Who Helps Me? wellbeing lesson plan
A Foundation wellbeing lesson that helps Australian teachers introduce the people in students' lives who help keep them safe, through a structured, ready-to-teach lesson. Students learn to recognise family members, carers and other trusted people who help keep them safe, and practise simple, safe steps for asking for help when they need it.
Keeping Safe & First Aid
Snapshot
Who Helps Me?
The lesson gives teachers a structured way to introduce the people in students' lives who help keep them safe, using simple, age-appropriate language.
Prep time:
5 to 10 minutes
Lesson length:
45 to 50 minutes
Key Focus
Recognising trusted helpers and practising safe help-seeking
Lesson Format
Teacher-led discussion and structured activities
What students will learn
By the end of the lesson, students will be supported to:
Recognise
recognise family members and carers as people who help keep them safe
recognise other trusted adults at home, school and in the community who can help
recognise that families can look different while still providing care and safety
Understand
understand that trusted people play different roles in helping keep them safe
understand that it is okay and important to ask a trusted adult for help
Practise
practise naming people they can go to for help
practise simple ways to ask a trusted adult for help
practise identifying a safe adult in different everyday situations
Who this lesson is for?
This lesson is designed for Foundation students who are beginning to learn about family, safety and the people who care for them.
It is suitable for:
early primary wellbeing lessons
Health or PDHPE teaching
pastoral care or circle time sessions
early protective behaviours programs
family and belonging units
Suitability should be based on more than age alone. Teachers should consider the lesson focus, student maturity, cohort needs, classroom culture, existing discussion norms and available support pathways.
Best used when
Use this lesson when students need clear, practical language for recognising unkind behaviour and knowing what to do next.
Introducing protective behaviours Use when students are beginning to learn about safety and trusted adults for the first time.
Starting a unit on family and belonging Use when exploring who is in students' families and who helps care for them.
Building classroom culture Use when reinforcing that every student has people who care for and support them.
Practising safe help-seeking Use when students need practice naming a trusted adult and asking for help.
Preparing for transition Use when students are moving into a new class or setting and need to identify new trusted adults.
Creating a structured wellbeing discussion Use when you want a calm, teacher-led discussion about safety and trusted people.
The lesson can be used proactively with the whole class. It does not need to follow a specific incident.
Why this lesson matters
Young students need simple, reliable language for recognising the people who help keep them safe, before they are asked to manage more complex safety situations. Knowing who to go to for help is a foundational protective skill. It helps students build confidence in everyday situations, whether they need comfort, guidance or support with something that feels unsafe. This lesson supports a safe, structured start to protective behaviours learning by helping students understand that families and trusted adults come in many forms, and that asking for help is a safe and sensible choice.
How this lesson supports wellbeing
This lesson supports student wellbeing by building practical social and emotional skills students can use in everyday school life. It helps students develop:
Capability How the lesson supports it
Safety awareness Students learn to notice who is around to help them in different situations.
Family and belonging Students recognise that families and carers can look different while still providing care.
Help-seeking Students practise naming a trusted adult and asking for help.
Protective behaviours Students build early language for identifying safe people.
Communication Students practise simple, clear phrases for asking for support.
Confidence Students build assurance in knowing who to turn to when they need help.
For teachers and school leaders, the lesson contributes to broader wellbeing, respectful relationships, child safety and pastoral care goals in Australian primary schools.
Teaching notes & Delivery Considerations
This lesson includes content about unkind behaviour, exclusion and asking adults for help. It should be taught with calm, clear discussion norms.
Before teaching
Remind students not to share personal family details or name specific people from home
Frame discussion around general examples of trusted people rather than personal disclosures
Make clear that families can look different, and all are valid
Identify the trusted adults available at your school that students can name
During delivery
Use simple, general examples such as a parent, carer, grandparent or teacher
Give students time to practise naming a trusted person and a simple help phrase
Keep the discussion structured and avoid open-ended personal sharing
Allow students to respond through discussion, drawing or partner talk depending on confidence
Supporting safe discussion
Reinforce that asking for help is a safe and sensible choice
Avoid asking students to describe their own family situation in detail
Be prepared to follow your school's child safety, wellbeing or child protection procedures if a student discloses harm or says they feel unsafe.
Adaptation options
Use drawing or picture cards for students who are not yet confident with discussion
Use partner or small group talk for quieter classes
Spend more time identifying trusted adults at school if students need extra support
