Understanding Puberty Lesson PowerPoint

1.

Health and Wellbeing
Understanding Puberty

2.

Learning Objective
To understand the changes that take place during puberty.
Success Criteria
• To identify the physical and emotional changes that occur during
puberty in males and females.
• To understand the impact of these physical and emotional changes on
mental health and wellbeing.
• To explain how to cope with physical and emotional changes during
puberty.
Why? Every person’s body changes as they develop from child to adult,
but these changes happen at different times and are different for
everyone. It is important to understand what to expect so you
are prepared for the changes that you and those around you will
experience.

3.

Biological Sex vs Gender Identity
Biological sex
Based on a person’s
biological characteristics,
including their genitalia, their
reproductive systems, the
sex chromosomes in their
body and the hormone levels
they produce.
Gender identity
An individual person’s sense
of their gender.
This is unique to them and is
separate from sex registered
at birth, although someone's
gender identity might align
with this.

4.

Gender Identity
Gender identity is an individual person’s sense of their gender. This is unique
to them and is separate from sex registered at birth, although someone's
gender identity might align with this.
There are a range of terms people use to identify their gender:
• Transgender: A person whose gender identity does not align with the sex
they were registered with at birth may identify as transgender or trans.
• Cisgender: A person whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were
registered with at birth may identify as cisgender or cis.
• Non-binary: A person who does not identify as male or female, or solely as
one of those two genders, may identify as non-binary. It is often used as an
umbrella term for many different gender identities that fall outside of the
male/female gender binary, for example genderqueer.

5. Starter

Write down any changes you can think of that take place during puberty.
These could be physical changes or emotional changes. Can you identify
which changes typically take place in males and which take place in females?
You have 2 minutes.
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2:00
Start Timer
Now share your ideas with the person next to you and add any new ideas to
your list.

6. What Happens During Puberty?

Puberty is a period of time in a person’s life when they become sexually
mature. Being sexually mature means you are physically capable of
reproduction (producing children).
Puberty happens at different times for different people.
The average age for females to begin puberty is 11 and the average age for
males is 12.
However, it is possible for puberty to start at any time between the ages of
8 and 14. The process, from the first signs of puberty to becoming fully
sexually mature, can take several years.

7. What Happens During Puberty?

Puberty causes physical changes that affect everyone differently.
Some physical changes that most people experience during puberty are:
• Growth of pubic hair – hair that appears on or around the genitalia.
• Growth of underarm and leg hair.
• Growth spurts – an intense period of growing taller. Most people will grow
between 5 and 8cm per year during puberty until they reach their adult
height.
• Acne or occasional pimples – red spots that appear on the face or body.
• Increased sweat production – this can cause body odour to become
stronger.
All of these changes affect everyone very differently. Experiencing
any of them more or less than your peers is nothing to be ashamed
of. Remember that different is normal.

8. Reasons for Physical Changes

The changes that occur during puberty are triggered by hormones. These
changes prepare the body for reproduction and adulthood.
• Males will normally produce more of the sex hormone testosterone.
• Females will normally produce more of the sex hormone oestrogen.
Most people produce at least a small amount of both of these hormones, so
there are some changes triggered by testosterone that will occur in females
and some changes triggered by oestrogen that will occur in males.

9. Emotional Changes

During puberty, people may also experience emotional changes such as
mood swings .
You may notice feelings that you have never had before, or that your mood
changes regularly and that you cannot control this. This may cause you to
feel stressed or anxious. You may also have sexual thoughts and feelings.
All of these feelings are a normal part of puberty.
It is common for people to feel more emotional and irritable during
puberty, which can lead to them acting in ways that they might not normally
act. If this happens to you, it can help to take a moment away from the
situation you are in and take few deep breaths to calm down. Remember,
many people will experience mood swings so you are not alone.
If you notice significant and prolonged mood changes, such as losing
interest in things you used to enjoy, crying often, or feeling very angry or
hopeless, these could be signs of depression. If you are worried about
your mental health, speak to a trusted adult and/or your GP.

10. True or False

Decide whether the
following statements are
True or False.

11.

True or False
Puberty usually begins earlier for females than males.
True
On average, females start puberty at the age of 11, whereas males start at
an average age of 12.
However, there is a huge range of ages at which puberty can start and this
can happen at different times for everyone.

12.

True or False
You have to wash more when you reach puberty.
True
One of the physical changes that takes place during puberty is increased
sweat production due to the sweat glands under the arms and around the
genitals becoming more active.
The growth of hair in these regions can cause sweat to build up and bacteria
to grow, which can cause an unpleasant body odour.
Your skin and hair may also become more greasy as glands under the skin
become more active.
It is important to shower/wash regularly, wear clean clothes and use
deodorant or antiperspirant under your arms.

13.

True or False
You can’t play sports while on your period (menstruation).
False
Light exercise can actually help to relieve some of the discomfort
experienced during menstruation, although you may not feel like being
active if you are in a lot of pain.
It is possible to use period products, such as pads or tampons, as normal
while exercising or playing sports.

14.

True or False
Only boys produce testosterone.
False
Everyone produces some of the sex hormone testosterone.
Testosterone is primarily produced by the testicles, so males tend to
produce more of it.
However, females also produce a small amount of testosterone from the
ovaries and other glands.

15.

Giving Advice
Discuss the scenarios and decide what advice
you would give each person.

16.

Giving Advice
This is Alec. He recently started getting spots
on their face and back. This is making him
feel self-conscious and he has not wanted to
go into school because of it. Alec’s grandma
said that he should stop eating so much junk
food as this makes spots worse.
What advice would you give?

17. Starter

You have 2 minutes.
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Start Timer
2:00

18.

Giving Advice
Acne is a common condition that affects most people
during puberty, but it can be worse for some. It is caused
by hormones triggering glands in the skin to produce more
oil.
It can be tempting to squeeze or pick spots but this usually
makes things worse and can lead to permanent scarring.
Alec should wash the affected areas with a mild facial
cleanser (rather than a generic soap or shower gel), but not
too often as it can irritate the skin.
There is some evidence that a diet consisting of lots of sugar
and fats may worsen the effects of acne/
If he is still worried, he could visit their GP or pharmacist for
a treatment to control the condition.

19.

Giving Advice
This is Jonah. He has been feeling very
angry recently and has been taking it out
on his mum and little sister. The other
day, he went up to his room after an
argument and cried for hours. He is
beginning to think his family might be
better off without him.
What advice would you give?

20. Starter

You have 2 minutes.
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1:00
Start Timer
2:00

21.

Giving Advice
Mood swings are a normal part of
puberty and it is common for people to feel
angry and confused some of the time due to
all of the changes that are happening in the
body.
This doesn’t invalidate how Jonah is feeling,
but it might be the reason that his feelings
are more intense in certain situations.
However, if Jonah has noticed a significant
decline in his mood and is having trouble
controlling his emotions, this could be a sign
of a mental health issue, such as depression.
It is important for Jonah to speak to
someone, like his mum, a trusted adult at
school or a trained counsellor.

22.

Giving Advice
This is Sara. The other day when she
was getting changed for PE, one of her
friends noticed she had hair on her legs
and underarms and told her it was
‘disgusting’. Sara doesn’t mind her body
hair but she is feeling pressured to
remove it by other people and the
media. Her mum bought her a razor but
she doesn’t want to use it.
What advice would you give?

23. Starter

You have 2 minutes.
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1:00
Start Timer
2:00

24.

Giving Advice
It is not OK for people to be
pressured to look a certain way.
If Sara doesn’t want to shave her body
hair, then she doesn’t have to. It can
be difficult to stand up to societal
pressure, but Sara should have the
freedom to be proud of her body.
If Sara is experiencing bullying because
of her appearance or the choices she
makes about her own body, she
should speak to a trusted adult.

25.

Puberty glossary
• biological sex
• egg cell
• gender identity
• genitalia
• hormone
• menstrual cycle
• mental health