A "treasure chest" is designed to teach Dresden's nursery children how to live healthily. The materials it contains and a folder with information for nursery staff were developed as part of a research project, as announced by the Saxon state capital. Daycare centers can borrow the kits from the health department.
Research project at TU Dresden
The study, led by the Institute and Polyclinic for Occupational and Social Medicine (IPAS) at TU Dresden, began in 2021 and was completed this month. The aim was to promote the health of daycare children, especially those from socially disadvantaged families. The research results are intended to serve as a guide throughout Germany in the future.
In the first part of the study, data on the health of children up to pre-school age was collected over several years in Dresden, Berlin and Potsdam. Based on the evaluation, the second part in Dresden produced a folder with more than 100 pages and illustrative materials as well as a "treasure chest" with supplementary materials designed to bring the content to life for children.
The topics covered include exercise, nutrition, body awareness and oral health. The box contains, for example, a narrative theater with two stories about digestion and the first visit to the dentist, the puzzle "My body" and an hourglass set.
Tested in everyday daycare
Three Dresden kindergartens and their after-school care centers tested the materials. "We have already used the documents many times, even if only for one focus at a time," said Susanne Hantschmann from the management team of the participating daycare center "Prohliser Spatzennest" according to the press release. The individual chapters and materials from the treasure chest are very valuable.
Copyright 2025, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
