A Guide to Starting Sex Education with 5 Year Olds

Image depicting a parent and child having a conversation about sex education for 5 year olds

Welcome to our blogpost, specially crafted to offer sex education information tailored to your five year old! We understand that delving into the world of sex education can feel overwhelming, especially when it comes to finding content that is relevant and appropriate for your child’s age and stage of development.

But worry not! This guide is here to help you navigate through this important topic by providing you with resources and insights specifically curated for five year olds. You can trust that the content we’ve gathered is suitable for your child’s needs.

Every child is unique, but they all go through typical stages of development. The resources we’ll share will empower you to support your child as they grow, while staying true to your own values and beliefs.

At the age of five, children naturally become curious about where babies come from and how they are made. It’s a perfect time to harness their curiosity and start having conversations about sex education. So whether you’re just beginning or continuing the journey, the information below will be relevant for starting sex education with your five year old.

And as you celebrate their sixth birthday, 🎂 we’re here to provide you with sex education information specifically catered to six year olds!

So let’s dive in together and embark on this exciting journey!

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 5 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 5 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, genital curiosity, 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).

Grab my anatomically correct cartoon illustrations of naked bodies and private body parts. These are perfect for satisfying their curiosity about penises and vulvas!

Grab my free anatomically correct paperdolls for your child to play with.

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 you find your child looking at another child’s genitals? Or another child looking at theirs?

Read this blogpost to learn the basics of what to do when you find your child ‘playing doctor’.

Watch this Parent Masterclass on how to respond when kids are curious about other people’s genitals.

Got a child who is curious about babies, where they come from and how they are made?

You don’t have to dive straight into a conversation about sex. You can start off by explaining where babies come from, before talking about 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!

Worried your child isn’t old enough? Complete this Parent Quiz: Is your child ready to learn about sex?

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.

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).

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.

Unsure of what books to read? Or videos to watch?

Read this blogpost to find sex education books that are suitable for 5 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.

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