Listen to Your Body: When to Rest or Tell an Adult

Your body is amazing! It sends you messages all the time to tell you what it needs. 'Listening to your body' means paying attention to these messages.Sometimes your body might say:'I'm tired and need a break!''Ouch, that hurts!''I'm really thirsty!''I'm feeling too hot!'When we listen and take care of our bodies, we prevent small problems from becoming big ones. It helps us stay safe and have the energy to play again later!

Maya is playing tag on the playground. She loves running fast! But after a few games, she notices some changes.Her Body's Message: Maya's legs feel heavy, like they don't want to run anymore. She is breathing very fast and feels worn out.She Listens: Maya knows this is her body telling her it needs a rest.She Acts: She tells her friends, 'I need a quick break!' She walks over to a bench, sits down, and takes a few sips of water.The Result: After a few minutes of rest, Maya feels her energy come back. She's ready to play again safely!

Leo is building a tower with big blocks. As he reaches for a block, he trips and scrapes his elbow on the floor. It's not a big scrape, but it stings.His Body's Message: Leo feels a stinging pain on his elbow. He sees a little red mark.He Listens: Even though it's a small hurt, Leo knows he should tell someone.He Acts: He stops playing and walks over to his teacher. He says, 'I fell and scraped my elbow.'The Result: The teacher helps him wash the scrape and puts a fun bandage on it. Leo feels cared for and knows it's okay to ask for help, even for little things.