Lesson video

Hello, my name is Miss Wroth.

Today we're going to be looking at the lesson called Family Changes.

This fits into the lesson unit Healthy Relationships: Do All Families Look the Same? Now, in this lesson, we are going to be talking about things that might make you feel worried, upset, or uncomfortable.

For example, we're going to be talking about what happens when a family member dies or what's happens when two parents or carers break up or divorce.

So for this lesson, it is recommended that you have an adult with you present before you continue watching.

Today's lesson outcome is I can identify the ways that families can change.

Let's begin at taking a look at our ground rules together.

Laura says, "We should listen to others," and that means not interrupting when somebody else is speaking.

Andeep says, "We should respect privacy," and that means if somebody decides to share a story or their own experience, that we don't go and repeat it to others outside of this lesson.

Jacob says, "No judgement !" And that means if somebody does decide to share their own story or experience, that we don't judge them because of it.

And Izzy says, "Choose your level of participation," and that means you can decide if you simply just want to listen or if you want to share something throughout the lesson today.

All of these ground rules are here to keep everyone safe throughout the lesson.

Here are today's keywords.

We have change, challenging, and support.

Change means the way things become different to how they used to be.

Challenging means difficult to solve.

And support means giving help to someone.

Let's see if we can spot these keywords throughout the lesson today.

Here is the lesson's outline, and we are going to begin with why might families change? Families can change for a number of reasons.

For example, a family might move to a new place.

It could be a country or house or even a new city.

A parent might get a new partner.

Two families might blend together to make a new, bigger family.

And a new baby might be born into the family.

Families might also change because two parents might get divorced or separate, or someone in the family might die, which can be very upsetting.

Tell your partner three ways a family might change.

Pause this video so you can have some thinking time.

Okay, so there were several answers that you could have thought of.

For example, a new baby might be born into the family, two parents might get divorced or separate, someone in the family might die, a family might move to a new place, a parent might get a new partner, or two families might blend together to make a new, bigger family.

Well done if your answer was similar to mine.

Change can sometimes be good and sometimes can be bad.

For example, this boy says, "When my parents got divorced, I felt upset and confused.

Now that I'm used to it, I feel much better." And Aisha says, "Our family moved from Turkey to England.

It was so exciting!" Change can be challenging, especially if we don't feel ready or if we didn't choose to change.

This girl says, "When our birth mother died, I really struggled.

I missed her all the time and wish things could go back to how they used to be." Time for a check for understanding.

Why can change feel challenging? Is it's A, because we might not feel ready to change, B, because change is boring, or C, because we might not have chosen to change? Pause this video so you can have some time to think about your answer.

Well done if you said A and C.

Change can feel challenging because we might not feel ready to change or because we might not have chosen to change.

Well done if you've got those answers correct.

Time for a task now.

Create a mind map with different reasons why a family might change.

One has been done for you, and I've written a family might move to a new place.

Pause this video so you can have some time to do the task, and then we will go through the answers together.

Well done for having a go.

Your mind map should look like this.

A new baby might be born into the family, two parents might get divorced or separate, two families might blend together to make a new, bigger family, a parent might get a new partner, and someone in the family might die.

Well done if your mind map looks like mine.

We're now going to move on to the second part of our lesson, how might it feel when families change? It's normal to feel lots of different emotions during change.

We might feel excited if it's good change like Aisha when she moved from Turkey to England, worried, confused, upset, angry, or guilty.

Aisha's mum says, "It's important to know that it is never your fault if something changes in your family." Change can feel like an emotional rollercoaster.

At first, you might think that you feel upset and confused, then you might say to yourself, "Actually, this isn't so bad." But you might also think, "Oh, I'm really struggling." During change, it is normal to feel different compared to how you felt before.

You might experience tummy aches, struggle to sleep at night, cry or get angry more easily.

Aisha's mum says, "If you experience any of these things for a long time, it is important to speak to a trusted adult." We might need support in times of change.

We don't have to go through it alone, even if everyone else in your family is coping with the change.

We can get support from parents and carers, teachers and school staff, and counsellors.

Counsellors are people who are trained to help children with change and challenges.

Time for a check for understanding.

Who can we get support from during times of change? Is it A, parents and carers, B, younger siblings, C, school staff, or D, counsellors? Hmm, who can we get support from during times of change? Pause this video so you can think about your answer.

Well done if you said A, C and D.

We can get support from parents and carers, school staff and counsellors during times of change.

Most people will experience change in their life that is challenging.

This might sound scary, but with the right support, people learn to cope, adjust and grow stronger.

This girl says, "When I was struggling with the death of our birth mother, I told my dads how I was feeling." Her dad says, "Together we created a memory box of pictures of their mom." And this little girl says, "I love our memory box.

It reminds me of all the happy times with my mom." As well as getting support, there are different things we can do to help manage our emotions during change.

We can exercise, do something we enjoy like painting or playing football, and write our feelings down.

You might have a journal or a diary, but you can write down how you are feeling.

Over time, change can feel easier to manage.

We might get used to the situation, learn strategies to help us feel safe and calm, notice good things about the change, even if it was challenging at first, and feel stronger in our minds by learning how to cope.

Time for a check for understanding.

True or false, over time change can feel easier to manage? Hmm, true or false, over time change can feel easier to manage? Pause this video so you can think about your answer.

Well done if you said true.

Time for a task now.

Sofia is experiencing change in her family.

She says, "My granddad died recently.

I was very close to him and miss him so much.

My grandma is now moving into our house so that my parents can look after her during this challenging time." Your task is to read the text again and tell your partner three emotions that Sofia might be feeling.

Then I want you to write down two things Sofia can do to cope with the change.

Pause this video so you can have some time to do the task, and then we will go through the answers together.

Okay, well done for having a go.

For the first part of your task, your answers could include, "Sofia could be feeling very upset since the death of her granddad.

She could be feeling worried about how her life will change without her granddad.

And she might be feeling excited about her grandma moving into the house." Well done if your answers were similar to mine.

For the second part of the task, you needed to write down two things that Sofia could do to cope with her change.

Your answers could include, "Sofia could seek support from her trusted adults, such as her parents, carers or teachers.

Sofia could write her feelings down, maybe in a diary or a journal.

Sofia could create a memory box of different things that remind her of her granddad.

She could do something that she enjoys to take off her mind off the change.

For example, she could do some painting, she could read her book, and Sofia could do some exercise." Well done if you had some similar answers to me.

This brings us to the end of our lesson.

Thank you for joining with me today.

I've had a wonderful time with you.

Here is a summary of everything that we've covered in today's lesson.

Families can change for a number of reasons, including a death in the family, parents separating, and the birth of a new baby.

Change can be good or bad.

Some change can be challenging, and we may need support to get through it.

We can get support from trusted adults and counsellors.

Change can make us feel lots of different emotions.

There are different things we can do to help manage our feelings during change.

For example, writing our feelings down and doing things that we enjoy.