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What can teachers do?

Bodywhys has developed a range of resources to support teachers and youth workers. All lessons are designed to be fun, engaging and memorable for students and to encourage group and individual participation to facilitate learning. All lesson plans have been tested in a selection of schools nationwide and reviewed and endorsed by the relevant well-being agencies for schools.

Be a positive role model

Do not talk about body image concerns or dieting in front of children or express guilt over eating certain foods. When talking about food it is better to focus on health rather than weight or appearance and to promote balance rather than extremes. Explain to children that healthy foods help to make our bodies strong, prevent illness and give us energy but that it’s good to have treats sometimes too as part of a balanced diet.

Likewise, exercise helps our bodies to stay strong and healthy and gives us energy but rest and relaxation are also important. Encourage your child to get involved in some physical activity they enjoy and help them to appreciate and enjoy their body for what it can do rather than how it looks.

Reflect on your own attitudes to weight and body shape. When we tune in to how we speak about bodies, including our own, other people’s or images we see in the media, we may be surprised to discover how we talk about this topic. Reflecting on our attitudes and noticing how these may affect our students can be an important step in changing these behaviours.

Inadvertent, ‘innocent’ comments about shape or weight may contribute to a young person exaggerating the importance of physical appearance in their perception of themselves and may negatively impact on body image and/or self-esteem in young people. All lessons have a reminder to reflect on personal attitudes to body image, food or weight prior to lesson delivery and to remember to be mindful of these and the language that we use in discussing this sensitive topic.

DO’s and DON’Ts for promoting positive body image

DO:

✅ DO reflect on your own attitudes to food and weight and be a positive role model.

✅ DO encourage students to listen to their body, to rest when needed and eat when hungry.

✅ DO emphasise that how we look is only one part of who we are.

✅ DO focus on the things that bodies can do rather than how they look

✅ DO praise students for their talents and positive attributes.

✅ DO encourage your students to find activities they enjoy and emphasise that everyone will have different interests

✅ DO emphasise that healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes.

✅ DO (if mentioning healthy eating) focus on balance and eating a range of foods and remember that food is something to be enjoyed.

DON’T:

❎ DON’T talk about dieting in front of students.

❎ DON’T pass comment on people's bodies in front of students.

❎ DON’T promote ‘No Sugar’, ‘Clean Eating’ or any diet approach that results in guilt around food.

❎ DON’T encourage excessive exercise. Emphasise the importance of rest days and listening to what our body needs.

❎ DON’T focus on beauty. Be sure to emphasise the value of personality traits and qualities over appearance.

❎ DON’T compare students to others. Emphasise that we are individuals and that we all have our own talents.

❎ DON’T endorse media beauty ideals by complimenting body shapes we see in the media.

❎ DON’T label foods as “good” vs. “bad”.

❎ DON’T make comparisons between body types.

❎ DON’T be overly critical of students in general. Try to be supportive and ensure criticism is constructive and helpful.

Shift the value from appearance to attributes

Messages from the media often emphasise appearance and present very narrow ideals. Young people mention feeling pressure to look like the images they see and describe the media muscular ideal for men and slim ideal for women.

It is important for teachers to teach children that body image is only one part of who we are. They can do this by shifting the focus from appearance to the ‘whole’ person in any conversations they have in the presence of children or young people. If teachers talk frequently about appearance, judge people by how they look, compliment people on weight or appearance or express dissatisfaction with their own bodies, students may learn that beauty, appearance and weight are important.

If, however, teachers talk about qualities they admire in others (including those in the media) such as kindness, honesty, good fun, a good listener etc. children and young people learn that these are the qualities that are valued in people and that personality and how we treat people are what is important.

Be aware of how you speak about your own and other people’s bodies and resist making negative comments or jokes about someone’s appearance in front of students. Be conscious of any positive comments you make about bodies or body shapes also to ensure you do not inadvertently endorse media ideals.

Youth Panel tip:

Encourage students to find their own ’likes’

Encourage students to find their own spark. Notice what they are innately good at, interested in or excited by, activities which they become lost in ‘the flow’ of and commend them on their abilities in these areas. You could perhaps mention to parents in parent teacher meetings any particular strengths in their child they could encourage.

When children and young people pursue activities they enjoy, which capture their attention and make them feel good this can enhance self-esteem. Encouraging students to find their own interests can be a valuable step for them in developing a strong sense of self, positive body image and good self-esteem. Likewise, encourage your students to celebrate individual differences and promote a supportive classroom atmosphere to support different interests so that creative, academic or sporting interests are recognised.

Encourage students to reflect on activities they engage in with friends and whether they are genuinely interested in these. If they are only pursuing an activity in order to fit in with friends, spending time and effort in this area may leave them feeling deflated and/or deter them from finding their own interests.

Encourage students to appreciate their bodies and treat them well

Encourage your students to listen to their body, tune into how they are feeling and what feels good for them. We are bombarded with messages from the media telling us how we ‘should’ look alongside suggestions about how we can achieve this. There is an ever-growing trend towards extremes in exercise and diet which are rigid and move us away from listening to our bodies. Apps to monitor the number of steps we do or how many calories we consume can encourage us to become more consumed with how our body looks rather than how it feels and what it can do. As a teacher, it is important to be aware of the danger of promoting or celebrating any extremes in exercise or diet and to be mindful that they are bombarded with extreme messaging in relation to bodies. Some of the suggestions below may be more relevant to primary school students.

Encourage students to listen to their bodies 

• Encourage students to check in with themselves and describe what is going on in their body, to tune into their breath, their heartbeat, whether they feel hot or cold, tired or alert and to notice what feels good for their body.

• Encourage conversations around how food can make us feel and what effects it can have on us e.g. food X gives me lots of energy, sometimes when I eat lots of food Y I get a sugar rush followed by a sugar crash or bad mood.

• Do not classify foods as being either ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

• Talk about bodies and body acceptance with students and emphasise that healthy bodies come in different shapes and sizes.

• Avoid talking about numbers (e.g. calories, kilograms, kilometres, minutes) in relation to food or exercise as this can prevent children and teens from tuning in to bodily signals.

• Avoid rewarding students with food. Try to find alternative reward systems e.g. praise, an extra playtime.

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