Healthy Relationships

Healthy Relationships (Part 1 of 2)

• Grade 8

Ground Rules

• Giggling is OK
• No names or specific examples of peers will be used in discussions.
• Respect what others say
• Understand others’ feelings
• Discuss relationship topics responsibly outside the classroom
• There are no dumb questions

What is a healthy relationship?

• Throughout our lives, we are involved in many different kinds of relationships. These include:
• Parents, siblings, relatives, friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, teachers and classmates
• Healthy relationships can make us happier and add to our feelings of self-worth.
• Throughout this presentation we will explore what affects online and offline relationships. We will be going back and forth between talking about online relationships and offline relationships.*
• From: MLHU Healthy Relationships Webpage

Healthy Relationships Start With Yourself

• When you are happy with yourself and confident, others will be drawn to you
• We all have talents, strengths and parts of our personality that are great
• We all have things we want to work on – no one is perfect

Healthy Relationships Start With Yourself

• It’s good to see yourself in a positive way
• Thinking negatively about yourself can make you feel upset.

Looking at Myself Activity

• Write three words that people could use to describe you in a positive way
• Examples: trustworthy, honest, self-reliant, kind
• My favourite pastime when school is over is to _______________________________.

Media’s Influence

• Let’s talk about the ways the media* can affect the way we:
• Think about ourselves/others
• Feel about ourselves/others
• Act around others

Stereotypes

• Let’s look further into some of the ways media affects our views on relationships.
• Do you think:
• Girls only like guys who are the life of the party?
• Guys only like girls who are flirty?
• To fit in you have to have a girlfriend or boyfriend?
• Adapted from: OPHEA Healthy and Physical Education – Grade 7

Stereotypes Continued

• Do only popular people have lots of friends on social media?
• Are there differences between “online friends” and “offline friends”?
• People who have lots of posts online are popular
• Adapted from: OPHEA Healthy and Physical Education – Grade 7

Healthy Relationships

• In a healthy relationship:
• Both people want to be in the relationship
• Both people feel good (brings out the best in each other)
• Each partner helps the other partner out when they need it
• Both people are comfortable being themselves
• Each partner brings out the positives in the other (talents, strengths) to be a better person

Healthy Relationships Cont’d

• People in Healthy Relationships:
• Talk with each other easily
• Trust each other
• Respect each other
• Are honest
• Laugh together
• Accept differences
• Share similar interests
• Are able to respectfully work through disagreements

Healthy Relationships Cont’d

• What else makes a healthy relationship?
• Can you think of more examples of what makes a healthy relationship?
• What would be an example of an unhealthy relationship?
• What is important to you in a relationship?
• What are some ways people can show these qualities in a relationship?

Healthy Relationships Cont’d

• If you have feelings of uncertainty, doubt, or fear about a relationship, it is important to recognize and act on these feelings
• Don’t force yourself to be in a relationship you don’t want to be in

How Could You Start a Positive Friendship or Relationship?

• Showing the other person that you are interested in getting to know them (e.g. smiling, laughing, listening to them)
• Talk about interests and find what things you have in common (e.g. likes playing soccer, starting to play an instrument, interested in the same type of music)
• Adapted from: Grade 7 Growth and Development Unit 4, Appendix U, p. 213

How Could You Start a Positive Friendship or Relationship? Cont’d

• If you share common interests and like each others’ company then you could get to know each other better by:
• Hanging out together
• Texting or talking on the phone
• Connecting on social media*
• Can you think of any more?
• As relationships progress, people become more comfortable with expressing themselves and not being afraid of judgement
• Adapted from: Grade 7 Growth and Development Unit 4, Appendix U, p. 213

Wrapping Up

• Remember:
• A healthy relationship starts with how you feel about yourself.
• Be aware of how media messages can affect how you feel about yourself and your relationships is important.
• Be true to yourself and keep people in your life who make you feel good.
• If you are having concerns about a friendship or relationship talk to someone you trust.