Well-Being

Ways in which children might demonstrate health and well-being

Goal for children: Every child is developing a sense of self, health, and well-being. Children have a sense of self and health and well-being when they:
• are physically active and confident in their growing abilities;
• are increasingly aware of and able to make healthy choices to meet their basic needs (e.g., for food, sleep, physical activity, self-care);
• experience a sense of competence, autonomy, and agency as they participate at their own pace throughout daily experiences and interactions;
• are increasingly able to identify, monitor, and manage stress levels and engage in strategies for self regulation (e.g., of emotions, attention, and behaviour);
• are increasingly able to take initiative, tackle challenges with enthusiasm and persistence, and cope with and adapt to changes, frustrations, and the  unexpected in everyday living;
• are developing a strong sense of self and the ability to value their own unique identity;
• are increasingly able to recognize, value, and respect the unique identity and perspectives of others

Ways in which programs can foster health and well-being

Program expectation: Early childhood programs nurture children’s healthy
development and support their growing sense of self. Educators can create contexts to support children’s health and well-being by:
• providing healthy meals and snacks and establishing positive eating environments that are responsive to children’s cues of hunger and fullness;
• incorporating opportunities and time to practise self-help and self-care skills based on each child’s capabilities throughout daily routines and activities;
• providing regular daily opportunities (responsive to individual capabilities) for children to be physically active and explore the world around them with their bodies, minds, and senses;
• limiting activities where children are sedentary for an extended period of time;
• creating safe and stimulating outdoor spaces for intentional active play that is individualized and adapted as needed to support children’s varied abilities, offering challenges that are within each child’s ability to master;
• facilitating children’s efforts to take reasonable risks, test their limits, and gain increasing competence and a sense of mastery through active play and social interactions;
• recognizing and supporting children’s developing and varied self-regulation abilities in all domains (biological, emotional, communicative, cognitive,
social);
• designing environments that are attuned to children’s varied sensitivities, arousal states, and need for maintaining a calm, focused, and alert state;
• reaching out to all families, including those who may be experiencing stressful and challenging circumstances, and helping them to make connections to formal supports (e.g., community agencies) and informal supports (e.g., connections with other families and/or their own support networks);
• participating in professional learning and connecting with community partners to ensure the program fosters social and emotional well-being and resilience for children and families.

Additional considerations for educators

Many early years programs are beginning to view their outdoor playgrounds as places for discovery and learning with bodies, minds, and senses rather than just places to blow off steam. For example, some programs are removing large play structures that dominate the space in favour of more natural outdoor playgrounds. These may include a variety of natural surfaces such as grass, sand, and pebbles; pathways to follow and hills to climb; garden areas; low platforms; and an assortment of large, open-ended materials to encourage building and creative problem-solving and foster imagination and a sense of mastery. Adapting the outdoor environment to support the varied capabilities of children helps to ensure all have equitable opportunities for active outdoor play.