Fun Health Activities for High School

Health activities are one of the best methods for students to develop practical knowledge. The lessons they learn in health class will carry through into the real world in a way that's difficult to deny or forget. Many teachers stumble on some of the lessons they must teach in health class because they can be embarrassing and difficult to talk about. Nevertheless, with fun activities, laughter will build the bridge between embarrassment and knowledge.

Give half of the class slips of paper with diseases, some communicable and some not. Give the other half of the class activities they would engage in in real life. They do not have to do the activities, but they should understand the consequences of them. This activity will help them achieve that goal. Send the students to mingle with at least three other people and ask them questions. While they are mingling, they shouldn't reveal whether they are diseased or not until the interview is over. Have students switch partners at least three times. After students have interviewed or mingled and passed their diseases on, discuss the fallout of communicable diseases and how quickly they can spread.

Give students a chart with the letters A to Z. Ask them to fill the chart in with information they know about drugs. For example, they might write "addiction" for the letter A. After all squares have been filled in, ask students to classify the information into common knowledge and information the average person wouldn't know. This activity works best when students have some amount of prior knowledge going into the activity. It can be done with any subject matter, but lively conversations often spark from a chart filled with slang term and official terminology related to drugs.

Have students create a daily menu for a trip of their choice. The menu must include an appropriate amount of calories for a teenager and consider the activity level on the trip. For example, if students will take a hiking trip in the Costa Rican jungle, they should only eat food that will fuel hiking and exploring. The menu must include items from all levels of the food pyramid. This will give students a chance to explore their dietary needs and preferences while considering daily activity level as part of the equation.