Building Strong Foundations: What to Teach for Foundational Education for Health and Well-being (Building Strong Foundations Brief; 2)

In a rapidly changing world, establishing strong foundations for children is vital for their well-being and resilience. Quality education is central to this endeavour and is the key to lifelong health and success. Recognizing that children thrive in the classroom when they are in good health, it is crucial to learn about health and well-being early on in primary schools.

The Building strong foundations briefs, developed jointly by UNESCO and UNICEF, provide evidence-based guidance to support primary school-aged children to thrive through foundational education for health and well-being. Drawing from extensive research and consultations with leading experts from various fields and across the world, these briefs serve as a roadmap for education stakeholders to equip learners with the requisite knowledge and skills to navigate their current and future health and well-being needs.

The present document is the second of four briefs. It is a go-to resource to better understand what makes a primary school curriculum effective in supporting health, well-being and learning. The brief provides practical tips and insights on integrating core thematic concepts for health and well-being into the curriculum, including concrete examples of learning objectives for lower primary and upper primary curricula.

Whether a seasoned curriculum designer, a passionate educator or an individual involved in primary school curriculum processes, this brief equips readers with the tools to design impactful curricula for transformative learning, health and well-being.