Talking with Your Child About Sex

Getting Started: Talking With Your Young Child about Puberty and Sex

Designed for: Parents and guardians

Children are exposed to so much information so early. How do I know when I am giving too much detail? What do I say when I am too flustered to think of an answer to a question I didn’t see coming?

In New Jersey, health education topics including puberty and sexuality are required for children in 4th grade and up. Most parents support this effort by the schools, yet may be concerned about whether or not their own values are being translated to their children. Parents often wonder when to talk about different subjects, how to broach the issues and how much information is appropriate for their children at different ages.

This workshop is designed to help parents/guardians understand developmental needs as they relate to sexuality information and to learn strategies that will help them provide information and answer questions from their children. Participants will learn new information from recent research on child development and sexuality education, and participate in activities that will help them develop skills to identify their own values about sexuality and communicate them to their young children.

Our goals are to help parents and guardians:

• Learn about the developmental stages and the needs of young children as they relate to sexuality
• Identify their own values regarding sexuality education
• Increase comfort for answering common sexual questions from young children
• Develop strategies for talking with their children and answering their questions in age-appropriate ways

Average length of program: 90 minutes

Recommended number of participants: 20-100