fact sheet provides strategies to support children with a chronic condition through school.
Periods and pelvic pain
This resource provides information for young people experiencing pelvic pain and endometriosis.
Supporting kids who miss school
Read this report and find tips for supporting students who miss school due to illness.
