Monstralia™

The Problem: Children develop food and fitness preferences before the age of 5. A child’s food and fitness habits predict their later health status. Health status also impacts a child’s ability to learn. While many programs have focused on addressing child health generally and childhood obesity specifically the problem persists. In fact in 2012, researchers found approximately 16.9 percent of Texas children ages 2 to 19 were obese and 31.8 percent were either overweight or obese.[i]
Game Solution: HealthStart offers a science-based, health curriculum, Health Education for Youngsters! (HEY!) for kids attending preschools, however, fewer than 50 percent of Texas children under 5 attend preschool and many who do attend preschool do not have access to high quality health education materials. In contrast, 75 percent of children under the age of 8 and 38 percent of children under 2 have access to mobile devices including smart phones and tablets. In addition, a growing body of research suggests that games will be used more and more to help children learn in and out of the classroom.[ii]
 
HealthStart's app, Monstralia: A Healthy Life For Your Little Monster™, uses colorful, beautifully drawn illustrations and well-designed, age appropriate mini-games to teach young children between the ages of 3-6 years of age about how their bodies work and the foods and fitness habits needed for good health. The game has clear learning objectives that derive from the goals and objectives found in HealthStart’s Health Education for Youngsters! (HEY!) Curriculum. 
Want to learn more?
To learn about how to download our game or to become a HealthStart Healthy Business partner, contact us at info@healthstartfoundation.org or 512-782-4355.
[i] Segal, Levi J., St. Laurent, R. and Rayburn J., The State of Obesity Better Policies for a Healthier America September 2014 Trust for America's Health
[ii] Malykhinia, “Fact or Fiction?: Video Games Are The Future of Education”, Scientific American, September 12, 2014