Let’s start by answering the question, “Why doesn’t CHA teach Health?” The simple reason here is that we have always thought Health was best handled by you, the parents. Although, in 1st grade, Mrs. Craig does cover nutrition and germs as part of her Science unit, and this definitely counts as “Health.” And our Biology classes in 3rd, 6th, and 9th all have units that teach about the human body and can double as Science and Health. In other grades, parents should definitely be making sure to cover healthy topics in some way at home. Read on to find out some different topics, suggestions, and resources!
The purpose of studying health is to make sure that kids develop a good understanding of what goes into staying healthy in real life, which is mostly lived outside of a classroom. So, we tend to cover health through day-to-day activities such as cooking and meal planning, and the conversations that spring up around this. Our county reviewer is always happy with this! Some of my kids also see occupational therapists or counselors, or are involved in activities where they discuss the same types of concepts that would be covered in a school health class, and all of this "counts" for the reviewer as well. -Erika Adam
What are some common health topics to cover with younger children?
Fire safety, weather emergencies, “stranger danger,” bike riding rules, crossing the street and being safe around traffic (understanding traffic signs), community helpers, germs, personal hygiene, body safety, basic first aid, manners, emotions, nutrition, meal planning, and food preparation are all typical “health” topics. It’s good to realize that when you do many of these things as part of “normal” family living, they count as homeschool health! Chances are, you are already doing more than you realize.
When I want to be intentional about health instruction, I may check out a book from the public library. (For example, The Berenstain Bears series covers a lot of these topics!) I have also used Teachers Pay Teachers for FREE Health resources. Search for “Health,” select a grade level, and sort by Price (Ascending) to get the free ones first! Resources like the “Health and Hygiene Reading Comprehension Passages” double as health and reading practice for a K-3rd grader. Or, find a “healthy teeth sorting activity” to review dental health and scissor skills.
The God’s Design for Sex Series, which includes “The Story of Me” (ages 3-5), “Before I Was Born” (ages 5-8) “What’s the Big Deal” (ages 8-12), and “Facing the Facts” (ages 12-16) are also a terrific resource for Christian families.
A Note About “Body Safety”
This includes the difference between safe touch and unsafe touch. Not keeping secrets that can make your child feel bad or uncomfortable, what to do if a child is touched inappropriately, general assertiveness techniques, and body boundaries. Talk about body parts and use the proper names. Teach that some body parts are private and not for everyone to see. No one should touch their private parts and no one should ask your child to touch someone else’s private parts. Tell your child that no one should ever take pictures of their private parts. Teach children that they will never be in trouble if they tell you a body secret.
What about Health for teens?
In high school, one credit of Health is a Maryland state graduation requirement. So you may need to do a bit more “record-keeping” when your child gets older. Topics such as Online Safety, Mental Health, Reproduction, Drugs and Alcohol, and Pro-Life Apologetics may be added to your Health instruction. Christianbook.com carries several Health textbooks by Christian publishers, such as Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition. (Our family found this to be a nice complement to the 9th Grade Biology class at CHA and completed half over the summer and the other half spread out over the school year.) Combined with some practical meal planning and preparation by my teenager, it was a complete Health curriculum!
Here are two great additional resources, shared by Galadriel Simons:
https://mbfpreventioneducation.org/
Their official curriculum is expensive, but they have a solid collection of free resources, and links to other organizations who also have good information.
https://www.missingkids.org/netsmartz/home
Lots of parent and child/teen information, plus free resources
This is part of the CHA Bits: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks series. Is there a question about CHA or homeschool that you would like answered?
Submit inquiries to Tracey at [email protected]
The purpose of studying health is to make sure that kids develop a good understanding of what goes into staying healthy in real life, which is mostly lived outside of a classroom. So, we tend to cover health through day-to-day activities such as cooking and meal planning, and the conversations that spring up around this. Our county reviewer is always happy with this! Some of my kids also see occupational therapists or counselors, or are involved in activities where they discuss the same types of concepts that would be covered in a school health class, and all of this "counts" for the reviewer as well. -Erika Adam
What are some common health topics to cover with younger children?
Fire safety, weather emergencies, “stranger danger,” bike riding rules, crossing the street and being safe around traffic (understanding traffic signs), community helpers, germs, personal hygiene, body safety, basic first aid, manners, emotions, nutrition, meal planning, and food preparation are all typical “health” topics. It’s good to realize that when you do many of these things as part of “normal” family living, they count as homeschool health! Chances are, you are already doing more than you realize.
When I want to be intentional about health instruction, I may check out a book from the public library. (For example, The Berenstain Bears series covers a lot of these topics!) I have also used Teachers Pay Teachers for FREE Health resources. Search for “Health,” select a grade level, and sort by Price (Ascending) to get the free ones first! Resources like the “Health and Hygiene Reading Comprehension Passages” double as health and reading practice for a K-3rd grader. Or, find a “healthy teeth sorting activity” to review dental health and scissor skills.
The God’s Design for Sex Series, which includes “The Story of Me” (ages 3-5), “Before I Was Born” (ages 5-8) “What’s the Big Deal” (ages 8-12), and “Facing the Facts” (ages 12-16) are also a terrific resource for Christian families.
A Note About “Body Safety”
This includes the difference between safe touch and unsafe touch. Not keeping secrets that can make your child feel bad or uncomfortable, what to do if a child is touched inappropriately, general assertiveness techniques, and body boundaries. Talk about body parts and use the proper names. Teach that some body parts are private and not for everyone to see. No one should touch their private parts and no one should ask your child to touch someone else’s private parts. Tell your child that no one should ever take pictures of their private parts. Teach children that they will never be in trouble if they tell you a body secret.
What about Health for teens?
In high school, one credit of Health is a Maryland state graduation requirement. So you may need to do a bit more “record-keeping” when your child gets older. Topics such as Online Safety, Mental Health, Reproduction, Drugs and Alcohol, and Pro-Life Apologetics may be added to your Health instruction. Christianbook.com carries several Health textbooks by Christian publishers, such as Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition. (Our family found this to be a nice complement to the 9th Grade Biology class at CHA and completed half over the summer and the other half spread out over the school year.) Combined with some practical meal planning and preparation by my teenager, it was a complete Health curriculum!
Here are two great additional resources, shared by Galadriel Simons:
https://mbfpreventioneducation.org/
Their official curriculum is expensive, but they have a solid collection of free resources, and links to other organizations who also have good information.
https://www.missingkids.org/netsmartz/home
Lots of parent and child/teen information, plus free resources
This is part of the CHA Bits: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks series. Is there a question about CHA or homeschool that you would like answered?
Submit inquiries to Tracey at [email protected]
RSS Feed
