In a first, Oxford University Press India introduces wellness curriculum to help children achieve holistic health and develop life skills
New Delhi: Oxford University Press India has designed a Wellness Curriculum, the first of its kind in India, along with content partner Rangeet, to help school-going children understand emotions, build an active body, develop healthy relationships with people and understand the importance of ecological care.
My Happiness and Me is a series of eight activity workbooks designed for school-going children in classes 1-8. The curriculum aims to assist children in navigating their mental, emotional, and physical well-being. The series is now available, filling a crucial gap that core education alone could not address.
The wellness curriculum aligns with the vision set out by the National Education Policy 2020 and outlined under the National Curriculum Framework 2023 that emphasizes the holistic development of learners. Furthering the SDG 3 (good health and well-being), the course helps learners imbibe healthy practices, distinguish good and bad feelings and equips them with the tools to address them.
Launching the curriculum, Sumanta Datta, Managing Director, Oxford University Press India, said, “OUP’s wellness curriculum is a unique, research-based publication aligned with the NCF 2023. The series ‘My Happiness and Me’ offers learners a toolkit to navigate their emotions and relationships successfully. This approach, validated by the Oxford Impact Study, not only enhances well-being but also leads to improved educational outcomes in core disciplines. We are confident that this active learning pedagogy will bring joy to the learning experience and contribute to shaping well-rounded individuals.”
The Oxford Impact Study has found that incorporating wellness curriculum in schools ensures that learner engagement is high, and they experience greater ‘success’. It reduces dropout rates in schools and raises self-efficacy and self-esteem levels amongst learners.
The curriculum focuses on developing capacities that promotes learners’ wellness such as fitness, good health, psycho-social well-being and sound ethical grounding, especially in the post-pandemic period.
The lessons in the Wellness curriculum have been planned in collaboration with curriculum developer Rangeet and feature its proprietary Social Emotional and Ecological Knowledge (SEEK)© curriculum. SEEK™ uses active play-based pedagogies which help children connect with themselves, their societies and our ecological systems and develop a breadth of skills, wellbeing, agency and global stewardship.
There are five overarching themes in each book: My Mind, My Body, My Relationships, My World, and Nature Is beautiful. Each of these guides learners through a range of topics including managing anger, anxiety, stress, as well as issues such as recognizing good and bad touch, bullying, gender discrimination, nutrition, exercise and many others. The series is an accessible way to help children unpack their thoughts and feelings, helping them become well-rounded individuals as they grow.