Dementia Support Line
School teaching resources
Our school teaching resources make it easy to teach and learn about dementia from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4. No prior knowledge of dementia is required. All of these resources can be used in class, in assemblies or as homework.
Why teach about dementia and create Dementia Friends?
Nearly one in three young people know someone living with dementia, often a grandparent but increasingly a parent. That’s why we think it's important for every young person to understand what it's like to live with the condition.
Most of our school resources create Dementia Friends, which is an Alzheimer’s Society initiative changing the way people think, act and talk about dementia. There are already millions of Dementia Friends in England and Wales! Students who complete the activities will be awarded a badge and a poster for their school.
How to use our resources
- Choose a resource from the options below, then complete our short webform for an instant download
- Run the activity/ activities with your class
- Email us and let us know how many new Dementia Friends you have made so we can add you to our national total
- We will then send you badges and a poster, celebrating your achievement!
- Take further action! Have a look at our Get Involved page for ideas as to how your young people can take action in their communities.
Choose from our resources below for more information:
About our teacher toolkits
Recommended for: teachers, youth leaders, group sizes of up to 30 young people.
Duration: 45 - 60 minutes per lesson
Age ranges: 5-7, 7-11, 11-14, 14 -16 years old
Learning outcomes:
- Understand how the brain works
- Learn more about dementia in the family
- Learn more about dementia in the community
- Learn, plan and take action to support people living with or affected by the condition
Overview
Available for Key Stage 1, 2, 3 and 4. Use our teaching packs to embed students’ learning and broaden understanding across the curriculum.
Each pack includes 2 - 3 lesson plans, teaching young people about dementia and encouraging them to take action in their communities. By completing all lessons, young people will become Dementia Friends and each student can get their free badge and a poster for their class
‘Wonderful response from pupils. Thoughtful and thought provoking. I adapted the available resources to suit my class.’
Download teacher toolkits
Fill out our short webform for an instant download of our teacher toolkits.
About our assembly presentations
Recommended for: teachers, larger group sizes of over 30 young people.
Duration: 30-45 minutes
Age range:11-16 years old
Learning outcomes:
- Understand the different ways that dementia can affect someone
- Learn more about how we can support people living with or affected by the condition
Overview
This presentation is designed for Key stage 3 and 4. It is specifically designed to be easy to pick up and deliver to large groups without any prior knowledge of dementia. This presentation is an awareness raising resource, and we would suggest that the Teacher Toolkits/ Memories with Grandma activity packs are used as follow up learning for students.
‘These resources stimulated a lot of discussion.’
Request assembly presentations
Send us an email to request our assembly presentations, and a member of our team will respond shortly.
About Memories with Grandma
Recommended for: teachers, youth leaders, group sizes of up to 30 young people.
Duration: 60 - 90 minutes per lesson
Age ranges: 5-11 year olds.
Learning outcomes:
- Understand the different ways that dementia can affect someone.
- Know the five key messages about dementia we think every Dementia Friend should know.
- Understand ways in which they can support someone living with or affected by dementia.
- Learn, plan and take action to support people living with or affected by the condition
Overview
Our fun and interactive animation and activity pack is perfect for 5-11 year olds. Use this animation and activity pack to create young Dementia Friends by teaching them about dementia and how they can support people and family members living with the condition.
‘The animation was very useful and child friendly.’
Download Memories with Grandma activity pack
Fill out our short webform for an instant download of our Memories with Grandma activity pack.
About our Welsh Baccalaureate resource:
Recommended for: teachers, group sizes of up to 30 young people.
Duration: Various
Age ranges: 14-19 year olds
Learning outcome:
- Learners will develop and demonstrate an understanding of, and proficiency in, essential employability skills.
Overview
Key Stage 4 and post-16 students can complete skills challenges about supporting people affected by dementia as part of their Welsh Baccalaureate qualification.
The Welsh Baccalaureate is based on a Skills Challenge Certificate which will be graded and Supporting Qualifications. To support learners to develop and demonstrate an understanding of and proficiency in essential employability skills, Alzheimer's Society has developed opportunities for students to learn about dementia through setting three Challenge Briefs and an Individual Project Brief.
All the Challenge Briefs can be downloaded from the WJEC homepage.
About Dementia Friends Information Sessions
Recommended for: teachers, youth leaders, any group size.
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Age ranges: 5+
Learning outcomes:
- Understand the different ways that dementia can affect someone
- Know the five key messages about dementia we think every Dementia Friend should know
- Learn, plan and take action to support people living with or affected by the condition.
Overview
If none of the other resources are quite right for you, you may want to request a Dementia Friends Information Session instead.
Dementia Friends Information Sessions are 45 to 60 mins, awareness-raising sessions about what it is like to live with dementia and how we can all contribute to make our communities more dementia-friendly.
Sessions are run by Dementia Friends Champion volunteers and can be adapted to suit anyone aged 5+. If you would like to become a Dementia Friends Champion yourself, you can sign up on the Dementia Friends website.
‘Very interactive session. Really enjoyed learning how the brain works, the wool activity and the forget me not petals.’
Request a Dementia Friends Information Session
Fill out our short webform to request a Dementia Friends Information Session.
