Growing Up Bundle for Boys and Girls

A Girl’s Guide to Puberty

SECTION 1:  Talking to Adults 

Who is a trusted adult – Choosing trusted adults – Feelings about puberty – Well-meaning people 

SECTION 2: Puberty Basics

What is puberty? – When will it start? –
What should I expect? – Stages of Puberty

SECTION 3: Hello Private Parts! 

The inside bits – The outside bits – More about your Vagina, Ovaries and Uterus.

SECTION 4: Body Changes  

What changes will happen – Growth spurts – Breasts and nipples – Pubic hair – Even more hair – Curves –  New feelings – Menstrual cycle (and periods)

SECTION 5: More About Periods 

Your first period – About pads and tampons – Period tracking – The emergency period pack – Handling leaks – Buying period essentials – Talking to dads about periods – Period pain and PMS – And more….

SECTION 6: About Boys’ Bodies 

Basic changes boys go through – How to be a good friend to boys 

SECTION 7: Looking After You

How to care for your changing body – Facts about pimples – About sleep, exercise and play  – Protecting your body – Tricky questions 

SECTION 8: Inside Your Brain 

Brain changes – What this means for you – How parents can help – New friends and ideas – Liking someone – Bad hair days 

SECTION 9: The Future 

More conversations – Becoming an adult you – Puberty to-do list

Your Puberty Vocabulary Guide

A Guy’s Guide to Puberty

SECTION 1:  Talking to Adults 

Who is a trusted adult – Choosing trusted adults – Feelings about puberty – Well-meaning people 

SECTION 2: Puberty Basics

What is puberty? – When will it start? –
What should I expect? – Stages of Puberty

SECTION 3: Hello Private Parts! 

The inside bits – The outside bits – More about your Penis, Scrotum and Testicles. 

SECTION 4: Body Changes  

What changes will happen – Growth spurts – Pubic hair – Even more hair – Erections – Ejaculating – Body shape – New Feelings – Voice deepens 

SECTION 6: About Girls’ Bodies 

Basic changes girls go through including periods – How to be a good friend to girls 

SECTION 7: Looking After You

How to care for your changing body – Facts about pimples – About sleep, exercise and play  – Protecting your body – Tricky questions 

SECTION 8: Inside Your Brain 

Brain changes – What this means for you – How parents can help – New friends and ideas – Liking someone – Bad hair days 

SECTION 9: The Future 

More conversations – Becoming an adult you – Puberty to-do list

Your Puberty Vocabulary Guide

A Guy’s Guide to Puberty 

Page 7. Meet the Characters

I’d like to introduce you to the characters that 

Steph, the AMAZING illustrator of this book, 

and I created for you. Keep reading to meet 

the one and only Adam (who is a super-

friendly, super talkative kid your age), his dog 

called Rocket (who can beat Adam in a 

running race), Mr Puberty Watch (an 

imaginary but helpful invention) and a bunch 

more. I hope they all bring a smile 

to your face, help you learn, and (most 

importantly) make talking to trusted adults a 

lot easier.

A Girl’s Guide to Puberty

Page 7. Meet the Characters

I’d like to introduce you to the characters that 

Steph, the AMAZING illustrator of this book, 

and I created for you. Flip the page to meet 

Olivia (who loves sneakers – she even wore a 

pair to bed once!), her cupcakes obsessed 

guinea pig called Sprinkles, the Puberty Fairy 

(the magic-dust throwing kind) and a bunch 

more. I hope they all bring a smile to your 

face, help you learn, and (most importantly) 

make talking to trusted adults a lot easier.

A Guide’s Guy to Puberty 

p 100. About Shaving 

The hair on your upper lip will be fluffy at first, 

and it will keep getting darker (and fluffier) 

until one day you (probably prompted by a

trusted adult) decide to shave it off. If you 

stand about a metre away from the mirror 

and see a dark shadow under your nose (like 

the stain left on your upper lip after a glass of 

milk), you will know that shaving isn’t far off.

Over time you will grow more facial hair, and it 

will become thicker. Some men grow more 

facial hair than others, so don’t be too 

disappointed if you don’t have a lot, especially 

to start with. Who knows, over time you might 

even be able to grow a curly moustache or a 

big, Santa Claus beard! What a lot of fun that 

would be!

A Girl’s Guide to Puberty 

Page 72. Buying Your First Bra
 

Once your nipples ‘bud’ you might start to 

wear a crop top or singlet under your clothes, 

so you feel protected. Some girls find it more 

comfortable when they are running or playing 

sports. It might also stop your nipples being 

irritated by the rougher fabric of your T-shirts.

Once your breasts get a little bit bigger you 

will need a bra. That’s a real grown-up 

moment! Your own bra! Some underwear 

stores help customers (including their 

younger shoppers!) choose the right bra style 

and size. This is called a ‘bra fitting’ and it 

might be something you want to talk to a 

trusted adult about.

A Guy’s Guide to Puberty 

Page 108. Voice Deepens 

During puberty your voice might squeak, or 

get very, very low or even cut out. You might 

also find that your voice gets croaky.People 

call this your voice ‘breaking’. Just so you 

know, it doesn’t literally break. No one picks 

up your vocal cords and snaps them in half. 

It’s all part of your voice deepening and 

developing into your man’s voice.

Some boys’ voices change slowly while others 

drop quite quickly. You might notice that 

some of your friends’ voices have already 

changed, or you might have noticed that your 

voice is deeper than theirs. You might find 

your voice breaking a bit embarrassing, or you 

might find it really funny. Either way it will 

pass quickly. Interestingly, some boys’ voices 

deepen without them ‘breaking’ at all.

Before puberty your larynx is pretty small, and 

your vocal cords are thin. That’s what makes 

your voice high-pitched. When you go 

through puberty your larynx gets larger. 

Everything else in your throat is growing 

bigger too, which creates more space for your 

voice to echo. The vocal cords also get thicker 

and longer, so they can’t vibrate as quickly 

and produce the high notes like they did 

before. The result — your voice sounds much 

deeper!

A Girl’s Guide to Puberty 

Page 108. Your First Period

Girls first discover they have their Periods in 

lots of different ways. You might go to the 

toilets (just to do a wee!) and see some

drops of blood on your undies. Or you might 

just feel wet and sticky and wonder what is 

going on. Occasionally girls discover

they have their Periods after blood leaks onto 

their clothes. 

Your first Period might happen at a 

convenient time — like Saturday afternoon 

when you are relaxing at home — or a crazy

IMPRACTICAL time — like on the way to 

school camp (holy moly that’d be a lot to 

handle!) The more you think ahead, the 

BETTER.

Every girl feels differently about her first 

Period. You might feel excited, or shocked, or 

OK, or under-prepared, or too young, or even

cranky! Most girls feel a little bit nervous. 

Periods are new, so nerves are understandable.

If this is you, I want you to say to yourself, ‘I am 

not alone.’ There are LOTS of trusted adults in 

the world to turn to when you need support. 

Maybe a trusted adult gave you this book? 

Parents, carers, teachers and friends can 

make Period Life that little bit easier.