Healthy Eating · September 2026

Stay Healthy

Your body is the most amazing machine ever built. This week we’re going to learn the four things it needs to stay healthy — food, move, sleep, wash.

Let’s begin
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Part 01

What Does Your Body Need?

Imagine your body is the most amazing machine ever built. It needs four things every day to work properly. Miss any one of them and the machine starts to slow down.

🍱
Food
The fuel that gives you energy.
🥈
Move
The engine running.
💤
Sleep
The repair shop overnight.
🫧
Wash
Keeping the parts clean.
🧐 Hands up

Which of the four do you think you do best already? And which one might need a bit of work?

Part 02 • Pillar 1

Food is Fuel

🍝

The trick is variety — lots of different colours on your plate. No food is bad. But balance is the secret.

5
food groups: carbs, protein, fruit/veg, dairy, healthy fats
5+
portions of fruit & veg every day — different colours
6–8
glasses of water a day — water is fuel too
🧐 Think about it

What did you eat yesterday? Did you get all 5 colours on your plate?

Part 03 • Pillar 2

Move Every Day

🥈

Our bodies were built to move. Movement is fuel for your brain too — it makes you better at concentrating, remembering, and feeling good.

60
minutes of movement a day — that’s the number for kids your age
🏃‍♂️
doesn’t have to be sport — walking, dancing, climbing all count
🧠
movement makes your brain sharper, even after just 10 minutes
🧐 Hands up

How will you fit your 60 minutes in today? Walk to school? Run at break? Dance in your room?

Part 04 • Pillar 3

The Repair Shop

💤

Sleep is when the magic happens. Your body rebuilds, you grow taller, your brain files everything you learned. The biggest enemy of sleep? Screens.

9–11
hours of sleep every night for kids your age
1+
hour with no screens before bed — the golden rule
🌹
growth hormone is released mostly while you sleep — it’s when you grow
🧠 Quietly, in your head

What time do you get to sleep? Are you getting your 9–11 hours? What could change?

Part 05 • Pillar 4

Wash Your Hands

🫧

The smallest action that makes the biggest difference. Done well, handwashing is one of the simplest, most powerful ways to stop illness spreading in school.

20
seconds — with soap, all the way to your wrists
a day at least — before food, after toilet, after coughing
2
rounds of “Happy Birthday” = exactly 20 seconds
⚡ Coming up next

We’ll do this together in a moment — get your hands ready.

⚡ Real Story

A Footballer Who Changed Lunch

Marcus Rashford · England striker · Campaigner
When Marcus was growing up, his family didn’t always have enough food.
He says it’s why he became a campaigner. In 2020 he persuaded the UK government to give free school meals to thousands of children who needed them — and he’s kept fighting for it ever since. Marcus made nutrition a national conversation. His message is simple — children learn best when they’re well fed. The body of a professional footballer needs the same four things yours does. Food. Move. Sleep. Wash.
🧐 Teacher leads

Even our heroes started small. Looking after your body isn’t a punishment — it’s how you become whatever you want to be.

Part 07 • Try It Now

Let’s Wash Together

20 sec
Two rounds of “Happy Birthday”
1Palms
2Backs of hands
3Between fingers
4Thumbs
5Fingertips
6Wrists
🫧 Whole school together

Stand up. Pretend you have soap. Mime each step with me as we sing. Two rounds of Happy Birthday. Go.

Part 08 • Your Pledge This Week

5 Days. 5 Small Habits.

Each day this week we’ll start one tiny new habit. By Friday you’ll have a Healthy Habits Pledge to take home.

Mon
+1 colour
Add one new colour at lunch
Tue
+10 mins
Move ten minutes more
Wed
No screens
Hour before bed
Thu
20-sec wash
Every time, properly
Fri
Pick one
Keep going for a month
🏆 Your pledge
"This week, I will look after my body. Every day. One small habit."
🏆 Mission Complete

Food. Move. Sleep. Wash.
Every Day.

The most amazing machine ever built — and it’s the one you’re standing in. Look after the four pillars and the machine looks after you back.

⚡ Pick one for today

Right now, before you go back to class, think of one small healthy thing you’ll do today. An extra glass of water. A walk at break. A 20-second wash before lunch. That’s how it starts.

Want to make this a whole-school day?
Our “Stay Healthy” workshop brings a specialist to your school. Every class, every age group, all four pillars in a day.
Book a Stay Healthy day