Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/healthy-sexuality-development-in-young-children/5015634/
Upon arrival at preschool, Chelsea said to her teacher, “Ms. Kate, my mom says you’re going to have a baby and that’s why you’re tummy is so big. Are you gonna have a baby?” The preschool teacher replies, “Yes, Chelsea, I’m going to have a baby.” Chelsea asks, “How did the baby get in your tummy?”Early childhood educators who work with young children and their families have many responsibilities, tasks, and issues in their daily jobs. Healthy sexuality development is one of those issues that is ignored or is only dealt with as an abrupt reaction to words or behaviors of children. This article attempts to illustrate some developmental expectations of young children and guidelines for staff and families that will help to prepare them to deal with healthy sexuality development in a more proactive manner.
Some of the basic assumptions that undergird information in this article have been previously stated in the authors’ book, Healthy Sexuality Development in Young Children: A Guide for Early Childhood Educators and Families (2002), published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). These basic assumptions are:
• Sexuality development is part of typical human development.
• Sexuality development in young children is different from adult or ...