In this What is a Family? PSHE scheme for Year 2, your class will think about the important people in their own lives and why they are special to them. They will find out how different people show us they love and care. Your Year 2 class will also find out about the different types of family which exist and how they are all characterised by being made up of people who love and care for each other. Children also learn how they can help their family by doing various household jobs and, in the final lesson, learn how to build and maintain positive relationships with people at school.

Throughout this What is a Family? PSHE scheme, there is a focus on oracy with useful sentence stems provided to support children explaining their thinking and reasoning. Children are encouraged to talk ideas through with their partner and useful questions are provided to help you encourage your class to think deeply.

Each of the lessons in this What is a Family? Year 2 PSHE pack includes an easy-to-follow plan, a set of engaging slides for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and printable resources.

A Knowledge Organiser is available to support the learning in this scheme. It is included in the Complete Series download or can be purchased individually.

You might also like our Houses and Homes Topic Bundle – perfect if you're looking for a cross-curricular approach to your teaching!

The role different people play in our lives

In this lesson, children think about the different people in their lives that are important to them. They think about why they are important and categorise them as either friends, relatives or acquaintances.

Children then either draw and write about people who are important to them or use a writing frame to produce a poem about their important people. At the end of the lesson, children learn how to encourage other children to seek help if they need it and consider which adult they would go to for support.

Everything you need to teach this KS1 What is a Family? lesson is included within the pack: an easy-to-follow plan, an engaging slideshow, and differentiated, printable resources.

View Lesson 1

How people in our lives show they love and care for us

In this lesson, children think about how the different people important to them show that they love and care.

They learn how sometimes we show love and care when we tell someone something they don’t necessarily want to hear. Children then either draw and write about the important people in their lives and how they show they love and care for them, or they design and make a thank you card to give to someone special.

Everything you need to teach this KS1 What is a Family? lesson is included within the pack: an easy-to-follow plan, an engaging slideshow, and differentiated, printable resources.

View Lesson 2

Different types of family

This lesson is an opportunity to learn about different types of family. After discussing what is meant by the term ‘family’, children meet several children, each from a different type of family.

Children learn how all families deserve respect and are characterised by people who love and care for one another. They then either draw and write about their own family or use a template to design a family tree. At the end of the lesson, children learn what to do if a family relationship is making them feel unhappy or unsafe.

Everything you need to teach this KS1 What is a Family? lesson is included within the pack: an easy-to-follow plan, an engaging slideshow, and differentiated, printable resources.

View Lesson 3

Helping out around the home

In this lesson, children learn about the importance of helping out around the home with jobs such as folding laundry and cleaning. They consider why doing such jobs is important and learn that some jobs they cannot do until they are older.

In the main part of the lesson, children either make a display of the different jobs they do around the home or design a clever new robot that can help out with chores! At the end of the lesson, your class will learn about the jobs done by young carers and the difficulties they might face.

Everything you need to teach this KS1 What is a Family? lesson is included within the pack: an easy-to-follow plan, an engaging slideshow, and differentiated, printable resources.

View Lesson 4

Building and maintaining positive relationships at school

In this lesson, children think about why it is important to build and maintain positive relationships with adults and other children at school.

They read an interactive story and help the main character decide what to do in various situations in order to build positive relationships. At the end of the lesson, children learn what is meant by ‘respect’ and the importance of showing to others, including authority figures.

Everything you need to teach this KS1 What is a Family? lesson is included within the pack: an easy-to-follow plan, an engaging slideshow, and differentiated, printable resources.

View Lesson 5

This Year 2 PSHE Knowledge Organiser has been created to complement our PSHE Healthy Relationships strand. It is designed to support your children’s understanding of key vocabulary linked to this scheme of work. A thinking question and a big idea have been included to encourage your children to think deeply about this topic.

View Knowledge Organiser