WHAT IS AGE APPROPRIATE?
Wondering how far your explanations should go with your curious preschooler or precocious preteen? Sex Ed Rescue offers a parent-friendly and practical age by age guide.
The Sex Education Forum’s curriculum design tool, with its “life course approach”, was designed for teachers but makes a useful guide for parents on toeing the “age-appropriate” line:
AGES 3-6
Relationships
Who is in my family?
What do I like about my friend?
My body
What do we call the different parts of girls’ and boys’ bodies?
Life cycles
Where do babies come from?
Keeping safe and looking after myself
Which parts of my body are private?
How can I say no if I don’t want someone to touch me?
People who can help me
Who can I ask if I need help to know something or if I am worried?
AGES 7-8
Relationships
How can I be a good friend?
What makes me feel good, and bad?
How do I know how others are feeling?
My body
Why is my body changing?
Why are some children growing more quickly?
Life cycles
Why does having a baby need a female and a male?
Keeping safe and looking after myself
What are good habits for looking after my growing body?
When is it good or bad to keep secrets?
People who can help me
Where can I get information about growing up?
Who can I talk to if I feel anxious or unhappy?
AGES 9-10
Relationships
What is love? How can we show it?
Is it OK for people of the same sex to love each other?
My body
Is my body normal? What is puberty? What kind of feelings come with it?
Life cycles
What is sex? What does a new baby need to be happy and healthy?
Keeping safe and looking after myself
How can I look after my body through puberty?
People who can help me
Where can I find information about puberty and sex? Who can I talk to if I want help advice about growing up?
Or if I feel anxious or unhappy?
AGES 11-13
Relationships
What makes a relationship happy or unhappy? How will I know if I am in love? Do you have to have sex to show someone you love them?
My body
Am I normal? Should we all look like pictures in the media? Why do boys get erections?
Life cycles
What is sex? What does a new baby need to be happy and healthy?
Keeping safe and looking after myself
What is safer sex? What are the different methods of contraception? What’s HIV and Aids and how do you get them?
People who can help me
Can I see a nurse or doctor in private? Which are the best websites for help and advice on sex and relationships?
AGES 14-16
Relationships
What’s the best way to resist pressure from friends or a partner to do things I don’t want to do? Is porn real?
Feelings and attitudes
How does how I feel about my body affect my self-esteem and my relationships? What’s it like to come out as lesbian/gay/bisexual/ transgender (LGBT+)?
What do different cultures and religions believe about sex and relationships?
Keeping safe and looking after my sexual health
Who should be responsible for contraception?
How do I use a condom and will it affect sexual performance? What are the laws on sexual offences?
Sources of help and advice
What are my rights as a young person to information, sexual health and confidentiality? If a woman gets pregnant, what choices does she have?