Embrace Kids School Curriculum
Body Image Curriculum for Grades 5-8
Lessons for Building Better Body Image
The Embrace Kids School Curriculum provides educators with an engaging, evidence-based suite of lessons, engaging videos, and classroom resources to build better body image in middle school students (Grades 5-8).
This modular, evidence-based resource includes four lessons. Each module begins with a short, 10-to-15-minute video designed to capture students’ attention, followed by evidence-based activities. The program contains all the videos, presentation slides, and worksheets teachers need to deliver these lessons with confidence, without the need for additional training.
Background, Focus & Expertise
Body image is a critical issue for young people. We are in the midst of an epidemic of global body image distress, where the pressure kids feel about their appearance is holding them back from reaching their full potential. The Embrace Collective empowers parents and educators with the information and resources they need to help young people build better body image from the beginning, working towards a world where young people are empowered to thrive, free from judgment, pressure, and shame about their bodies.
The lessons are designed to promote these 4 core messages:
Respect for everybody:
Reminding young people that everyone looks unique and it is these differences that make the world amazing.
Be kind to yourself (and others):
Being kind to ourselves is incredibly beneficial for our mental health. The more we practice speaking to—and treating ourselves—with kindness, the more automatic it becomes. Being kind to ourselves can also help us to be more compassionate with others too.
Focus on what your body can do:
The more we appreciate the functionality of our bodies (i.e. what our bodies can do), the less we tend to focus on our appearance. Helping young people develop this perspective encourages them to see themselves as more than just objects to be viewed. It allows them to shift their focus toward who they are and what they contribute to the world, rather than solely on how they look.
Recognize real role models:
We know that the media and social media have a huge impact on the way we feel about our bodies and ourselves. We want to encourage kids to develop their social media literacy skills, to recognize what is real, and to curate their feed to ensure that it helps them feel good.
Developed by international body image expert Dr. Zali Yager and 2023 Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt, this program brings together the best of science and creativity for impact.
Access Embrace Kids
School Curriculum Materials
This resource is available for $79 USD per school. It can be shared with as many teachers and used to reach as many students (within the same school) as needed.
