Understanding Healthy Child Sexual Development
Sexual predators exploit children's lack of knowledge about sexuality, touching, and body boundaries in order to commit sexual abuse. Since the 1970s, social service professionals have conducted presentations in schools to teach children about good and bad touch.
Prevention, however, needs to start before the school age years and at home. Although children' sexual behaviors often make parents feel uncomfortable or embarrassed, knowing what behaviors are normal and responding sensitively and age-appropriately will help parents raise sexually healthy and safe children.
Normal behaviors include:
Birth to 2 years old
- Explore their body parts, including their genitals; this feels good and is calming. Children this age do not have the same sexual feelings as adults.
- Begin to understand there are different social expectations for males and females
- Start to notice differences in boys' and girls' bodies
3 to 4 years old
- Are curious about babies
- Play house, doctor, etc. with friends or siblings who are close in age and developmental level in order to explore body differences
- Become interested in differences between adults' and children's bodies
- Begin to understand privacy
- May increase genital touching as a soothing behavior, especially exploring genitals during potty-training
5 to 7 years old
- Begin to learn about sexuality outside the family (from peers and others)
- May continue to touch genitals. They can be taught that this is a natural but private behavior
- Have questions about sexuality, often informed by what they hear from others
- Could increase use of sexual language to see how others respond
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