Puberty: What happens during adolescence?
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Why this why now
At Year 6, pupils are approaching or beginning puberty, which can start as early as age 8. Building on Year 4's understanding of bodies and menstruation, this unit prepares them for the physical and emotional changes that occur before secondary school. This is timely as early preparation reduces anxiety and promotes positive body image. By learning these concepts now, pupils develop a healthy understanding of development, know that puberty is normal and natural, feel prepared for changes and understand where to seek support.
Prior knowledge requirements
- Pupils should know from Year 4 the correct names for body parts including penis, vulva and vagina, and understand that bodies are private.
- Pupils should understand from Year 4 about menstruation including what it is, why it happens and that it typically starts around age 12 but can begin as early as age 8.
- Pupils should be familiar with the idea from earlier learning that everyone grows and develops at different rates and that all bodies change as people get older.
- Pupils should know from Key Stage 2 that their body belongs to them and should be able to identify trusted adults who can help with questions or concerns about puberty.
Threads
Why this why now
At Year 6, pupils are approaching or beginning puberty, which can start as early as age 8. Building on Year 4's understanding of bodies and menstruation, this unit prepares them for the physical and emotional changes that occur before secondary school. This is timely as early preparation reduces anxiety and promotes positive body image. By learning these concepts now, pupils develop a healthy understanding of development, know that puberty is normal and natural, feel prepared for changes and understand where to seek support.
Prior knowledge requirements
- Pupils should know from Year 4 the correct names for body parts including penis, vulva and vagina, and understand that bodies are private.
- Pupils should understand from Year 4 about menstruation including what it is, why it happens and that it typically starts around age 12 but can begin as early as age 8.
- Pupils should be familiar with the idea from earlier learning that everyone grows and develops at different rates and that all bodies change as people get older.
- Pupils should know from Key Stage 2 that their body belongs to them and should be able to identify trusted adults who can help with questions or concerns about puberty.
Puberty: What happens during adolescence?
This unit prepares pupils for the physical and emotional changes of puberty and adolescence, fostering a healthy understanding of development. Pupils learn about physical changes for all bodies, male and female specific changes, including menstruation and emotional changes, and feel prepared.
3 lessons in unit
slide decks, worksheet PDFs, quizzes and lesson overviews. You can select individual lessons from the Puberty: What happens during adolescence? unit and download the resources you need, or download the entire unit now. See every unit listed in our primary rshe (pshe) curriculum and discover more of our teaching resources for primary rshe (pshe) programmes.