Life Skills deals with the holistic development of the learner throughout childhood. It equips learners with knowledge, skills and values that assist them to achieve their full physical, intellectual, personal, emotional and social potential. The subject encourages learners to acquire and practice life skills that will assist them to become independent and effective in responding to life’s challenges and to play an active and responsible role in society. The subject aims to develop learners through three different, but interrelated study areas, that is, Personal and Social Well-being, Physical Education and Creative Arts.
The subject Life Skills aims to:
Guide learners to achieve their full physical, intellectual, personal, emotional and social potential
Teach learners to exercise their constitutional rights and responsibilities and to respect the rights of others
Guide learners to make informed and responsible decisions about their health and environment
Develop creative, expressive and innovative individuals
Develop skills such as self-awareness, problem-solving, interpersonal relations, leadership, decision-making, and effective communication
Provide learners with exposure to experiences and basic skills in dance, drama, music and visual arts including arts literacy and appreciation
Allow learners to enjoy the health benefits of exercise and develop social skills through participation in Physical Education.
Term 1:
Personal strengths: identify, explore and appreciate own strengths
Respect for own and others’ bodies: privacy, bodily integrity and not subjecting one’s body to substance abuse
Dealing with conflict: examples of conflict situations at home and school
Weekly reading by learners: reading for enjoyment
Term 2:
Emotions
Personal experience of working in a group: at school and home
Bullying: how to protect self from acts of bullying
Children’s rights and responsibilities: name, health, safety, education, shelter, food and environment
Weekly reading by learners: reading for enjoyment
Term 3:
Cultures and moral lessons
Knowledge of major religions in South Africa: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Baha’i Faith and African Religion
Dangers in and around water: at home and public swimming pools and in rivers and dams
Weekly reading by learners: reading for enjoyment
Term 4:
Traffic rules relevant to road users
Personal and household hygiene
Dietary habits of children
Healthy environment and personal health: home, school and community
HIV and AIDS education: basic facts including blood management
Weekly reading by learners: reading for enjoyment
Positive self-concept formation
Giving and receiving feedback: giving feedback to peers and receiving feedback from peers and adults
Coping with emotions: empathy, compassion, anger, disappointment and sadness
Relationships with peers, older people and strangers
Reading skills: reading with understanding and using a dictionary
Term 2:
Concepts: discrimination, stereotype and bias
Child abuse
Dealing with violent situations
Issues of age and gender in different cultural contexts in South Africa
Reading skills: reading with understanding and using a dictionary
Term 3:
Festivals and customs from a variety of religions in South Africa
Safety measures at home and the environment
Water as an important basic need
Healthy eating for children
Reading skills: reading with understanding and using a dictionary
Term 4:
Local environmental health problems
HIV and AIDS education
Substance abuse
Reading skills: reading with understanding and using a dictionary
Positive self-esteem: body image
Abilities, interests and potential
Peer pressure
Problem solving skills in conflict situations: keeping safe and how to protect self and others
Reading skills: reading with understanding and fluency
Term 2:
Self management skills
Bullying: reasons for bullying
Cultural rites of passage
The dignity of the person in a variety of religions in South Africa
Reading skills: reading with understanding and fluency
Term 3:
Caring for animals
Caring for people
Nation-building and cultural heritage: definition of concepts
Gender stereotyping, sexism and abuse: definition of concepts
Reading skills: reading with understanding and fluency
Term 4:
Basic first aid in different situations: cuts and gazes, burns, scalds and sunburn, stings and bites, bruises, poisoning, bleeding, choking
Food hygiene
Communicable diseases such as mumps, tuberculosis, common colds, chickenpox, athletes’ foot, etc
HIV and AIDS education: myths and realities about HIV and AIDS including risks and perceptions about HIV and AIDS
Reading skills: reading with understanding and fluency