Body care and physical safety
The aim of the body care and physical safety key area of learning is for ākonga to make informed decisions about body care, to recognise hazards in the environment, and to adopt safe practices in relation to these.
What is body care and physical safety education?
Through a range of learning opportunities, ākonga will develop knowledge, understandings, and skills for personal body care in relation to:
- hygiene
- the management of medication
- sleep and rest
- relaxation
- posture
- lifting and carrying
- warming up
- stretching
- regular physical activity
- the care of eyes, ears, teeth, and skin.
They will develop knowledge and skills for:
- the prevention of illness, injury, infection, disease, and common lifestyle disorders, including practical ways of caring for themselves and other people during times of illness, injury or accident, and rehabilitation
- identifying environmental hazards, such as hazards in the home, near roads, in playgrounds, and in bush and other outdoor environments and risks relating to fire, sun, water, poisons, and passive smoking
- practising strategies to avoid/minimise harm from environmental hazards, as well as learn emergency procedures for managing risk situations.
The underlying concepts in body care and physical safety
The underlying concepts are woven through learning in this area in the following ways:
The main focus of this key learning area is the physical dimension of hauora. However, body care and physical safety also relates to the mental and emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of hauora because the four dimensions are interrelated.
Through learning in this key area, ākonga will develop attitudes and values that encourage them to take responsibility for their own physical wellbeing and that of other people, as well as caring for the environment.
Through the socio-ecological perspective, ākonga will examine social, cultural, and economic attitudes, beliefs, and practices that influence environmental safety and personal body care. Ākonga will be encouraged to use problem-solving and decision-making skills to manage social and ecological aspects of hauora constructively.
To provide an effective environment for promoting personal body care and physical safety, schools need to develop supportive school-wide policies and practices, adopt practical safety and emergency procedures, and make links with relevant support groups and agencies.