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Middle Childhood (approximately age 6-8)

Common Sexual-Exploration Behaviors

  • Curiosity about sexual behavior, relationship, and physical development
  • Attempting to see others naked
  • Masturbate in private
  • Experimenting with sexual behaviors with same age and/or gender peers for example “playing house”.

Teaching Healthy Sexual Development

  • Continue to teach and explain the basics of reproduction
  • Continue to reinforce that masturbation needs to be done in private
  • Continue to educate your child on personal rights and boundaries

Teaching Body Safety

  • Teaching a child that sexual abuse may or may not involve touch
  • Teaching a child to trust their intuition about people and situations
  • Reinforcing that sexual abuse is never their fault and that you will believe them if they go to you and tell you something happened to them

REMEMBER:

YOU

are the first line of defense in protecting your child from sexual abuse

Report Suspected Abuse

800-792-5200