Kindergarten - Health

Overview

SFUSD Health Education Logo

Kindergarten students in SFUSD engage in 20 Health lessons per year. Lessons are created from the HealthSmart curriculum and correspond to SFUSD monthly health themes. Elementary health education strives to improve health outcomes for youth and their families by teaching the knowledge and skills necessary for life-long healthy choices. We view comprehensive health education as a rite of passage for all students.

Priority Standards

What students will know, what students will do, and what thinking skills students will develop to apply and transfer Health understandings that endure within the discipline, leverage deeper understandings, and/or support readiness for success at the next grade level. 

In Kindergarten, focus on these critical areas:

  • Steps for handwashing

    Identifying and practicing basic hygiene

  • Illustration of adult and two children crossing the street in crosswalk

    Understanding and applying basic safety concepts

  • Four kindergarten students play in the woods

    Identifying and choosing healthy foods and activities

    Instruction: Signature Elements

    Below are signature elements of SFUSD Health instruction that students should experience regularly throughout first grade as they develop health literacy.

    • Mind map with "Health" at the center

      Create an Information-Rich Environment

      Provide meaningful, health-related text on classroom walls and well-stocked, inviting, and comfortable libraries that contain a range of health-related texts (e.g., nutrition and physical activity, social and emotional learning), including texts in students’ home languages.

    • Illustration of question mark, gears turning, light bulb coming on, and exclamation point over faces

      Promote Inquiry & Autonomy

      Allow students to generate their own questions and to choose health-related activities, texts, and even locations in the room in which to engage with health-related books, manipulatives, and tasks independently.

    • Text: Student like with multicolor circle around text

      Make It Relevant

      Ensure that health education experiences are relevant and responsive to students’ interests, everyday life, or important current events.

    • Icon of four people forming a circle by interlinking arms

      Emphasize Collaboration

      Structure frequent opportunities for students to collaborate with their peers in health-related group learning tasks, to read and discuss texts, and in creating artifacts that demonstrate their learning.

      Units & Planning Guide

      Lessons are created from the HealthSmart curriculum and correspond to SFUSD monthly health themes. Harvest of the Month lessons correspond to the availability of the produce at local farmers’ markets. To meet the required 20 health lessons per year, we recommend at least three lessons from each health topic. Health lessons are not available in Spanish.

      Unit Lessons

      Personal and Community Health (AUG/SEPT) 

       

      Harvest of the Month: TOMATOES (Spanish)

      Substance Abuse Prevention (OCT)

       

      Harvest of the Month: ROOT VEGETABLES (Spanish)

      Violence Prevention (NOV/DEC)

       

      Harvest of the Month: PUMPKINS & SWEET POTATOES (Spanish)
      Harvest of the Month: CABBAGE & BROCCOLI (Spanish)

      Growing Bodies and Active Consent (JAN/FEB)

       

      Harvest of the Month: GREENS (Spanish)
      Harvest of the Month: MANDARINS (Spanish)

      Nutrition & Physical Activity (MARCH)

       

      Harvest of the Month: PEAS & BEANS (Spanish)

      LGBTQ and Advocacy (APRIL)

      		 *All read aloud books can be found in SFUSD libraries

       

      Harvest of the Month: AVOCADOS (Spanish)

      Summer Safety and Environmental Health (MAY)

       

      Harvest of the Month: STRAWBERRIES (Spanish)

      **Lessons will continue to be added as they are developed
      Unit Overview as Document for Kindergarten Health

      Link to this item

      Reflection Questions

      1. How are students' developmental needs, communities, and experiences being reflected and honored, or how could they be?
      2. What opportunities do you see for developing equitable access & demand, inquiry, collaboration, and assessment for learning?
      3. What are the implications for your own practice? What strengths can you build upon? What will you do first?

      This page was last updated on April 6, 2023