Healthy Living

4‑H Healthy Living

Our programming empowers youth to be healthy – body and mind – with the skills to make healthy decisions and lead healthy lifestyles. Having the confidence and skills to lead healthy lifestyles not only improves overall well-being; it enables youth to tackle life’s challenges today and become leaders in their lives, careers and communities as they grow into responsible adulthood.

Program Areas

Mind: Social and Emotional Well-Being 

4‑H’s Healthy Living programs provide youth with a better understanding of how their choices can help themselves, their families, and their communities. With programs focused on issues such as substance abuse prevention and mental health, 4‑H helps youth build a firm foundation that encourages good decision-making and strong interpersonal skills. Social-emotional health is the cornerstone to confident, caring young leaders who understand how to take care of their minds and inner being, which is key to holistic well-being.

Body: Fitness, Health, Nutrition and Safety

4‑H fitness, health, nutrition, and safety programs help youth understand the importance of eating right, and being active within a safe environment. Mastering basic health principles places young people on the right track to developing healthy habits now as well as managing their long-term health.

Teen Mentorship and Leadership

4‑H Healthy Living programs empower youth to be teachers by growing their leadership skills and serving as champions of health in their communities. Teens as Teachers is an experiential learning model delivering research-based information supported by adult mentors and applying skills and knowledge to initiate change in behaviors for themselves, their families and peers.

Featured Healthy Living Programs

Healthy Living Summit

4‑H Healthy Habits

4‑H Health Rocks!®

Healthy Living Summit

National 4‑H Summit for Healthy Living

The National 4-H Summit for Healthy Living brings together teen leaders from across the country to develop leadership capacity in healthy living and work on solving healthy living issues impacting our homes, our community and our economy.

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4‑H Healthy Habits

4-H Healthy Habits supports communities across the nation by promoting healthy living among youth and their families. Through this innovative and culturally-relevant program, kids build healthy habits with a core focus on nutrition and food preparation skills. 4-H Healthy Habits is driven by Teen Healthy Living ambassadors who assist in delivering evidence-based programming to younger youth.

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4‑H Health Rocks!®

4‑H Health Rocks!®

Health Rocks!® is a series of curricula with the goal of bringing youth, families, and communities across the United States together to reduce tobacco, alcohol, and drug use by youth. Program goals include reducing youth smoking and tobacco use, helping youth build life and decision-making skills, and helping youth understand the consequences of tobacco, alcohol, and drug use.

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Featured Healthy Living Supporter

Children running through a field in the sunshine.

Walmart Foundation

Since 2012, 4-H and the Walmart Foundation have partnered to reach a million youth with nutrition education and physical activity, with an intentional focus on populations who face challenges in achieving positive health outcomes.

Healthy Living Research

Teens Taking the Lead on Health

From obesity to mental health, teens face many challenges that impact their health and well-being today and for years to come. 4‑H believes in the power of young people to lead positive health outcomes in their lives and communities. Check out the infographic on the state of youth health in America.

See the Infographic

4-H Fresh Chefs Digital Cookbook

Explore nearly 50 recipes from 4‑H’ers, supporters, and 4‑H alumni — including celebrity chef, author, and Tennessee 4‑H alumna Carla Hall — in the Fresh Chefs digital cookbook.

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Talent is Everywhere. Opportunity is Not.

Help make every kid’s potential count. Learn more and help 4‑H provide #Opportunity4All kids, no matter their circumstances.

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4-H at Home

4‑H at Home provides hands-on, educational activities for kids and teens all year long. Get our latest 4‑H at Home Activity Guide, activities from 4‑H Land-Grant Universities, and more.

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Shop 4-H Healthy Living Curriculum

From food science to fitness, Shop 4‑H offers a variety of healthy living curriculum.

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Healthy Living

4‑H Healthy Living

Program Areas

Mind: Social and Emotional Well-Being