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Learning objective
Students describe ways in which their body has changed as they have grown older and the identify key milestones from birth to the present.
Take home messages
Curriculum links
HPE: Being healthy, safe and active
- Personal strengths and how these change over time.
- Ways in which the body changes as individuals grow older.
International technical guidance on sexuality education
Key concept 6.1 (5-8 years)
- Everyone has a unique body that deserves respect, including people with disabilities.
Key concept 6.4 (5-8 years)
- All bodies are special and unique and people should feel good about their bodies.
Materials
- Your choice of one of the following:
- Song - Growing up nursery rhyme (2min)
- Video - Portrait of Lotte 0-18 years (5min 28sec)
- Book reading - Someday (2min 29sec)
- Timelines - strips of A3 card or paper cut into half horizontally - 1 per student
Before you get started
- It is important to consider life events/milestones in children's live's that may be triggering or upsetting (e.g. children from refugee backgrounds, children who have lost close family members, children who are transgender who may/may not have affirmed their gender, children with disability, etc).
Learning activities
Book or video stimulus
10 min
Whole Class
- Choose one of the following to share and discuss:
- Song - Growing up nursery rhyme (2min)
- Video - Portrait of Lotte 0-18 years (5min 28sec)
- Book reading - Someday (2min 29sec)
Discussion: things that change/stay the same
10 min
Whole Class
- Ask:
What changes did you notice happen to the child in the book/video?
(they get older, grow up, height, can crawl, can walk, can ride a bike, hair changes, etc)
What things stay the same?
(eye colour, skin colour, name, etc)
Teaching tip: It is important to acknowledge that some things that stay the same for some people, don't stay the same for all people (e.g. name, hair colour, ability to walk/run, where they live, etc) and that some changes may not be a choice, welcomed or positive).
Timeline
20 min
Independent or Small Group
- Model how to complete the 4 squares on the timeline. Draw a picture showing a milestone/change for each of the following stages:
- Baby (e.g. sitting up, eating solids, etc)
- Toddler (e.g. walking, saying words, etc)
- Kindy (e.g. getting dressed by myself, riding a tricycle, etc)
- Now (e.g. tie my own shoelaces, doing a jigsaw puzzle, writing my name, etc)
- Students complete their own timelines.
3-2-1 Reflection
10 min
- Have students share the milestones/changes that happened when they were a baby and compare.
- Then compare the milestones and changes for the other 3 squares.
- Ask:
What changes happened by themselves?
(e.g. got taller, got teeth, hair grew, etc)
What changes did you have to learn?
(e.g. how to get dressed, how to brush my teeth, riding a tricycle, etc)
Could you do these things the first time you tried? What happened?
(No, had to try lots of times, made mistakes, got annoyed, needed help, etc)
- Say:
"As we grow and learn new things, they don't always happen as quickly as we like. Sometimes we get frustrated. This is ok and normal. But there are some ways to handle frustration that are OK and not OK."
What might happen if we get frustrated when we try new things?
(We might yell, throw something, snap at a friend/family member, give up, not care, be OK about it and stop being frustrated).
Some of these things are not OK. What might be helpful to do when we are frustrated?
(Ask for help, try again, walk away for a while, take a breath, leave it until the next day, do something else for a while, ask a friend, sigh and say 'urgh!')
