The fundamentals of teaching about families in RSE
It’s all relative, from a young age our value system, perceptions, instincts and understanding of the world all come from our family.
What key stages? Key Stage 1 (KS1) and Lower Key Stage 2 (LKS2).
Learning about the diverse types of families in the wider world as well as the characteristics of a healthy family life. This includes times of difficulty, protection and care for children and other family members.
Exploring stable and caring relationships, in particular recognising when family relationships provide the safety needed and how to seek help and advice, especially if they are feeling unhappy or unsafe.
Family based lesson plans for Key Stage 1 (KS1), those aged 5-7 are an important stepping stone in a child’s development.
Providing children of this age with the appropriate tools to learn about the fundamentals of ‘families’ is vital in the provision of an engaging and appropriate lesson plan, which meets the statutory guidance for learning outcomes.
What to cover when teaching about families?
In order to meet the statutory guidance when teaching children about families the following must be covered:
- That families are important for children growing up because this is where they learn about and receive love, security and stability.
- The characteristics of healthy family life, commitment to each other, including in times of difficulty, protection and care for children and other family members; the importance of spending time together and sharing each other’s lives.
- That others’ families, either in school or in the wider world, sometimes look different from their own family, but that they should respect those differences and know that other children’s families are also characterised by love and care.
- That stable, caring relationships, which may be of different types, are at the heart of happy families and are important for children’s security as they grow up.
- That marriage represents a formal and legally recognised commitment of two people to each other which is intended to be lifelong.
- How to recognise if family relationships are making them feel unhappy or unsafe, and how to seek help or advice from others if needed.
Family based lesson plans for Key Stage 1 (KS1), those aged 5-7 are an important stepping stone in a child’s development.
Providing children of this age with the appropriate tools to learn about the fundamentals of ‘families’ is vital in the provision of an engaging and appropriate lesson plan, which meets the statutory guidance for learning outcomes.
When planning, ensure to appropriately differentiate so that children whatever their ability can benefit from the lesson.
Teaching about families with the support of Yasmine and Tom.
Our innovative animated online resource: Growing up with Yasmine and Tom has disrupted the status quo of teaching challenging and sensitive content to children from the age of 5 to 11 in an animated and engaging way.
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You can view the full module guidance and how this relates to DfE guidance here.
Additional resources and teaching aids that support lesson plans within RSE.
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