Grade PreK • Health What Your Child Will Learn

Mental and Emotional Health  

• Identify different emotions.
• State that anger and other big or strong emotions are common.
• Demonstrate awareness of personal emotions.
• Recognize the feelings of another.
• Recognize personal strengths.
• Identify the characteristics of a friend.
• Describe how people are unique.
• Identify trusted adults who can help with emotions.

Substance Abuse Prevention

• Define medicine.
• Identify family rules about medicine use.

Family Life and Human Sexuality

• Identify what is special about your family.
• Recognize that family is a group of people that support each other.
• Recognize that there are different types of families (e.g., single parent, same-gender, intergenerational, blended, interracial, adoptive, foster, etc.)
• Describe the characteristics of a friend.
• Recognize that individuals have personal boundaries and bodily autonomy.
• Recognize and respect that people express themselves in many different ways.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  The term “family” may mean different things to different people.  The families in which our students live are varied and diverse. Therefore, the HCPSS has chosen NOT to define “family” but to encourage students to have a discussion at home about how their families define “family.”

Safety and Violence Prevention

• Identify people who can help when someone is injured or suddenly ill. 
• Identify safety rules in the home.
• Describe healthy families, healthy family environments, and healthy relationships.
• Identify rules about strangers.
• Identify trusted adults or helpers who can provide help with feelings and solving problems.
• Identify personal information and when to share it with other people.
• Identify personal boundaries.
• Identify everyone has the right to tell others not to touch their body when they do not want to be touched.
• Identify parts of the body that are private of self or others.

Healthy Eating

• Identify that water is important for the body.
• State the benefits of trying new foods.
• Identify foods that contain helpful nutrients.
• Identify body signals that tell a person when they are hungry and when they are full.

DIsease prevention and control

• Identify the steps for proper hand washing.
• Identify personal health care practices.
• Recognize that brushing and flossing teeth is essential to do at least twice daily.
• Identify why sleep and rest are important for proper growth and good health.

analyzing influences

• Identify how the family influences personal health practices and behaviors.
• Identify what the school can do to support personal health practices and behaviors
• Describe how the media can influence health behaviors.

accesing information

• Identify trusted adults and professionals who can help promote health.
• Identify ways to locate school and community health helpers.

interpersonal communication 

• Demonstrate healthy ways to express needs, wants and feelings.
• Demonstrate listening skills to enhance health.
• Demonstrate ways to respond when in an unwanted, threatening or dangerous situation.
• Demonstrate ways to tell a trusted adult if one is threatened or harmed.

decision-making

• Identify situations when a health-related decision is needed.
• Differentiate between situations when a health-related decision can be made individually and when assistance is needed.

goal-setting

• Identify a short-term personal health goal and take action toward achieving the goal.
• Identify who can help when assistance is needed to achieve a personal health goal.

self-management

• Demonstrate healthy practices and behaviors to maintain or improve personal health.
• Demonstrate behaviors that avoid or reduce health risks. 

advocacy

• Make requests to promote personal health.
• Encourage peers to make positive health choices.

Maryland Comprehensive Health Education Framework Links to an external site.

In the Maryland Early Learning Standards, Health is included in the domain of Physical Well-Being and Motor Development. The following standards are included in the Physical Well-Being and Motor Development domain:

Perception and sensory integration

• Use and integrate information from the senses to explore and learn about objects, people and experiences and to navigate own movement and actions.

gross motor

• Demonstrate increased control and movement of the body using large muscles (involving the use of head, trunk, legs and arms).
• Use large muscles and whole body movements to explore their environment and interact with others.

fine motor

• Demonstrate increased control and coordination of small muscles in the hands and fingers to allow for more precise actions and objects.
• Use tools as a way to extend the abilities of their body and accomplish goals more efficiently.

Daily Routines, Health & Nutrition

• Develop increasing independence around daily routines and self-care.
• Show and interest in health eating habits and nutritious food.