Sex Education for Children: 8 Tips for Parents(powered by aboutkidshealth.ca)

Beginning a conversation about sex early and continuing that conversation as the child grows is the best sex education strategy. It lets parents avoid giving one big talk when the child reaches adolescence, when it may already be too late. These conversations are easiest when they come out of a life experience, like seeing a pregnant woman or a baby. Here are some tips:

1. Think about how you w​ere taught about sex as a child
   Ask yourself if you want your child to have the same or a different experience.

2. Give age-appropriate answers
   This means explaining things in a way that your child can understand given their age. There is no need to answer questions they haven’t asked. Don’t overload them with information. They will glaze over and nothing will get through.

3. Try to keep the exchange as a dialogue
   When kids ask questions about sex, gently throw questions back at them. Find out what they know already and where they heard it from. This way, you can correct any misinformation from the start.

4. Be honest
   Children can often figure out when parents are not telling them the truth. If this happens, children are less likely to be receptive in the future

5. Read
   There are great, age-appropriate books about sex and reproduction for both parents and kids. Reading also helps get over any embarrassment.

6. If your child hasn’t asked about sex, start the conversation
   Some kids are just naturally shy and don’t tend to ask a lot of questions about anything. Do not wait. Initiate a conversation with the child about sex.

7.Keep your cool
Get ready for the fact that sex talk will come up at badly timed moments, like in a bank line-up, and at full volume. Do not feel you have to answer, but rather say “great question, let’s talk about that in the car.” Moments like these are also a great opportunity to explain about privacy issues. As the child learns about sex, you can let them know that speaking about it everywhere is not appropriate.

1. Remember that sex education is a continuing process
   Children will need some things repeated in order to understand. Keep talking.​​​