Building Healthy Habits in Primary School Children through Minecraft
TARGET GROUP
Primary Teachers
Parents
Primary Pupils aged 8-12 years
HealthCraft aims to improve health education and promote healthy lifestyles among primary school children in Ireland, Greece and other countries across Europe. The motivation behind this project is to address the growing concern of childhood obesity and related physical and mental health issues. According to the World Health Organization, childhood obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s and is now considered a global epidemic. In addition, children with unhealthy lifestyles are at risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer later in life.
The HealthCraft project is not just about educating children on the importance of a healthy lifestyle, but it also aims to develop key competences among both children and trainers using innovative approaches. The project acknowledges that children’s eating patterns and lifestyle are influenced by several factors, and it aims to address these issues through engaging and informative methods that can help children develop healthy habits. With the contribution of training videos and video games, HealthCraft seeks to revolutionize the way we approach health education and make it an enjoyable experience for both children and trainers. More specifically, we will leverage the popularity of Minecraft to create a fun and interactive learning experience that appeals to young children aged 8-12 years during their formative years, where the learning has the most profound impact on their development.
The project also recognizes the role of school engagement in promoting healthy living and plans to involve schools in the implementation of the project to ensure its effectiveness in promoting a healthy lifestyle. We recognize that children’s eating patterns and lifestyle are influenced by several factors, such as culture, socioeconomic status, and geographical location. Therefore, our project’s educational resources and activities will be adapted to meet the needs of all children, regardless of their background to be socially inclusive.
In addition to being socially inclusive, HealthCraft is committed to addressing health inequalities by promoting healthy lifestyles among all children. By promoting healthy lifestyles among all children, HealthCraft aligns with the priorities of the European Union’s funding programs, which aim to reduce health inequalities and promote social inclusion. Our project’s approach is in line with the EU’s broader goals of building a more equitable society, where all individuals have the opportunity to live healthy and fulfilling lives.
Overall, the HealthCraft project represents an innovative and impactful approach to promoting healthy lifestyles and improving health education among primary school children. Through the project, we can ultimately make a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of future generations.
HEALTHCRAFT TOPICS
Our project focuses on the following topics:
Healthy Eating
Physical Activity
Quality Sleep
Healthy Minds
PROJECT OUTPUTS
1. HealthCraft Healthy Habits Video Training Library: A Training Video library containing 40 short and fun videos in total
2. HealthCraft Minecraft for Education Worlds: Four unique games for Minecraft Education Edition around Health Education!
3. Teachers’ Toolkit with Activities & Lesson Plans: A set of lesson plans which will help teachers implement the project’s results in their classroom
PROJECT PARTNERS
Ireland: Atlantic Technological University (Lead Partner)
Netherlands: Atermon B.V.
Greece: Harokopio University Athens
Greece: Learning Seed
Ireland: Scoil Cholmcille
Greece: Shift Education