Welcome to our blog post, specially crafted to provide sex education information tailored to your 8 year old! We understand that navigating the vast amount of information on sex education can be overwhelming, especially when it may not be relevant to your child’s current age and stage of development.
But worry not! This age-specific guide is here to help you find the most appropriate information for your little one right now. We’ve curated a collection of blog posts and resources that focus on starting sex education conversations with 8 year olds, so you can rest assured that the content is suitable for their needs.
Every child is unique, but they all go through general stages of development. The resources you’ll find here will empower you to support your child as they grow up in a way that aligns with your values.
At the age of eight, children are still curious about sex but often see it as something funny, strange, or even gross that adults do. It’s important to start talking about sex at this age because they might turn to the internet for answers and stumble upon inappropriate content. So, the information below will be relevant for starting or continuing sex education with your child if they are 8 years old.
And as you celebrate their ninth birthday 🎂, we’ll be here to provide you with sex education information appropriate for nine-year-olds too!
Let’s dive right in and embark on this exciting journey together!
Unsure of what sex education is all about?
Watch Back to Basics my FREE webinar that will tell you what sex ed is, why you need to do it, what might stop you from talking, what to talk about and how to get started.
A 12 minute read on what sex education is all about.
Watch this Parent Masterclass to learn what to expect and how to develop key skills in sex education.
Got some last-minute doubts about whether you are doing the right thing, or not? By starting sex education?
Read this blogpost as it will address your fears about sex education.
Read this blogpost as it explains the benefits of sex education, and how these conversations will empower and protect your child (instead of harm them).
Missed out on sex education yourself? Or already forgotten what you were taught at school?
Watch this Parent Masterclass as it’s the Adult Edition of Sex Ed and is a refresher for modern parents.
Unsure of what sexual behaviour to expect in your child? And what’s normal?
Read this blogpost about healthy sexual development in children and the different behaviours you might see in your 8 year old.
Watch this Parent Masterclass to learn how to understand and support healthy sexual development in your child.
Unsure of what sexual values and beliefs to share with your 8 year old?
Read this blogpost to learn how to talk to kids about sexual values and beliefs.
Use this WorkBook to help you decide which sexual values are relevant and what you could share with your child now.
Unsure of what to talk about? Or to start doing with your child at this age?
Read this blogpost as it explains some of the different topics to talk about with your child.
Grab my parent guide about the many different conversations you may have with your child about penises and vulvas, including naming the private body parts, hygiene, diversity in genitals, erections, genital holding, masturbation, nudity and puberty.
Read this blogpost to teach your child the correct names for their private body parts (penises and vulvas).
Read this blogpost to find simple ways to teach your child about consent.
Grappling with consent? Learn how to educate your child about giving – and asking for – consent in this popular crash course about consent.
Read this blogpost to learn how to navigate gender in an inclusive way.
Grab my PaperDoll Friends or PaperDoll SuperHeroes as they are the perfect resource for talking about diversity, bodies, gender and more!
Read this blogpost to learn how to care for a penis and a foreskin.
Read this blogpost to learn about child erections (and how to respond).
Unsure of how to respond when you find your child masturbating? Or holding their genitals?
Read this blogpost to learn the basics of child masturbation.
Watch this Parent Masterclass to gain a better understanding of why your child might be masturbating, and what to do about it.
Read this blogpost if your child is holding their genitals or always have their hands in their pants.
Unsure of how to respond when your child is curious about penises and vulvas?
Curiosity about the diversity in genitals is common, so satisfy their curiosity with age-appropriate images, like my anatomically correct cartoon illustrations of naked bodies and private body parts.
Watch this Parent Masterclass on how to respond when kids are curious about other people’s genitals.
Got a child who is curious about human reproduction? Or sex?
Read this blogpost as it simply explains how babies are made.
Grab my parent guide on explaining sex where I break sex into 5 simple steps. Plus it includes illustrations to help with explaining!
Grab my PaperDoll Families which are perfect for explaining where babies come from, how they are made and how they are born. It is inclusive for all family types and even includes illustrations to share with your child!
If you are struggling to get started, then you’ll want this Parent Masterclass on how to explain sex (for the very first time)! It is specially designed to help you get started with this tricky conversation!
Worried your child isn’t old enough? Complete this Parent Quiz: Is your child ready to learn about sex?
Is it time to start preparing your child for puberty?
Look at my Puberty 101 information page as it has everything you need to know about preparing your child for puberty.
Grab my Parents’ Guide to Puberty as it will help you get started with understanding and supporting your child as they go through puberty.
Unsure if your child is ready for the puberty talk? Find out by completing my Parent Quiz: Is your child ready for the puberty talk?
These are the 10 best puberty books and are the books I always seem to be recommending to parents. This is the list to refer to if you find the following lists overwhelming!
Looking for a puberty book that is written specifically for your daughter (or a child with ovaries)? This list sorts the puberty books for girls into the books that do and don’t talk about sex.
Looking for a puberty book that is specifically written for your son (or a child with testicles)? This list sorts the puberty books for boys into the books that do and don’t talk about sex, as well as whether intact and/or circumcised penises are shown.
Looking for a puberty book that is inclusive for LGBTQIA+ children? Then this is the list of inclusive sex ed and puberty books.
This is a list of puberty books for 8 year olds sorted into books written for boys, girls and ALL children.
Is it time to start preparing your child for their first period?
Look at my Puberty 101 information page as it has everything you need to know about preparing your child for periods.
Looking for a period tracker app that is safe and designed for tweens and teens? This is an inclusive, non-gendered period tracking app that includes educational content written by me, and avoids the privacy issues in period apps that were highlighted by Roe Vs. Wade in the USA. You can find the Tempus – Teen Period Tracker at the App Store or the Google Play Store.
Unsure about whether a first period is on it’s way? Complete my First Period Quiz to learn whether it’ll be sooner (or later).
Looking for a book that is mainly about periods? This list contains the period books that have been written for children. The most comprehensive and cost effective option is the Tempus Period Tracker app (as it includes over 300 age-appropriate Q&A).
Got a child who is using internet-enabled devices? Like your phone, a hand-held tablet or even a computer?
Keep your devices safe for your child by doing a step-by-step check on every device in your house with this Tech Check Workbook.
Teach your child how to act fast when they stumble upon content online that makes them feel uncomfortable with these age-appropriate porn safety posters.
Got a child who has been exposed to online porn? Or realised that it’s time to be talking about porn?
Grab my Parent Masterclass on what to do when your child has seen porn as it will walk you through what to do.
Putting off the porn talk because you think your child isn’t at risk? Complete my 2 minute Porn Quiz to find out if you are right (or not).
Start talking to your child about online porn in an age-appropriate way that helps them to make smart decisions with the Porn Talk Course.
Teach your child how to act fast when they stumble upon content online that makes them feel uncomfortable with these age-appropriate porn safety posters.
Look at my Pornography 101 page to learn more about how to protect your child from online porn, including information about parental controls and sexting.
Unsure of how to start sex-ed conversations?
Read this blogpost as it will show you the many different ways to have shame-free conversations with your child.
Got a child who is asking questions and you don’t know how to answer them?
Read this blogpost to learn why it is important to answer sex-ed questions from kids.
Grab my popular Sex Ed Answer Book that gives you age-specific answers to the most common questions kids ask parents (about sex).
Got a child who is uninterested in talking with you about sex?
Read this blogpost as it will give you some tips on what to do when they’re not interested, plus it will inspire you to not give up!
Worried about something your child is doing?
Look at this page as it has over 30 of the most common concerns parents have about their kids that are relevant to sex education.
Watch this Parent Masterclass on what to do when you are worried about sexual behaviour in your child.
Unsure of what books to read? Or videos to watch?
Read this blogpost to find sex education books that are suitable for 8 year olds.
Read this blogpost to find some tips on how to make reading sex ed books easier!
My favourite ten best sex education books that includes books that are important now!
My sex education video resources page.
Wishing you had a community of like-minded parents who won’t think you are weird for wanting to do sex education?
Join that parent group. My free Facebook group where parents help each other with sex education!
Anyway, that should get you started with teaching your child about sex in a non-awkward, shame-free and natural way! And this is where you can find the other age-by-age sex education guides.
