Immunisation
Immunisation protects children against some of the worst causes of childhood death and disability and helps people live longer, healthier lives.
Older children can learn the facts about immunisation – Why? When? and How? They can also help spread awareness and publicise health clinic immunisation times or events, take younger siblings to be immunised and help to keep records of immunisations.
Read our Top Ten Messages on Immunisation for children to learn and share. Scroll down to see ideas on what children can do to understand, find out more, take action and reflect on this topic.
Use the links below to browse our FREE resources to help children learn more, share their knowledge and become agents of change.
10 Messages on
Immunisation
- Immunisation means being protected against a disease.
- When we have a disease, harmful germs can enter our bodies and cause us to be ill.
- To fight disease, our body produces antibodies and these antibodies fight the germs. After the fight, antibodies remember the germs and can fight even better if the germs come into the body again.
- Vaccines by injection or mouth teach the body to make antibodies against a certain disease.
- To be able to fight some diseases, you need to have vaccinations more than once to build up enough antibodies.
- Vaccinations save millions of lives! They prevent or weaken the effect of diseases like measles, tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, polio, and tetanus and COVID-19.
- To protect our body, it is best to be vaccinated before the germs enter our body BUT we can be vaccinated and protected at any age.
- Every country has a vaccination schedule showing which vaccine to get at what age and how often to get it.
- After some vaccinations, we can feel a little tired, weak or have a sore arm or develop a fever. This is normal. The body is using energy to develop antibodies to make the body stronger.
- Some people are afraid of vaccines or can have strong feelings against them, but health workers and the scientists who created the vaccines want people to live healthy lives. Listen to their advice.
Children can learn, collect & share these messages!
While teaching these messages, encourage children to…
MAKE their own Immunisation Messages using their own words in their own language!
LEARN these messages so they never forget them!
ADD these messages to their collection!
SHARE these messages with other children and their families!
If your class or group is struggling to stay connected and engaged, we have loads of ideas for ideas to help them! Have a look at Closing Games & Activities.
Use the questions/discussion topics below to help children to memorise the messages and really understand them.
What can children make?
MAKE posters for immunisation days and display them where everyone can see them.
CREATE a play about stopping the killer diseases harming children in their community.
WRITE a story with pictures of superhero immunisations fighting the deadly diseases to protects us.
MAKE a poster that shows all 25 diseases (as microbes) that can be prevented by immunisation.
MAKE up a story about Aunty Body – the kind, strong protector that keeps them safe and well.
LEARN about each of the diseases and share what they learn with their parents. Make a poster of the diseases and how to recognise them.
MAKE a birthday card for a new baby and their mother with the times of their immunisations to wish them a happy and healthy first year of life!
What can children do?
FIND out about the 25 diseases immunisations protect us against.
FIND out more about polio and helping children with disabilities.
READ the story about the Killers’ Committee and then make a story of their own.
TAKE a quiz to find how much they know about immunisation.
FIND out which immunisations they need more than once. They can help find children who have missed immunisations and remind them on immunisation day.
FIND out what the disease’s evil super powers are and how immunisation protects them.
CHECK everyone in their class/group and their teachers/leaders have all had their immunisations.
What can children ask?
ABOUT immunisations in their country and when they can get immunised.
DO they know the six killer diseases? Diphtheria, Measles & Rubella, Pertussis, Tuberculosis, Tetanus & Polio.
IF anyone in their family has had one of the killer diseases and find out what happened to them.
ASK if their country has special immunisation days and/or health weeks when all children and babies can go for immunisations.
ASK if anyone in their family has missed their immunisations and encourage them to catch up.
Download these free materials now to help children learn and share these
essential health messages. See our free resource section for more!
