Growing up - Key Stage 1
Information
Here you’ll find answers to some common questions concerning growing up.
Select the underlined questions below to see more.
Family
Friends
Feelings
Behaviour
Family
- I need the important grown-ups in my life to love me. I need them to always tell me when I’m doing things well and support me when I need help. If I am worried, hurt or ill I need them to look after me.
- I like to talk to adults and children I know well. I might do more talking than listening while I am learning.
- I need lots of positive attention from the adults that care for me. If I have brothers and sisters I might get jealous of the attention they get, especially if they are at home when I am at school.
- I also like having brothers and sisters at home to play with.
Friends
- I like to play with one or two other children at a time. I like to choose who I play with. I might have a best friend and I might have not decided yet.
- I am starting to learn how to play games in bigger groups of children. I can enjoy ‘after school activity clubs’ and might start having friends back to my house for a play.
Feelings
- Everyone has feelings. Lots of them.
- I am still learning about my feelings. I know most of them now like being HAPPY, SAD, ANGRY, or feeling LOVE for people I care about.
- I know if something feels unfair. This can makes me upset. I am starting to know what other children do when they have feelings.
- Not everyone my age knows why they feel the way they do. Some children do not know how to use words to tell other people how they feel.
- The important adults in my life are the best people to help me with all of my feelings. I learn best when adults around me talk about their feelings in a safe and calm way. I can talk to my family or teachers about my feelings.
Behaviour
- I can follow simple rules and I am learning what is right and wrong. I need to check this out quite a lot. I sometimes do the wrong thing to see what will happen. My brain needs to do this to help me learn and grow. I need adults to help me by being firm and kind with me about the rule.
- I know how to share and take turns. Sometimes I do not want to. I will get better at this as I get older.
- My attention span is growing. I can play on my own for a little bit of time. I know what I want to play with at home. Lots of children my age like TV, tablets and computer games. I need adults to supervise how much time I spend on them and what I go on.
- I am learning self-control. In groups I can wait my turn and stand in a line.
- I like to make my own choices about clothes, food and activities.
- I need to be allowed to make some choices in my life but giving me too much choice will be too hard for me. I can do small jobs at home and feel good about myself.
Coping with
Top tips to cope if you have worries about growing up
If you need help coping, here are some ideas that may help you:
Finding help
Who can I talk to?
- Friends
- Family
- Someone you trust at school
Getting more help
If I do not want to talk to an important adult in my family or school and I feel worried or upset, I can phone Childline on 0800 1111 or visit their website www.childline.org.uk. They will listen to me and try to help me.
Select the underlined topics below to view what resources are available.
Help lines
Help lines
