Year 4 Wellbeing & life skills

Chapters to explore

Peer pressure is influence from people around us. It can encourage useful actions or unsafe ones. Pause, consider consequences and choose a safe response. You can say no and seek adult support even if others disagree.

Try it: Practise a clear refusal for a fictional unsafe suggestion.

Advertising aims to influence decisions. It may use attractive pictures, endorsements or urgency. Separate a claim from evidence and consider whether you need the product. Ask an adult before purchases or entering personal information.

Try it: Analyse a fictional advert for a harmless imaginary product.

A budget is a plan for using limited resources. List essential costs before optional choices and leave room for uncertainty when possible. A plan can change when circumstances change. Use fictional amounts to practise without comparing real households.

Try it: Create a pretend event budget with three costs.

A disagreement involves different views; bullying involves hurtful behaviour with an imbalance of power and is often repeated. Either can need support. Do not retaliate or blame yourself for being targeted. Tell a trusted adult and keep seeking help.

Try it: Discuss how a bystander can seek help safely in a fictional scenario.

Sharing an image can affect the people shown. Ask permission and consider audience, context and private details. Someone may agree to a photo but not to it being posted publicly. If a mistake occurs, seek adult help promptly.

Try it: Compare fictional private-display and public-sharing situations.

Frustration can happen when a goal is difficult. Pause, name the problem and choose a manageable next step. A break or a request for help can be useful. Persistent or overwhelming feelings deserve support from a trusted adult.

Try it: Write or discuss a plan for a fictional frustrating task.

Cooperative movement tasks use communication and shared goals. Agree on signals, spacing and suitable actions. Adapt the activity to participants and stop if anyone is uncomfortable. Reflection can focus on coordination and listening rather than winning.

Try it: Try a gentle cooperative passing activity with adult guidance.

Rules can help people share spaces and protect safety. A useful rule has a reason and should be applied fairly. Some rules can be discussed and improved through appropriate channels. Respectful questions are different from ignoring a safety instruction.

Try it: Choose a shared-space rule and explain its purpose.

Independence grows through suitable responsibilities and knowing when to ask for help. Discuss a task’s risks and boundaries with an adult. A plan should include what to do if circumstances change. Independence does not mean handling every problem alone.

Try it: Agree one manageable responsibility with a parent or carer.

Learning together

Each chapter brings together teaching, an example, practice and a practical discovery. Use the material with discussion and suitable offline activities. Choose a comfortable starting point and revisit explanations as needed.