Healthy Habits Star
FoundationEat well, exercise daily, sleep enough and stay happy — four habits for a healthy life.
- Balanced diet, regular exercise, enough sleep and a happy mood — all four matter.
- One hour of exercise a day keeps muscles and bones strong.
- Be in bed before nine and sleep nine to eleven hours.
文體小知識：說明文用清楚的層次講道理。這一篇把四大健康習慣逐項說明，還教你訂時間表養成好習慣。
§Text Passage
1To stay healthy and full of energy every day, we need four healthy habits: a balanced diet, regular exercise, enough sleep and a happy, relaxed mood. Like four pillars, they hold up our health together; if one is missing, the body can easily go wrong.
2A balanced diet means eating some of every kind of food: grains give energy, vegetables and fruit have vitamins and fibre, and meat, eggs and milk help us grow tall and strong. Eat three regular meals with breakfast every day; eat fewer crisps, soft drinks and sweets, and drink water instead.
3Regular exercise makes muscles and bones strong and keeps the heart and lungs healthy. Primary 1 pupils should do at least one hour of physical activity a day, such as running, rope skipping, ball games and swimming. PE lessons, skipping at recess and playing in the park after school soon add up.
4Enough sleep lets the body rest and grow. Primary students need nine to eleven hours of sleep, so go to bed early — by nine o'clock — and get up early. Good sleep helps us grow tall; when we sleep well, we feel bright in class the next day and remember things better.
5A happy mood matters too. When something upsets you, tell your parents, teacher or friends, listen to music, draw, or run outdoors to relax. Smile more, praise others more, and the people around you feel happy too. Do the four habits every day and health and joy will follow!
1Summary 重點摘要
Eat well, exercise daily, sleep enough and stay happy — four habits for a healthy life.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Eating suitable amounts of all kinds of food.
Body activities like running and swimming that make us strong.
The time we rest with eyes closed; the body grows and repairs during sleep.
Something we do every day until it becomes natural.
The feeling in our heart; a happy mood keeps us healthy.
A chart that shows what to do at what time each day.
The power we need to work and play.
To relax so the body recovers its strength.
The process of growing taller and bigger.
3Step by step Steps
- Step 1: A balanced diet at regular mealsEat three meals at regular times every day. Breakfast matters most: after a night's sleep the body needs energy, and a fed brain focuses in class. A good lunch box has grains, vegetables and meat or fish, with fruit after the meal. Snacks and soft drinks are for once in a while only. Picky eating causes unbalanced nutrition, so try the vegetables too. Remember: a little of everything, just the right amount, and the body grows strong.
- Step 2: Exercise a little every dayDo at least one hour of physical activity daily. You can do it all at once or add it up: ten minutes of skipping at recess, thirty minutes in the PE lesson, twenty minutes running and jumping in the park after school. Exercise builds firm muscles, strong bones and a healthy heart, and it cheers us up. Pick a sport you like and play with friends so it is easy to keep going. Remember to warm up before exercising and drink water afterwards — safe and comfortable.
- Step 3: Sleep early, wake earlyPrimary students need nine to eleven hours of sleep, so go to bed before nine and get up around seven. Before bed, put the phone away and switch off the TV, because screen light keeps us awake; instead, brush your teeth, wash up and listen to a short story to relax. During sleep the body works hard to help us grow tall, and the brain sorts out what we learned in the day. Sleep enough, and tomorrow you will feel full of energy and listen better in class.
- Step 4: Keep a light and happy moodMood and health are good friends. Hard homework or a quarrel with a friend can make us unhappy. Then breathe deeply, tell a trusted adult, or draw, sing or run a lap outside. Do not hide sad feelings — saying them out loud makes them much lighter. Smile more, help others more and say thank you; a cheerful heart comes naturally. With a good mood every day, meals taste better, sleep comes easier, the body stays well and learning improves too.
- Step 5: Make your own healthy timetablePut the four habits into a daily timetable: get up at seven and eat breakfast; class at half past eight; skip rope at recess; fruit after lunch; exercise in the park at four; dinner at six; brush and shower at half past eight; in bed before nine. Draw the chart, stick it in your room and tick each item you finish. With a timetable, habits grow easily. Look back after a week — the ticks are everywhere, and you will find a healthy life is not hard at all, and feels proud too.
- Step 6: Keep going for three weeksHabits take time. The first days may feel hard, such as refusing vegetables or wanting more TV. Ask family to remind you and keep you company, have a friendly contest with classmates on who does it first, and reward yourself with a small treat like a trip to the park at the weekend. After about three weeks, good habits become as natural as brushing your teeth. Health is the best gift you can give yourself — start today!
5Worked example Example
Example: Lavin does not eat vegetables and watches TV until eleven at night, so she has no energy in class. Help her design a healthy daily timetable.
- Find the problems first: no vegetables means unbalanced nutrition; sleeping too late means too little sleep, so she is tired by day.
- Add vegetables to breakfast and lunch, such as macaroni with greens and a meat-and-vegetable lunch box; eat fruit after meals instead of snacks.
- Turn off the TV at half past eight, then brush teeth and shower, and be in bed before nine to sleep about ten hours.
- Plan one hour of exercise in the afternoon, such as skipping and cycling; a well-exercised body falls asleep more easily.
- Answer: Lavin's problems are unbalanced nutrition and too little sleep. A healthy timetable: three regular meals with vegetables and fruit, one hour of exercise in the afternoon, TV off at half past eight and in bed before nine. Keep it up for three weeks and her energy will return.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1What are the four healthy habits?
Q2How much activity do primary students need daily?
Q3How many hours of sleep do primary students need?
Q4What can we do when we feel unhappy?
Q5Why must we eat breakfast?
8Recap Recap
- Balanced diet, regular exercise, enough sleep and a happy mood — all four matter.
- One hour of exercise a day keeps muscles and bones strong.
- Be in bed before nine and sleep nine to eleven hours.
- Say your unhappy feelings out loud; a good mood keeps the body well.
- Make a healthy timetable and keep it up for three weeks — habits become natural.