The importance of wellness programs in schools and how your school is supporting wellness for all kids

There are nearly 1.5 billion children across the globe. This is approximately 87 percent of the Earth’s student population. Schools play a vital role in the development of children as they grow and learn. Every parent, teacher, caregiver, and school staff members expect and want school children to succeed. While most schools have classes, programs, which are aimed at health and physical well-being, these are not enough to provide students with the robust foundation that is needed to lead lives that are physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy.

We are living in a very dynamic world. Our needs and wants are constantly changing. Children too are expected to match their pace with these evolving times. It is through developing healthy school environments that we can help children to overcome challenges and achieve success in the classroom and beyond.

Wellness programs are critical for schools

Various strands of research confirm that children tend to do better in school when they are holistically healthy. They are less likely to miss their classes, be more attentive, participate in positive activities, be happy, and achieve better scores overall.

Here’s what introducing wellness programs and focusing on the overall wellbeing of children can do for your school:

• It leads to enhanced physical, mental and social health of the entire school community. It acts as a motivational boost not just for children but also for teachers and caregivers, who spend the most amount of time with children.
• They are more aware and receptive to receiving education. This leads to improved academic and overall achievement for students.
• Maintaining discipline with kids can be a real challenge. For an educator, disciplinary and behavioral issues must be dealt with very carefully. Wellness programs promote the decrease in behavioral issues in the classroom and outside as well.
• Wellness programs lead to more engagement and interaction among children and the school staff. These activities help in creating healthier and positive attitudes among everyone.
• It results in improved parent involvement in school activities and also results in better grades for kids.
• Improving home, school, and community partnerships, focusing and improving the wellness in schools leads to higher staff morale and productivity while making the workplace more efficient.
• Concentrating and introducing wellness programs and workshops at schools speak largely about the reputation of your school. It helps garner the trust of parents in an institute that focuses on the academic as well as holistic development of kids.

How do we support the wellness of our children? 

Wellbeing is a huge term, which is often measured through a bundle of indicators that collectively paint a picture of how well children are doing in their everyday life. To ensure this, we help our children be optimistic, happy, and hopeful about their future, we take certain measures to ensure, they grow and flourish in all aspects.

Physical Wellbeing: Create and provide opportunities to stay active, fit, and healthy. These activities help boost their confidence, cooperation, and coordination.

Mental Wellbeing: Mental wellness is closely related to physical fitness. We lay stress on good eating habits, indulgence in sports, and help children in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. At school, each child is encouraged to speak their mind and is assisted to manage their emotions and thoughts.

Intellectual and Spiritual Wellbeing: Through activities that promote learning beyond the classroom, we focus on enhancing the cognitive development of our children. Counselling, co-curricular activities, meditation workshops, we assist children to grow intellectually and spiritually.

Combined efforts of family, friends & schools can positively shape a child’s life. A probable good start is picking the right school for our children and supporting them together. Together, we all can make a real positive difference.