Developing Health and Safety Awareness

Using books and stories

Engaging books and stories can effectively convey the importance of health and safety to children. You can accompany the books and stories with songs and actions, invite classroom visitors and collaborate with families to reinforce the message at home. 

Using role-play

Role-play serves as a valuable tool for children to explore and comprehend the world around them while developing useful knowledge and skills. Scenarios such as preparing healthy meals at a restaurant or going for a health check at a dental clinic can effectively promote their health and safety awareness.

Using routines and transitions

You can integrate healthy practices into routines and transitions. These authentic contexts provide opportunities to reinforce practices like handwashing, exercising safety while playing at the playground and making healthy choices for snack. 

Note:

Screen time impacts children’s health and well-being. Excessive and unhealthy use of screen can affect children’s brain development, language skills and attention span. For example, leaving screens turned on in the background even if children are not watching can distract children and reduce opportunities for children to have quality interactions with others. Also, using screens during mealtimes affects children’s ability to regulate their food intake and develop self-feeding skills.

The Early Childhood Development Centres Code of Practice Fourth Edition (2025) states that Licensees must ensure that there is no screen time for infants aged 2 to 18 months old. For children aged 18 months to 6 years old, screen time, if used, must be limited to teaching and learning purposes.

Learn more about healthy use of screen time in:

• Guidance on Screen Use in Children

• Early Childhood Development Centres Code of Practice Fourth Edition (2025)