Growing Strong
Next time you see your older sister, brother, or an older student at school, remind yourself: They were once your age and your size. Everyone older than you has been where you are now. Their bodies, like yours, are on an amazing adventure of growth, changing a little every week and a lot more every year. Today, we’re going to learn how our bodies grow from week to week, leading to bigger growth each year. We’ll explore the small things you can do to keep your body happy and healthy. After all, we all want to grow strong.
PART 1
Let’s Begin Our Journey
Imagine your body as a magical garden that grows and changes every day and every week! Just like a garden that you water and care for, your body thrives because of the good things you do for it. What you do every day helps your body grow each week, leading to changes every year. What you do every day matters. So, let’s explore this magic garden of growth, from where you are now to where you’ll be in the future.
Growing Up: From Little Seeds to Big Trees
Think of yourself like a tree growing in a garden. Once, you were a tiny seed, growing because of the nourishment and care from others. With time, love, and attention, you became a young seedling, a small tree destined to grow taller and stronger. We all will grow into a bigger, more beautiful version of ourselves. But what we do today matters!
Our Magical Tree’s Many Parts, Like Our Body
Just like a magic tree in a garden, your body has many special parts. Your magic tree has roots, a main trunk, limbs, and leaves. Knowing the names of these parts and how they are connected is like having a special map telling you what you have to do to make each part stronger. From your head to your toes, each part is unique and important, helping us do all the fun and incredible things we love. Each part contributes to building a big, strong tree. In the tree there are magical things that happen. The tree’s roots are watered with rain and take rain water to the trunk and then to the leaves. The leaves catch sunlight and make energy they give to the tree trunk and roots to grow stronger and bigger. The rain water also cleans the leaves so they can catch more energy.
The Magic Spells of Staying Clean and Healthy
To keep your magical tree strong and safe, you have important things we do every day!
PART 2
Everyone Grows Differently: Our Unique Story
Just like every garden has different flowers and trees, each of us grows in our own special way. Some of us might be tall, and some might be short, but every way of growing is perfect. It’s like painting our own picture that shows how unique and wonderful we are.
Celebrating How Special We Are
Look around at your friends and classmates. We are all different, and that’s what makes everything so exciting! Maybe your friend has curly hair, and you have straight hair; maybe you’re really good at running fast, and your friend is great at drawing. These differences make our world a beautiful place, full of surprises and fun
Talking About Growing Up and Staying Healthy
What are your stories about how you are growing?
Can you identify areas you are growing in right now?
How might you grow in the next year?
What do you think you need to do to stay strong and healthy?
Do you have a favorite healthy snack? Or a fun way you like to exercise and be active?
These are our secrets to feeling great and having energy to play and learn.
Growing Strong Together
Our journey of growing up and learning to take care of ourselves is an adventure where we discover how magical and amazing our bodies are. Remember, using our healthy habits is the magic that keeps us feeling our best. As we grow, explore, and care for our wonderful bodies, we also look out for others, helping our magical gardens—our class—bloom beautifully for everyone.
Just like we all grow at different rates, we all feel different on different days. Some days we’re happier, some days we’re not. But we all grow together in our own way. Be there for one another.