Preventing Illness through Cleanliness, Good Food and Rest for Pre-School Level 2

Class: Pre-School Level 2
Term: Third Term
Week: 7
Age: 3 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Health Habits
Curriculum Theme: Health Habits
Previous Lesson: Learning about different parts of the body and their uses.
Topic: Preventing Illness through Cleanliness, Good Food and Rest
Subject Matter: Illness: Causes of Illness, Diseases and How to Avoid Them. Weekly focus: Preventing Illness through Cleanliness, Good Food and Rest.

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Identify pictures of healthy foods.
• Name simple ways to keep clean (e.g., washing hands).
• Recognise the importance of rest for staying healthy.
• State one or two signs of illness (e.g., high temperature, cough).

Affective Domain

• Show willingness to participate in hygiene activities.
• Express a desire to eat healthy foods.
• Listen attentively when discussing why rest is important.

Psychomotor Domain

• Demonstrate correct handwashing steps.
• Point to pictures showing children eating healthy food or resting.
• Mimic actions of resting or sleeping.

Social Domain

• Share ideas about how to stay healthy with peers.
• Take turns during guided activities.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 2
• Suitable Early Childhood Care and Education resources

Instructional Materials

• Pictures of children washing hands, bathing, eating fruits/vegetables, sleeping/resting
• Chart posters showing healthy habits and signs of illness
• Flash cards of healthy foods (e.g., apple, banana, rice, yam)
• Real soap and water (or hand sanitiser) for demonstration
• A storybook about staying healthy
• Jigsaw puzzles/picture charts related to cleanliness or healthy foods
• A mat or small pillow to demonstrate rest

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is crucial for 3-year-olds as it introduces fundamental habits for maintaining good health. By understanding the simple concepts of cleanliness, good food, and rest, pupils can begin to develop routines that prevent common illnesses. This knowledge empowers them to take basic care of their bodies and report when they feel unwell, fostering early self-care and responsibility.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can identify some body parts and understand simple instructions. They are familiar with daily routines like eating, playing, and sleeping.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Preventing Illness through Cleanliness, Good Food and Rest

What is Illness?

Illness means when our body does not feel well. We might feel weak, have a cough, or a hot head (fever). When we are ill, we cannot play or learn well.

How to Stay Healthy and Prevent Illness:

1. Cleanliness: Keeping our bodies and surroundings clean.
   • Wash hands with soap and water, especially before eating and after using the toilet.
   • Take a bath every day.
   • Wear clean clothes.
2. Good Food: Eating healthy food helps our body grow strong and fight sickness.
   • Eat fruits (like oranges, bananas) and vegetables (like ugu, spinach).
   • Eat balanced meals (like rice and beans, yam and egg).
   • Drink clean water.
3. Rest: Our body needs to rest to get strong again.
   • Sleep well at night.
   • Have quiet time or a short nap during the day.

Signs of Illness and What to Do:

• High temperature (fever): Body feels hot.
• Weakness: Feeling tired, no energy to play.
• Lack of desire for food: Don’t want to eat.
• Vomiting: Throwing up food.
• Cough/Cold: Sneezing, runny nose.

What to do when ill:

• Report your feeling to your teacher or parents.
• Rest.
• Eat balanced food (even small amounts).
• Visit the hospital or clinic.
• Use prescribed drugs (only given by an adult/doctor).

Key Words

• Illness – When your body does not feel well.
• Cleanliness – Keeping yourself and things around you clean.
• Food – What we eat to get energy and grow.
• Rest – Taking a break, like sleeping, to make your body strong.
• Doctor – A person who helps sick people get well.

Our Healthy Habits Song

Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Lyrics:

Wash, wash, wash your hands,
Clean and fresh for all the lands.
Eat good food, strong you’ll be,
Healthy, happy, full of glee.
Sleep and rest, grow so tall,
No more sickness, not at all!

Actions: Mimic washing hands, pretend to eat, stretch tall, pretend to sleep.

Watch and Learn About Healthy Habits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Q6p2i0S-U

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Play-based Learning, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Songs and Rhymes, Picture Talk, Question and Answer, Role-play, Imitation, Manipulation of Objects, Practical Activity.

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engaging/Greeting

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils warmly and asks them how they are feeling today. The teacher then asks, “What makes us feel strong and happy?”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the greeting and share their feelings. Some may offer ideas about staying strong.

Learning Point: Pupils are engaged and introduced to the idea of feeling well.

Step 2: Cleanliness – Washing Hands

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the first way to prevent illness: cleanliness. The teacher focuses on handwashing, explaining why it’s important (to wash away germs). The teacher demonstrates the correct steps for washing hands using soap and water.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch the demonstration attentively and then practice the handwashing steps in the air or with hand sanitiser (if available).

Learning Point: Pupils understand the importance of handwashing and learn the basic steps.

Step 3: Good Food for a Strong Body

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Picture Talk/Discussion

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the second way to prevent illness: eating good food. The teacher shows flash cards of healthy foods (e.g., fruits, vegetables, rice, beans) and asks pupils to name them. The teacher explains that these foods make our bodies strong.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify and name the healthy foods shown on the flash cards. They talk about their favourite healthy foods.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise healthy foods and understand they help them grow strong.

Step 4: Rest for Energy

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Modelling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the third way to prevent illness: rest. The teacher shows a picture of a child sleeping and explains that our bodies need to rest (sleep) to get energy for playing and learning. The teacher models resting by pretending to sleep for a few seconds.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the explanation and mimic the teacher’s action of resting.

Learning Point: Pupils understand that rest gives them energy and helps them stay healthy.

Step 5: Signs of Illness and What to Do

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Chart Reading/Role-play

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher uses the “Signs of Illness” chart. The teacher points to pictures showing signs like a cough or a hot head and asks, “What should you do if you feel like this?” The teacher guides pupils to say, “Tell my mummy/daddy/teacher.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify the signs of illness on the chart and practice saying, “I will tell my teacher/parent.” Some may role-play telling an adult.

Learning Point: Pupils learn to recognise simple signs of illness and know to report them to an adult.

Step 6: Reinforcement Activity – Healthy Habits Puzzle/Song

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Activity/Singing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads pupils in a guided activity. This could be completing a simple jigsaw puzzle of a healthy habit (e.g., handwashing) or sorting picture cards into “healthy” and “unhealthy” piles. The teacher also leads the class in singing “Our Healthy Habits Song” again with actions.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils participate in the puzzle/sorting activity, identifying and discussing the pictures. They sing the song with enthusiasm and actions.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their understanding of healthy habits through practical engagement and song.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 4–5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher checks pupils’ understanding through short questions and practical tasks.

1. “Show me how you wash your hands.”
2. “Point to a picture of a healthy food.”
3. “What should you do if you feel sick?”
4. “Why is it important to rest?”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 1 minute

Teaching Skill: Summarising/Encouragement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher summarises the lesson by reminding pupils, “To stay healthy and strong, we must keep clean, eat good food, and get enough rest.” The teacher praises pupils for their participation.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and repeat the key message, “Clean, good food, rest!”

Learning Point: Pupils consolidate the main message of the lesson.

Lesson Keywords

• Illness – When your body does not feel well.
• Cleanliness – Keeping yourself and things around you clean.
• Food – What we eat to get energy and grow.
• Rest – Taking a break, like sleeping, to make your body strong.
• Doctor – A person who helps sick people get well.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils who need extra help, provide larger pictures, fewer choices in sorting activities, and more one-on-one modelling of actions like handwashing. Use hand-over-hand guidance for tracing or pointing. Repeat key phrases and the song more frequently.
• Extension: For pupils who grasp the concepts quickly, ask them to identify another healthy food not shown in the pictures, or to name another activity that helps them rest. Encourage them to explain *why* a particular habit is good for them in simple terms.