Resources for parents of elementary-aged kids Books: 1. 30 Days of Sex Talks for Ages 8–11: Empowering Your Child with the Knowledge of Sexual Intimacy by Educate & Empower Kids 2. I Said No! A Kid-to-Kid Guide to Keeping Your Private Parts Private by Kimberly King and Sue Rama 3. It’s Not the Stork! A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Families and Friends by Robie H. Harris 4. Girlology: There’s Something New About You: A Girl’s Guide to Growing Up (ages 8+) by Dr. Melisa Holmes and Dr. Trish Hutchison 5. Guyology: Just the Facts: A Guy’s Guide to Growing Up (ages 8+) by Dr. Melisa Holmes and Dr. Trish Hutchison 6. Youology: A Puberty Guide for Every Body (April 2022) by Dr. Melisa Holmes and Dr. Trish Hutchison Website and video resources: 1. Sex Positive Families: sexpositivefamilies.com 2. Amaze: amaze.org 3. Thrive, Inc. Resources for Trusted Adults: thriveokc.org/resources/ trusted-adults 4. Girlology: Girl Health & Puberty Education: girlology.com Editor’s note: This column is the third in a series of four by the experts at local nonprofit Thrive OKC to empower families and caregivers to talk to their kids, in developmentally-appropriate ways, about sexual health. Each column focuses on a different age range of child and provides ideas of topics to cover, conversation starters and resources. Find the full series of Talking to Kids About Sex articles, plus a podcast with expert advice on how to handle topics like consent, puberty and pornography, at metrofamilymagazine. com/talking-to-kids-about-sex. Find additional resources for parents and caregivers at thriveokc.org.
• Help kids understand that they should always ask for consent to touch, hug, hold hands with or kiss others. They should respect people’s answers and preferences when they indicate that they prefer not to be touched. ANATOMY AND PUBERTY • Elementary school is a good time to begin talking to kids about the bodily changes they will experience. For example, teach about physical changes such as hair growth, sweating, breast growth, menstrual cycles and changes to reproductive organs. In addition, talk about emotional changes they may experience. • Instill healthy hygiene habits and discuss the necessity of keeping their bodies clean. This may also be a good time to teach children how to use the washing machine, as they may sweat more frequently and the smell of their perspiration may change. In addition, children with penises may experience nocturnal emissions and children with vulvas may start their menstrual cycle. They may feel more comfortable washing their own clothing and sheets during this time — and it’s less work for you! SEXTING AND SOCIAL MEDIA • Kids have access to cell phones and laptops at younger ages than ever before. Talk to your children about what sexually explicit messages are and how predators may target children on the internet. • As kids get older and begin experiencing feelings of attraction to others, they need to understand that even receivers of unsolicited nude or explicit pictures of children can get into trouble. As such, it is important to never send such images and to inform a trusted adult if they ever receive them. • Talk about your rules for using the internet, cell phones and social media and closely monitor your child’s use of these tools.
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