Online Chinese health and wellbeing resources for Primary and Secondary School pupils
- Available on request
- Flexible
These resources have been brought together to support the fourth purpose of the Four Purposes of the New Curriculum for Wales.
It relates to children as ‘healthy, confident individuals ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society’ and focuses specifically on Chinese health and wellbeing. The resources can be used by both primary and secondary school teachers in their classrooms, or by individuals at home.
Chinese health and wellbeing
Eyes exercises
Chinese schools have been using eye exercises to help protect vision and prevent myopia since the 1960s. Children perform the five-minute exercises in class alongside music once or twice a day.
They are based on the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and said to stimulate the flow of energy or ‘qi’, relieving eye strain and aiding function.
In terms of Western medicine, the exercises increase blood circulation and relax muscles around the eyes, helping with fatigue in this area.
Resources
Children learn how to do three eye exercises using this YouTube video from China’s ‘King of Medicine’ Sun Simiao.
Song and dance routine
Teach your pupils to sing and dance like Chinese children with this song and dance routine. Once they know how to do it, they can practice together during break-time and even perform a talent show!
Resources
- Children learn the song When Smiling You Are Really Nice through a YouTube video including Chinese characters, Pinyin, English and hand gestures.
- Pupils practice the accompanying dance using this detailed step by step demonstration or this video, which starts at a slower pace before moving onto normal speed. Both videos are from YouTube.
The Yin and Yang of Chinese food
The duality of Yin and Yang is one of the key principles of Chinese thought. Stemming from Taoist philosophy, this principle is embedded in many aspects of Chinese culture, so what does it mean when it comes to Chinese food?
When we talk about Yin and Yang we mean it in relative terms, and it is believed that everything has both yin and yang aspects. So how do Chinese people divide food into these two kinds? How is Yin and Yang philosophy applied to an authentic Chinese meal, to the balance of flavours, ingredients and cooking techniques? Why is it so important to maintain a balance of Yin and Yang in the diet?
Resources
- Children learn about the Yin and Yang of foods and the benefits of Chinese Cooking (Yin-Yang) (both YouTube videos). They can also read this article on the importance of Yin-Yang Philosophy in Chinese Food.
- Pupils practice through cooking tasty Chinese cuisine with these how-to YouTube videos and PDF recipes:
Tai chi - Chinese martial art
Tai chi (or Tàijí quán in Chinese), also known as "Shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defence training, health benefits and meditation.
The term taiji is a Chinese cosmological concept for the flux of yin and yang, and 'quan' means fist.
Resources
- Introduce children to Tai Chi using the YouTube video Charm Of Oriental Heritage: Tai Chi.
- Watch a Tai Chi performance by Yang Hongshun in the 2019 Men’s National Kungfu Routine Championship through YouTube.
- Show pupils the 24 forms from modern simplified Tai Chi:
- forms 1-12 of modern simplified Tai Chi (Jpeg)
- forms 13-24 of modern simplified Tai Chi (Jpeg)
- Pupils try Tai chi with Learn Tai Chi Online with Jet Li's Online Academy:
- Jet Li's Online Academy: lesson one
- Jet Li's Online Academy: lesson two
- Jet Li's Online Academy: lesson three
- Jet Li's Online Academy: lesson four
- Jet Li's Online Academy: lesson five
- Jet Li's Online Academy: lesson six
- Jet Li's Online Academy: lesson seven
- Jet Li's Online Academy: lesson eight
- Jet Li's Online Academy: lesson nine
- Jet Li's Online Academy: lesson ten
Other primary and secondary school online resources
The Wales China Schools Project is a collaboration of the three Welsh Confucius Institutes at Cardiff, Bangor and UWTSD Universities.
We provide support for Confucius Classrooms and Associate schools that teach, or are interested in teaching, Chinese language and culture.
The following is a list of online courses and resources currently provided by the Wales China Schools Project.
Bangor University
Bangor University’s Confucius Institute provides a range of online HSK courses on their website, and a series of cultural activities including videos, calligraphy and paper-cutting on their Facebook page.
They also offer Chinese language lessons and workshops on their YouTube channel.
Cardiff University
Primary and Secondary school teachers can attend Cardiff Confucius Institute’s free Mandarin for Teachers’ courses and progress, fully funded, onto the University’s Professional Education Chinese courses.
You can also find suggested learning and teaching resources on our website, and gain access as a school to our pre-recorded Mandarin language and culture classes by emailing ucelev@cardiff.ac.uk.
University of Wales Trinity St. David (UWTSD)
The Confucius Institute at the University of Wales Trinity St. David offers weekly Chinese language courses via Zoom, which includes one hour of weekly tuition and access to resources for home-study.
You can also take weekly online courses in Qigong and Chinese Culture, and online learning for Key Stage 2 pupils including a ‘learn to teach’ resource for Primary School teachers.
About the organiser
This activity is organised by Cardiff Confucius Institute. Contact Victoria Ucele at ucelev@cardiff.ac.uk for more details.
How to book
These online resources are designed for primary, middle and secondary schoolteachers to use with their pupils in class. They can also be used by children independently, either by themselves or with others.
This activity is free
Audience
Teacher supervision is required.
