Sex Education Resources for Parents: A Comprehensive Guide
There are lots of wonderful sex education resources available on the internet, but the greatest challenge for parents is to find them!
So I have compiled a list if my favourite resources from around the internet, onto this page! They are listed in alphabetical order, and broken up into resources for parents, children and teenagers.
You can also find even more helpful information about sex education on my Sex Education 101 page.
I’ll let you get started!
PLEASE NOTE: Puberty resources and online porn & internet safety resources are all hosted on their own pages. So you won’t find any resources on those topics, on this page.
Sex education resources for parents
Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Guidelines K-12 – A USA resource from SIECUS that provides a framework of key concepts and messages that all sexuality education programs would ideally include.
International technical Guidance on Sexuality Education: An evidence-informed approach – Revised in 2018, this document provides international guidance on sex education from UNESCO, UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women & WHO. This document is what most sex education programs (including everything from Sex Ed Rescue) are governed by.
Relationships and Sex Education: The Evidence – The Sex Education Forum in the UK updated their briefing in November 20222, of the latest research evidence relating to relationships and sex education. There is a full 14 page briefing as well as a quick one-page summary. This is the resource I first turn to when I am looking for evidence myself.
Raising Children Network– An Australian parenting website that has fantastic information about sex education and child sexual development for newborns, babies, toddlers, preschoolers, school age, pre-teens and teens. I was quite surprised at how good their sex ed information is!
Sensoa Flag System – A resource from Flanders and Brussels in the EU, that would have to be my favourite resource about child sexual development and problematic sexual behaviours.
Talk Soon Talk Often: A Guide for Parents for Talking to Their Kids About Sex – An Australian resource from the Western Australian Government (Department of Health)), a sex education guide and website for parents. It is practical and simplifies sex education into something parents can easily implement. I love this resource that is now in its second edition!
Teaching Sexual Health.ca – A Canadian government resource that has great information for parents about sex education, including child sexual development. This website is a favourite of mine as I like their comprehensive approach to child sexual development.
Find practical tools to educate kids about sex education in the Sex Ed Shop
Sex education resources for children
There’s not much for the under 14 age group. It is just too risky as it’ll attract the attention of the anti-sex edders, so most organisations will avoid this age group.
Body Talk – An Australian website from Family Planning NSW that has been created for tweens and young teens with information about puberty, relationships, STIs, contraception and more. and more.
KidsHealth (Nemours) – A USA website that has age-appropriate information for children on a wide range of different topics including bodies, body parts, puberty, sexuality and more.
Kids Helpline – An Australian website for children aged from 5-12, teens aged from 13-17, and young people aged from 18-25 years of age. This is a free helpline, but it has a website that is filled with lots of age-appropriate information for children about lots of different topics, including puberty, body image, consent and many more topics that fall under the umbrella of sex education. More people need to know about this resource, as it is brilliant!
Sex education resources for teenagers
These resources have been created for teenagers aged 14+ years.
BISH – An English website that has fantastic information for teens aged 14+.
Body Talk – An Australian website from Family Planning NSW that has been created for tweens and young teens with information about puberty, relationships, STIs, contraception and more. and more.
Info for Young People – A list of Australian resources that have been curated by Vanessa Hamilton from Talking The Talk Healthy Sexuality Education.
In the Know – A New Zealand resource for 13+ teens that educates them about online porn.
Kids Helpline – An Australian website for children aged from 5-12, teens aged from 13-17, and young people aged from 18-25 years of age. This is a free helpline, but it has a website that is filled with lots of age-appropriate information for young people about lots of different topics, including puberty, body image, consent and many more topics that fall under the umbrella of sex education. More people need to know about this resource, as it is brilliant!
Rosie – An Australian online space for young women and gender diverse people. It’s like having a trusted friend or older sibling to turn to with tricky questions you might have about body image, puberty, sexuality, consent, sexual health, contraception and more.
Scarleteen – An American website that has information for older teens about sexuality.
KidsHealth (Nemours) – A USA website that has age-appropriate information for teens on a wide range of different topics including puberty, birth control, STIs and more.
The Line – An Australian site that helps young people (14+) have healthy, happy and respectful relationships, and avoid behaviours that hurt, intimidate or diminish others. They have content for parents and it is essential reading for all parents of teens!
What’s OK? – A free American site that is both a website and a helpline that offers free confidential support and resources to youth and young adults (ages 14-21) with concerns about their own or a friend’s sexual thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. This is a site that gives them answers to questions they would usually be too ashamed to ask. These are some of their most common questions and I think all teens should know it exists:
- Is this normal sexual behavior? Is it safe?
- Is what I’m attracted to “normal”?
- What do I do if my sexual behaviors have harmed someone?
- What do I do if I’m worried about someone else’s sexual interests or behaviors?
- What kind of help is available if I’m struggling with safe sexual behaviors or worried about my attractions?
- Where can I find help if I’ve been sexually abused?
- How can I stay safe in online relationships?
- How do I ask for help?
Even more sex education resources from the Sex Ed Shop
You can find even more sex education resources from the Sex Ed Shop!
Bodies
More help with bodies and private parts
If you’d like something to teach from, rather than working out the words as you go:
The Parents’ Guide to Private Body Parts covers just about every conversation you’ll have about body names, naked bodies and privacy. It’s the one to start with.
Your Body: An Illustrated Guide for Kids gives you clear, child-friendly pictures to look at together, so you’re not relying on whatever an internet search turns up.
Body Curiosity and Inappropriate Touching between Kids is for when curiosity has gone somewhere that worries you, and you want a calm, protective response rather than a panicked one.
You can see everything I’ve got on bodies here.
More help with explaining sex
If you’re not sure how much to say, or whether your child is ready to hear it, that’s the part the Sex Talk Toolkit works out for you.
The Sex Talk GPS weighs up what your child already understands, what’s on their radar, what’s coming as they grow and what they’re likely to run into, then tells you which part of the conversation they need now. The Script Builder gives you the actual words for that part, at their age. The Conversation Starter gives you four ways to bring it up, for when you’d rather not wait to be asked. There’s a Values Finder in there too, for putting your family’s beliefs around the facts.
Paperdoll Families is the picture version, for younger children or for anything that’s easier to show than to say. Pregnancy, birth, and the fact that babies and families start in more than one way.
And if you’d rather start with a book, I keep a list of the good ones here.
More help with sex ed at home
Not sure what to teach at your child’s age? Browse by Age has a free printable checklist for every age group: the priority topics, some scripts to try, and what to do next.
If you’d rather have something more structured to work from:
Getting Started with Sex Ed gives you the bigger map. What sex ed actually covers, when to start each part, and how to keep it simple.
The Sex Ed Q&A Toolkit is for the questions that turn up when your brain isn’t ready. Age-based wording you can reach for in the moment, rather than freezing and hoping they forget.
Or have a look at everything for getting started.
Looking for more sex education resources? Then visit my Sex Education 101 page!
I hope that helps you with teaching sex education at home.
Happy talking!
❤️ Cath