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Writer's pictureKerri Isham

1, 2, 3...Preschool Ready


You’ve bought new shoes and backpacks, sharpened crayons, and added nutritious peanut-free snacks. Is your child ready for preschool/ Kindergarten? Almost! Going to preschool/Kindergarten is the first

time in many children’s lives

where they begin to assert their independence and navigate their new

social world. Let’s make sure they navigate as safely as possible.

...

Five helpful strategies to keep your child safe:

1. Identify safe adults in your child’s life. Children need trusted adults to be

able to ask questions openly without shame. This trust needs to extend

beyond their parents/guardians.


2. Reinforce the difference between private and public behaviours/spaces.

Behaviours used for self-soothing and anxiety reduction (self-pleasuring)

need firm boundaries outside the safety of your home.


3. Start to introduce yes/no feelings. Laying the foundation for intuition

recognition lays the groundwork for your child to learn to trust themselves

and their own feelings.


4. Use accurate names for all body parts and teach basic reproduction. This

is a proven way to increase abuse resistance in children.


5. Emphasize the difference between surprises and secrets. Surprises will

always surface whereas secrets will remain underground. There is no need

for preschool/Kindergarten aged child to be requested to keep a secret.


Healthy sexuality begins at birth and is a lifelong process. We are all sexual

beings. Addressing physical, emotional, cognitive and sexual growth from a

balanced perspective will support each child to maximize positive health

outcomes. Adults, teachers and school counselors have a responsibility to

help children understand and accept their developing sexuality.


As parents, it is never too early to start these important conversations.

Books such as Body Smart: Right from the Start and What’s the Big Secret,by Marc Brown, are both gentle introductions to making healthy sexuality a part of everyday conversations.


Knowledge is power.

Thank you to Lesley Stedmon, original co-author, for giving permission to repost this content.


Download our free resource Tips for Parents. And for more information or guidance, check out our course Creating a Culture of Childhood Protection in our Shop.




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