CurriculumGrades 6-8Health & Physical Education

Puberty, growth, and development

Aligned to NHES 1 — SHAPE America National Standards.

What this lesson teaches

Puberty is the time when your body changes from a child's into an adult's, with physical, emotional, and social changes happening over several years. These changes happen on a wide range of timelines, and there is no normal speed, so comparing yourself to others is not helpful. Accurate facts make this confusing stage easier to understand.

Worked example

One person might grow tall early while a friend grows later, and both are completely normal. Mood swings and new feelings are also a normal part of these years.

Practice questions

  1. Name two kinds of changes that happen in puberty.
  2. Is there one normal timeline for puberty? Explain.
  3. Who is a trusted person to ask puberty questions?

Watch the lesson

Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.

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En español

Pubertad, crecimiento y desarrollo

La pubertad es la etapa en la que tu cuerpo pasa de ser el de un niño al de un adulto, con cambios físicos, emocionales y sociales que ocurren a lo largo de varios años. Estos cambios suceden en una amplia variedad de tiempos, y no existe una velocidad normal, por lo que compararte con los demás no es útil. Contar con información precisa hace más fácil entender esta etapa que puede resultar confusa.

Ejemplo: Una persona puede crecer rápidamente desde temprana edad, mientras que un amigo lo hace más tarde, y ambos son completamente normales. Los cambios de humor y los nuevos sentimientos también son una parte normal de estos años.

More Health lessons

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