A few years ago, Priyanka trained to be a Health Coach for children with the Dr. Sears Institute to become more aware about how a child’s physical wellness impacts their learning and development at school. As Learn To Play grows, we see the immense value of an integrated approach; one which focuses on education, child protection, health and nutrition along with positive mental wellbeing and family/community life.

As you look at schools in other countries, there is a strong focus on both wellness and wellbeing. Most of us have probably used the words “wellness” and “well-being” interchangeably without really understanding if there is a difference.

Susie Ellis, the Global Wellness Institute chairperson, sees a (necessary) coming evolution where wellness gets firmly associated with health and prevention, and wellbeing becomes more associated with happiness and a state of mental health.

If you go by the book, here is how Merriam-Webster makes the distinction:

“Wellbeing: the state of being happy, healthy, or successful”
“Wellness: the quality or state of being healthy”

The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.

Learn To Play is excited to be working on a Rainbow Play for Wellness Approach. We are putting together a workshop for schools, parents and caregivers that will provide a framework of how to build an ethos, curricula and culture of wellness for young children.

Our Play for Wellness approach includes the 6 key areas of early childhood development and shows how they each relate to a different theme within health and wellness. The workshop will have specific play and learn activities to implement in your settings that will help children develop in these 6 key areas of wellness. Our programme will also explain why integration and a holistic approach is fundamental to overall optimum health and wellness.

Our littlest citizens deserve every opportunity to Play, Learn and Thrive.

Contact us for more information and to Get Involved with our work.