1. Adapted from: Puberty: Understanding Your Changing Body. SexualityandU
Adapted from: Puberty: Understanding Your Changing Body. SexualityandU.ca, 2010

2. Puberty
Grade 4

3. The Changing Me. . . What’s Happening?

4. Class guidelines: Giggling is OK Respect what others say
Understand others’ feelings
Discuss puberty topics responsibly outside the classroom
There are no dumb questions

5. 3 major growth spurts 1. Conception to Birth 2. Birth to one year old
3. Puberty

6. What is puberty? Time of rapid change from child to adult
When the body reaches maturity
Emotional changes occur
Bodies develop and become fertile
Add transition so only title is displayed first

7. What makes puberty start?
The pituitary gland sends a signal to the body to produce the hormones that starts puberty.
Image source
Source:
Male hormone – Testosterone
Female hormone – Estrogen

8. What are the hormones?
If you have ovaries, the pituitary gland sends a signal to produce Estrogen.
If you have testicles, the pituitary gland sends a signal to produce Testosterone. 8

9. When does puberty start?
Puberty starts anywhere between the ages of 8-15.
Everyone is different
Everyone will start and finish at a different time
This is normal 9

10. How does the body change during puberty?

11. What changes happen due to testosterone?
Hair growth (pubic area, under the armpits, and on the face)
May get more hair on arms, legs, chest and back
Voice gets deeper
Penis and testicles grow
Sperm is produced
May have mood swings, sexual thoughts and feelings
Ask students what changes they think happen

12. What other changes happen?
Grow taller
Bones grow
Muscles grow
Weight gain is normal
Hair and skin become oily and you may get pimples
Body sweats more

13. What changes happen due to estrogen?
Hair grows under armpits and in pubic area
Hair on arms and legs may grow darker
Breast and nipples get larger
Body sweats more
Menstruation (period) begins
May have mood swings, sexual thoughts and feelings
Ask students what changes they think happen

14. What other changes happen?
Grow taller
Bones grow
Hips get wider and more curvy
Weight gain is normal
Hair and skin become oily and you may get pimples
Voice gets a little deeper

15. What are some of the feelings you might experience?
What are some of the feelings you might have as you start to experience changes with puberty?
(excitement, happiness, embarrassment, confusion, and fear)
It might be sometimes hard to recognize what you are feeling and why things feel different.

16. Excitement, happiness
You may have mood swings
You may love your friends or family at times and not want to have anything to do with them at other time.
Sometimes you may feel grown-up, other times like a kid.
There may be lots of tears and arguments.
Changing hormones cause some of these feelings.

17. What are other changes you might experience?
Social changes
-relationships with friends can change because people can start being interested in different things at different times
-some people start liking others
-they want to be more than just friends and are interested in going out
-sometimes people treat you as if you are older than you actually are because of how you look
-sometimes others might make comments or tease you about the changes
-some cultures have traditions associated with puberty – bar mitzvah
-aboriginal societies have rights of passage

18. Where to get more information?
Parents or other family members
Other trusted adults (teachers)
Health professionals
Parents can be a really good source of information when it comes to sex and sexual health. They can answer questions and give great advice. But sometimes it can be intimidating to approach parents with hard questions. Puberty class is a great introduction - talk to your parents about what you learned. Movies might also open a door for conversation. Or use a hypothetical example.

19. Questions?