How can you tell they’ve got it: Assertive Communication?

If they’ve got it, you’ll see things like: Explain the difference between assertive, aggressive, and passive responses; Role-play saying no in a peer pressure scenario; Express a personal boundary clearly and respectfully in a real situation. Or just try it together: If friends want your child to do something they're uncomfortable with — like excluding another child or breaking a rule — can your child say 'I don't want to do that' firmly but politely?

Personal & Social Development Friendship & Cooperation Ages 9–11

Assertive Communication

Your child can say what they need clearly and kindly. They can say no when something feels wrong, without being pushy or giving in.

In curriculum terms

Use assertive communication — expressing needs, opinions, and boundaries clearly and respectfully without being aggressive (pushy/demanding) or passive (giving in/staying silent) — including saying no when something doesn't feel right

Ages are typical, not deadlines — follow your child’s pace. How to help at home →

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Explain the difference between assertive, aggressive, and passive responses
Role-play saying no in a peer pressure scenario
Express a personal boundary clearly and respectfully in a real situation

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Try this together

If friends want your child to do something they're uncomfortable with — like excluding another child or breaking a rule — can your child say 'I don't want to do that' firmly but politely?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Communication Vocabularyages 7–11Assertive communication requires understanding the trio: assertive vs passive vs aggressive

Resolving Disagreements with Friendsages 7–9Assertive communication builds on basic conflict resolution

Positive Self-Talkages 7–9Assertive communication benefits from positive self-talk skills

Assertive Communicationthis skill · ages 9–11

Unlocks

Self-Reflection in Relationshipsages 9–11Reflecting on social patterns builds on assertive communication skills

Social Cues and Group Dynamicsages 11–12Advanced friendship skills depends on earlier cooperation concepts

Giving and Receiving Feedbackages 9–11Giving feedback benefits from assertive communication

Peer Pressure and Resisting Itages 9–11Resisting peer pressure benefits from assertive communication skills

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Where this fits in the official school curriculum — our best automated guess, not yet checked by a person.

Show candidate curriculum codes · 1 ACARA · 1 NSW · 2 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9HP6P07low confidenceYear 5–6 · Personal, social and community health

describe strategies for seeking, giving or denying consent and rehearse how to communicate their intentions effectively and respectfully

NSW syllabus codes & stages only

PH2-RRS-01low confidencePDHPE K-6 · Stage 2

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2HP6P07medium confidenceHealth and Physical Education · Levels 5 and 6 · Personal, Social and Community Health – Health Education strand

VC2HP6P08low confidenceHealth and Physical Education · Levels 5 and 6 · Personal, Social and Community Health – Health Education strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

Giving and Receiving Feedbackages 9–11 Helping Others Resolve Conflictsages 9–11 Self-Reflection in Relationshipsages 9–11 Communication Vocabularyages 7–11

All Friendship & Cooperation skills →