Children aged four or five have entered the school age. At this time, the content of [sex] topics that children care about depends on their physical and mental development and previous enlightenment education. If parents completely avoid talking about such questions, even if children no longer ask, they will explore the answers themselves.
The American Academy of Pediatrics listed the questions that children aged 5 to 9 may ask and what they should know to help parents deal with them calmly.
During this period, children’s problems about [sex] will become more and more clear and detailed like those about other things in the world. They may ask:
How does the baby get into the mother’s belly,
Issues related to physiological changes in men and women
Sexual intercourse and oral sex are different from what.
Issues related to sexual orientation
Children between the ages of five and seven
Five to seven years old is the most critical age for children to learn sexual knowledge. The understanding of [sex] formed at this stage will accompany them all their lives and have a significant impact on children’s sexual life as adults.
However, at this stage, many parents or adults will prevent their children from further exploring [sex] and even tell their children that [sex] and even their own bodies are terrible. In fact, it is correct to let children know that curiosity about sex is a healthy and normal phenomenon. Don’t just think about letting children [obey the rules] in public and don’t ask [shameful] things.
Children between the ages of eight and nine
Children of this age are about to enter puberty. They will be curious about the changes in their bodies. Will wonder these changes in the body, How it relates to sex and love. They may also directly ask questions about heterosexual or homosexual sex experiences and their partnerships. Nowadays, children are getting younger and younger when they come into contact with sex-related information spread by the media. Therefore, it is very important for parents and children to talk about this information. To tell children that sexual behavior is a responsible thing and must not happen without full preparation.
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that when children enter puberty, they should understand this knowledge:
Sex-related parts of the body and their respective functions
The Formation and Birth Process of Babies
Adolescence is a what, and the body will change what.
Menstruation is a what (both boys and girls should know)
Sexual intercourse
Birth control
The occurrence and transmission channels of sexually transmitted diseases (including AIDS)
Masturbation
Homosexuality
Sex education at every stage is for children to better cope with the changes that take place in their bodies during their growth. Caution will only increase children’s doubts and lay hidden dangers for children’s self-exploration behavior.