Personal, School, and Community Health Family Life Education – JSS3 Physical & Health Education Lesson Note (Second Term)

A family is a group of people who are related by heredity or adoption. The family is the first social group where a child is taught, through examples, what is right and what his role is in society. Family life education exposes youths to what it takes to run a family successfully when they become adults.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• define a family and name the types of family;
• state the roles and responsibilities of the father, the mother and the children;
• explain what family life education means;
• list the importance and core messages of family life education.

What are the types of family?

1. Nuclear family
2. Extended family

Nuclear family

This is made up of the father, mother and children. It can be monogamous, that is, a family made up of a man, his wife and the children. It can also be polygamous, that is, a family made up of a man, more than one wife and the children.

Extended family

This is a family in which relations such as uncles, grandparents and aunties live with the nuclear family in the same house or compound.

Other forms of family

1. Foster family: This is a family in which a couple or adults act as parents to children who may or may not be their relations (guardians).
2. Single-parent family: This is a family in which children live with only one of their biological parents (either the father or the mother). This often occurs because of the divorce or death of one of the parents.

What are the roles and responsibilities of family members?

The father

• He provides money for the family’s sustenance.
• He protects and defends the family.
• He ensures the proper upbringing of the children.
• He trains the family in good beliefs through his exemplary lifestyle.
• He oversees disciplinary activities at home.
• He ensures that unity, harmony, love and peace exist between family members.

The mother

• She prepares delicious meals for the family.
• She ensures neatness and cleanliness of the home.
• She trains the children how to take care of the home, wash clothes, plait hair and prepare food.
• She reports every act of indiscipline at home to her husband for necessary action.
• She supports the father in meeting family needs.
• She demonstrates acceptable beliefs to the children through a good lifestyle.

The children

• Obey all instructions from their parents.
• Co-operate with their parents while they are being trained.
• Attend school regularly and make their parents proud at all times.
• Take good care of the house chores.
• Behave well everywhere at all times.
• Respect and show love to everyone in the family.
• Report important incidents which may need their parents to take immediate action.
• Seek their parents’ advice and permission when necessary.

What is family life education?

Family life education is a concept that exposes youths to what it entails to run a family successfully when they become adults.

Importance of family life education

1. It helps in preparing youths for adulthood.
2. It gives them a sense of direction.
3. It supports the moral development of the child.
4. It provides useful information about having a happy future home.
5. It prevents a child or youth from making avoidable mistakes.
6. It minimises family-related social problems.
7. It improves the quality of individual and family life.

Core messages in family life education

1. Child spacing
2. Family size
3. Gender issues
4. Management of resources
5. Family welfare
6. Population size
7. Good adulthood and parenthood

What are the types of family size?

Family size can be small or large.

1. Small family size
2. Large family size

Evaluation

1. Define a family.
2. Distinguish between a nuclear family and an extended family.
3. State four responsibilities of the father in the family.
4. What is family life education?
5. List five importance of family life education.

Assignment

1. Describe a foster family and a single-parent family.
2. List five responsibilities of children in the family.
3. List four core messages in family life education.