Teaching healthy lifestyles to teenagers - what do you want your kids to know?

daisiegg

Hi everyone, I wonder if any parents out there could help me?

I have to plan a unit of work on 'healthy lifestyles' for Year 9 (age 13/14) girls. The subject is PSHEE (personal, social, health and economic education).

What would you want your teenager to learn about healthy lifestyles?

Sex and relationships are covered elsewhere so it doesn't need to include that side of things. I have had a look at what they do lower down the school and they seem to have had the 'smoking is bad' and 'vegetables are good' pretty well drummed into them already!

I thought about including something on how to check your breasts for lumps, especially as they are all girls. I think it's essential to also talk about mental health. Beyond that....I'm a bit unsure!

Thanks in advance for any ideas from parents or anyone else i want to get this right and for it actually to be useful and relevant to them.

mintymoneysaver

I would want my 13/14 year old to realise that self confidence and respect for yourself ( both with regards to sex but also to peer pressure and friendships) is the most important thing you can have.

gingin_2

It's great that you are covering mental health, it was such a taboo subject when I was at school.

Eating disorders were rife at my girls' school at that age. You could also cover drugs/ addictions. Could you also look social pressures, in terms of how we view ourselves, pressures from the media, from contemporaries and the pressure we put on ourselves?

NoAngel

At that age we had a session on drugs. It was useful to learn the effects of using them, what other names they're all known by and what to do if you want to speak to somebody about this.

Alcohol - how much is 'safe', the dangers etc

minimoneysaver

Where to go for help when it is needed. I know that the internet now exists, which wasn't the case when I was at school. But knowing which agencies are going to be impartial with their advice.

lostinrates

daisiegg wrote: »

!

I thought about including something on how to check your breasts for lumps, especially as they are all girls. I think it's essential to also talk about mental health. Beyond that....I'm a bit unsure!
.

This is excellent, but I would expand it to include other personal health checks. Things like.....keeping an eye on moles, that if you have diarrhoea for longer few days to see a doctor, and despite them being all girls I think they should know that men should be checking their own testicals too (especially as in the future it's the girls who are quite likely to note any changes, though you don't need to tell them that at all! :rotfl: it's just good if that nugget of information that similar checks should be done is instilled and girls aren't left feeling its an unequal world of personal health checks)


Caveat: I am not a mother.

busiscoming2

I agree with all the above.

NoAngel

I don't know if its along the right lines but maybe some info on staying safe online. It's amazing how many people don't have their Facebook set to private. At that age they may be thinking about online shopping too, so maybe some tips about lowering the risks.

LE3

talking about checking for breast lumps at 13 is not a great idea - most teens have naturally "lumpy" breasts as they develop/grow so you are more likely to have them panicked that they have cancer when they are just feeling ducts or muscle!

Emotions, self-confidence and "how to say no" are the most important things you can cover for this age group - knowing that it's ok to feel confused, that you can like someone but not want to sleep with them, that you don't have to do something you don't want just 'cos everyone else is, that boys will use emotional pressure "if you loved me ..." and that friendships do change & falling out is normal & can be worked through - it's not the end of the world to disagree with someone!

Eating disorders, and self-image is HUGE - I would focus on making them feel good about themselves

Economic education is also quite key - kids of that age don't really understand money - I've had a 13 yr old freak out when given £100 cash to hold as she'd never seen/held that much before ...
Sure they could spend it if they had it, but at this age they rarely have an understanding of how much people earn or what things cost so some basic budgeting stuff - I like to give them catalogues (eg Argos) and get them to do tasks like
"redecorate your bedroom for £50/£100/how much would it cost to make it perfect?"
"you are moving into a flat, you have £250 to spend, what are the essentials you need?" - they soon realise that you can sit on the floor/cushions/bed rather than buy an expensive sofa and that buying pots & pans may be more important than a giant tv - just a taste of reality!
"you have a job earning £4/hr (under 18 nmw doesn't apply!) - how long will you need to save to buy xxx"

voucherlover

Dove have produced some interesting self-esteem stuff for young women, if you are looking for resources:
http://www.dove.co.uk/en/

flutterbyuk25

Good idea daisyegg! and good suggestions so far.

I work with older teens/young adults (16-25) and what they actually want to learn about is pretty small :rotfl:, but the ones I work with do benefit from certain subjects! These include:

- the evils of energy drinks! Mine drink 3/4 a day so it's important they realise what goes into them and how bad they are
- depression/MH/self harming - where to get help, how to deal with it, how to help a friend etc
- healthy eating - why fruit/veg are good, things in moderation, what's in processed foods etc.
- self-confidence - huge issue with both males and females.
- peer pressure/bullying - how to deal with it etc
- staying safe online - facebook privacy, chatrooms, sending risque pictures etc. This is a good video to show, it's about teen in canada who was bullied as a result of flashing on the internet and what led her to commit suicide. It may be too old for some of your students though.
- staying safe on the roads - although your students are to young to drive they are getting to the age where they may start hanging round with older teens who do. The fire service here provide an excellent video which really makes you think, it's called Cow. So maybe see what is available in your area.
- drugs/alcohol - always worth talking about
- sex - I know you said it's covered elsewhere but if you have a good relationship with your learners they may listen more to you than they would in standard sex ed class.
- Where to get help- a list of local sources of info/help that they can keep.

Good luck