About BMI Health Report
Body mass index is a formula children can actually use on themselves, which makes it a rare instance of school mathematics with an immediate personal application. Entering real measurements and seeing a calculated result demonstrates what a formula is for, and the tool doubles as something teachers genuinely need for school health records.
What this game teaches
- What body mass index measures and how it is calculated
- Substituting real values into a formula
- Working with height in centimetres and weight in kilograms
- Interpreting a calculated result against reference categories
- That a single number summarises but does not fully describe health
How to play
- Enter name, date of birth, height in centimetres and weight in kilograms.
- Select gender and location.
- Generate the report to see the calculated result.
- The report can be reviewed or recorded as needed.
Before you start
A child needs accurate height and weight measurements. Some familiarity with division and decimals helps in understanding the calculation behind the result.
For teachers
Useful for school health record-keeping, and a good opportunity to show a formula doing real work. Handle the results sensitively - BMI categories are a blunt instrument for growing children, and the number should not become a comment on any individual child.
For parents
Treat the result as one piece of information among many. Children's bodies change unevenly through growth, and a single measurement on a single day says considerably less than it appears to.
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