Healthy Lifestyles — Year 3 Lesson Plan
National Curriculum: PSHE/RSE — Health and wellbeing: the importance of regular exercise, a healthy diet and the positive effects that these can have on mental wellbeing, with simple self-care techniques (KS2 statutory guidance).
Overview
Pupils take a more analytical look at their own lifestyle choices and understand health across its physical, mental and social dimensions. They audit their own habits, learn what the evidence says about how much sleep, exercise and screen time children need, and begin to set personal goals for improvement. The lesson is supportive and non-judgmental, recognising that healthy choices are shaped by many factors outside pupils' control.
Learning Objectives
- Understand that health includes physical, mental and social dimensions.
- Identify lifestyle factors that promote or hinder health in each dimension.
- Evaluate their own current habits honestly using a self-assessment framework.
- Set one realistic, specific personal health goal with a plan for achieving it.
Key Vocabulary
Suggested Lesson Structure
Show pupils three concentric circles labelled Physical health, Mental health and Social health. Ask: what do you already know goes in each circle? Pupils suggest examples (e.g. exercise for physical, talking to friends for social, getting enough sleep for mental). Establish that being truly healthy means all three circles are doing reasonably well.
Share the NHS recommendations for children their age: at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day, 9-11 hours of sleep per night, a maximum of 2 hours of recreational screen time per day. Discuss why each guideline exists and what happens when we regularly fall short. Introduce the idea that lifestyle habits build up over time — small positive changes matter.
Pupils complete a structured lifestyle audit for a typical weekday: how much physical activity? How many hours of sleep? How much screen time? How many portions of fruit and vegetables? How much time with friends? They shade a simple grid to visualise how their lifestyle compares to recommendations. Discuss findings in pairs without judgment — focus on what could be changed, not what is wrong.
Pupils choose one area to improve and set a specific, achievable goal for the next two weeks using the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound — explained in simple language). They plan three concrete steps they will take. Pupils who find this challenging can choose from a provided list of goals and steps.
Ask pupils to share their goal with a partner, who will act as an accountability partner and check in with them the following week. Discuss: what might get in the way of achieving our goals? What can we do if that happens? Close by affirming that improving health is not about perfection — it is about making the best choices we can, most of the time.
Common Misconceptions
- Pupils sometimes think that being healthy is purely about physical fitness or body shape. Emphasise from the start that mental and social health are equally important and that the three dimensions are interconnected.
- Some pupils may feel that healthy choices are not available to them due to home circumstances. Acknowledge that barriers exist and focus goal-setting on choices within their control, avoiding any suggestion of blame.
Prior Knowledge
Pupils should already be able to:
- Basic knowledge of physical health from KS1 including food, exercise, sleep and hygiene.
- Awareness that mental health is an important part of wellbeing.
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