30 Days of Sex Talks
Empowering Your Child with Knowledge of Sexual Intimacy For Ages 8-11
Additional Resources
- Public vs. Private
“Bodily Integrity: Teaching Your Child to Make the Best Choices for His or Her Body” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
This article offers parents a variety of tips on how they can teach their children to love and respect their own bodies in a culture that would demand otherwise.
“Modesty and Smart Clothing Choices: Teaching Our Kids to Be Seen for Who They Are” from EEK
This article helps to educate kids on what modesty means so that they’re able to make smart, context-appropriate clothing choices that will empower them through a combination of self-respect and self-confidence.
“Talking to Kids About Public vs. Private Discussions” from EEK
This article offers parents with statistics and perspectives from people who learned about private matters from their friends and wished they had learned from their parents instead.
- Male Anatomy
“Why the Best Way to Protect Our Children is to Prepare Them” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
A sad, but real, truth is that there is a lot of bad in this world. The best thing you can do for your child is prepare them to better handle the bad, so they can enjoy the good.
This article succinctly gives tips on how to empower your kids against the danger that can come from 3 different directions.
“My Boys and Body Image: How Can I Help?” from EEK
It’s important to help protect your sons against the dangers of body issues; they are just as susceptible as girls are to distorted body views.
- Female Anatomy
“Simple Ways to Teach Positive Body Image” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
“As you work with your child on these skills they will learn how to better understand their bodies and the wonderful things that it does. Developing a positive body image will help them as they enter school and grow to be teenagers.”
“Three Ways to Teach Our Kids Their Bodies Are Not Just For Looks” from EEK
“Our bodies are more than just a before-and-after image! We are a beautiful work in progress. As we teach our kids these valuable principles, they too can learn to pay attention to how they feel as they work on their own positive body image without comparing themselves to others.”
“The Reasoning for Using Anatomically Correct Terms With Your Kids” from Focus on the Family
This article gives reasons for why it’s so important to teach your children correct anatomical terms, one of which is that it lays the foundation for when it’s time to talk to your children about sex.
“How to Teach Kids About Anatomy and the Human Body” from Kids Konnect
This article provides parents with helpful tips on how to get anatomy lessons with your kids to stick in their minds.
- Puberty for Boys
“Talking With Your Kids About Puberty: You Got This!” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
“Talking to our kids about puberty can be awkward! But it doesn’t have to be! Tackling tough topics with your kids shows them that they can talk to you about cringy subjects
without you freaking out.”
“Alright Dads, No More Sitting On the Side Lines: GET IN THE GAME” from EEK
“If you are anything like me, you may have separated your responsibilities from your wife’s. In the past, our society designated the man as the breadwinner and the woman as the caretaker and housekeeper. We don’t live in this world anymore.”
“Talking to Your Child About Puberty” from Kids Health
This article points out other specific questions that your child may ask, about themself and others. It gives suggestions on how to approach those questions and what to look out for as your child goes through puberty.
“Talking to Your Son About Puberty? Here’s How” from Sanford Health
This article gives tips and tricks for during the puberty conversation with your son, and also how to be considerate of what puberty means for a boy.
- Puberty for Girls
“8 Things Your Daughter Needs to Hear From YOU” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
Written for mothers to their daughters, this article lists the top eight things that every mother’s daughter needs to hear.
“Sex Talks for Daughters” from Parents Aware, featuring Dina Alexander of EEK
“While we’re telling our girls that they can grow up to be anything they want… women are continually portrayed as sex objects on social media and in film and print. Is it surprising then that these scripts find their way into first kisses, dating, and eventual sexual relationships?”
“Do Dads Really Matter in the Digital Age?” from EEK
This webinar with parenting expert, Dr. Tim Rarick, explores the latest research about fathers and the impact that they have on their children, particularly daughters.
- Menstrual Cycle
“Great Mother Daughter Relationships–Set a Tone for Awesomeness” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
This short article offers mothers support and advice for how they can open the door for those uncomfortable conversations with their daughters.
from Educate and Empower Kids
“Preparing your daughter for her period is an important part of parenting. By establishing open communication, providing accurate information, and offering guidance, you can help your daughter approach menstruation with confidence, understanding, and self-assurance.”
“Improve Your Relationship With Your Daughter - Here are Four Ways to Better Communication” from EEK
“A strong foundation for a father/daughter relationship begins with caring. My dad and I definitely had that going for us, but because the building blocks of a father/daughter relationship roll right into the kind of dating relationships and marriage a girl might have, you need more than just unspoken loyalties.”
- Physical Mechanics of Sexual Intercourse
“How to Talk to Kids about Sex” from Dr. Robin Silverman, featuring Dina Alexander of EEK
This podcast discusses the importance of having a series of little talks with your child, rather than one big one.
“ “The Talk(s)”: Start off easy” from EEK
“It is time to start talking! But we do NOT need to be scared. We have opportunities every single day to talk and connect with our kids, to take time to teach them the difference between online, shallow connections and real-life human intimacy.”
“8 Ways to Start Talking to Your Child About Sex” from EEK
“It can be awkward in the beginning, no doubt, but discussing sexual intimacy is such an important conversation that, as parents, we need to use every healthy way we can to start talking until we find a way that works.”
“Common Mistakes Parents Make When Talking to Kids About Sex” from EEK
This article gives some great advice on how to empower your kids with accurate information.
“Be Your Child’s First Choice for Sex Ed - Instead of Google” from EEK
“Google can be a great resource to help with our jobs, find parenting advice, shop, and may even help prove your friends wrong. On the other hand, Google can contain some extremely harmful content. Imagine how “helpful” it may seem for a curious child.”
- Emotional Aspects of Sex
“Intimacy Education Vs Sex Education” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
This article provides parents with a perspective on how sex education goes beyond the physical aspects of the act and encourages parents to put the topic of sex within the context of relationships and religion as well.
“Beyond the Sex Talks: Teaching Teens Emotional Intimacy” from EEK
“We want our children to be emotionally healthy, and a large part of that is developing healthy sexuality. …Teaching our kids about the emotional intimacy side of sex is just as important as teaching them about the facts and statistics.”
“Helping Your Child Develop Empathy” from EEK
“Empathy is a critical component in developing emotional intelligence. We develop this skill as we become aware of other people’s feelings, needs, and concerns. Empathy is important because it helps us to understand how others are feeling and how our actions might impact them.”
“Kids in the Digital Age: The Challenge of Expressing Emotions Healthily” from EEK
“This new age of digital communication … We cannot if we allow them to hide behind their devices rather than educating them in how to properly communicate with one another.”
- Relationships Are Good and Wonderful
Conversations with My Kids: 30 Essential Family Discussions for the Digital Age from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
An amazing resource full of great family night lessons and discussion questions about relationships, LGBTQ issues, compassion, marriage and divorce and lessons on technology, self-improvement, and so much more!
“Lesson: Kindness: Online, Face to Face, and Everywhere” from EEK
“Today’s culture teaches children that being overly critical of others is a positive thing… Children need parents to help them understand that kindness is not just a quality to have with their friends or family, but at all times.”
“15 Things I Want My Son to Know About Love and Sex” from EEK
“I want my son to experience a unifying, emotionally intimate relationship with the woman he chooses when the time is right for them. Facts and statistics are important, but the humanity of sex is paramount.”
“15 Things I Want My Daughter to Know About Love and Sex” by EEK
“There are conflicting messages about sex everywhere we look: that it’s good, that it’s bad, that everyone is doing it, that it’s important to save it for marriage. There are countless ways pop culture reduces it to unemotional, un-relational entertainment. As a teenage girl navigating her way through the muddle, there are specific things I want my daughter to know about love and sex.”
- What Does a Healthy Relationship Look Like?
“How to Create Healthy Relationships” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
“Teaching children how to build healthy relationships will enable them to recognize when a relationship is unhealthy, build healthy relationships, and allow them to help others to foster healthy relationships.”
“Five Great Ways to Bring Truly Open Communication to Your Home” from EEK
This article gives 5 suggestions on how to teach yourselves and your children open communication, which will help your children to be able to bring that open communication into whatever relationships they have in the future.
“Real Life Lessons Learned from Beauty and the Beast” from EEK
“Many portrayals of boys/men in the media allow them a free pass when it comes to their behavior... The audience laughs with a ‘boys will be boys’ attitude. And what about the male character who doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, and the audience views it as romantic?”
“10 Signs of a Healthy Relationship” from Walden University
Psychiatrist George Vaillant, who has led one of the world’s longest studies of adult life, has found that “...the key to healthy aging is relationships, relationships, relationships.” The current head of the study gives the top 10 indicators of a healthy relationship
- Romantic Love
“Helping Children Develop Healthy Sexual Attitudes” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
“...it is important to accept the reality that every human being, including your teenager, has an arousal template. Accepting this reality and creating open communication in your home are the key first steps in helping your child develop healthy sexual attitudes.”
“Preparing Our Kids for Courtship in the Digital Age” from EEK
“We live in a NOW society, with little ability to wait for that planned date, wait to be courted, or wait for sex with the right person. This lack of self-restraint has led to an influx of singles–especially teens– experiencing difficulty in understanding how to progress through the phases of courtship.”
“The Sex Talk Isn’t Enough: How Parents Can Teach Teens About Healthy Relationships” from The Washington Post
“It’s not enough to have the sex talk, we have to have the love talk, too. Without it, we risk our kids being in abusive, manipulative relationships, or missing out on a truly wonderful aspect of life.”
- Different Kinds of Families
“Starting Conversations with Your Kids about LGBTQ Identities” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
“It is important to teach through behavior and conversation that treating others with respect is critical to our communities. This will lead to more tolerance and safety for all people no matter their identity.”
“6 Ways to Teach Your Child to Accept Every Type of Family” from Parents
“In a world where all kinds of ties bind parents to their children—whether the grown-ups are single, in a same-sex marriage, or adoptive guardians—it’s important to show kids that it’s not who’s involved, but the love they share that makes a family.”
“The Many Kinds of Family Structures in Our Communities” from Sonoma County Office of Education
“One of the most important tasks for early childhood educators is to treat each child’s family with respect and help each child feel proud and strong about their family. It is important to learn about the many structures of families and to realize that different families may have quite different issues, needs, strengths and values. The following terms may help you to think carefully and respectfully about each family.”
- Gender & Gender Roles
“Ways to Empower Children Regardless of Gender” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
“By teaching our children to value all people, we must be prepared to judge less, respect more and advocate for a world where all humans, regardless of gender, are allowed to reach their full potential.”
“Understanding Gender Identity Terminology: A Guide for Parents” from EEK
“Whether you agree with the idea of choosing one’s gender or not, it is helpful for every parent to keep up with the concerns, trends, and shifts in societal norms and language.”
“Gender and Health” from WHO
“This Q&A examines the links between gender and health, highlighting WHO’s ongoing work to address gender-related barriers to healthcare, advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in all their diversity, and achieve health for all.”
- Sexual Identification
“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner Now” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
“As parents, it’s important to know that the experts agree that no matter your child’s sexual orientation the best thing you can do is to let that child know they are loved.”
“LGBT Youth Resources” from the CDC
“On this page, find resources from the CDC, other government agencies, and community organizations for LGBT Youth, their friends, educators, parents, and family members to support positive environments.”
“Parents: Use the Power of Response Questions” from EEK
This article provides helpful tips for parents on how to use response questions: what they are and why they are important, as well as the benefits that they can bring to your relationship with your children.
- At What Age Is Someone Ready For a Sexual Relationship?
“From Awkward to Awesome: Talking To Your Kids About Sexual Intimacy” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
This video gives tips and tricks on how to address this topic with your children, and what you can do to make it easier and more beneficial for both you and your child.
“Sex Ed Isn’t Just for Kids” from EEK
“If you’re not sure you’ve mastered the subject of sex, you are not alone. If your own discomfort, disappointment or sexual demons* interfere with your communications with your kids, it is time to do something about it.”
“Is the Media Teaching Your Kids Sex?” from EEK
In this age of media, can you really be sure that filters you have in place are keeping sensitive topics from your child? Make sure they hear them from you, not the screen!
- Curiosity
7 Steps to Take to Establish Yourself as an Approachable Parent” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
“…the advice I am most comfortable doling out, is to prioritize becoming an approachable parent. In other words, you want to learn how to listen to your kids talk about sex, not just learn what to say to them about sex.”
“Teaching Without Shame: Understanding Your Child’s Curiosity” from EEK
This article tells the story of a mother talking through her son’s curiosity with him and helping him understand that our bodies are beautiful and natural, but that we each deserve our own privacy as well.
“Sexual Curiosity: A (Happy) Postcard from a Dad in the Trenches” from EEK
“We talked about useful ways to respond to sexual curiosity and arousal. We talked about acknowledging those feelings, experiencing gratitude for them, and then how he could put them in their place within the wider context of his life, his values, and his goals. We talked about how sexual curiosity and arousal can powerfully bond loving couples.”
- Masturbation
“Talking with Our Kids about Masturbation—Without Shame!” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
This article helps offer parents a variety of ways that they can choose to approach discussing masturbation.
“” from EEK
This article discusses how parents can approach their daughters specifically about the topic of masturbation.
“What Are You Most Scared About Teaching Your Young Children?” from EEK
Talking to your kids shouldn’t be scary, no matter what it is you’re talking about. This video can help you to relieve the pressure you feel!
- Children DO NOT Have Sex
“My Body is Mine: Teaching Kids Appropriate Touch” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
“Teaching your children about appropriate touch will empower them to stand up for themselves and their bodies.”
“Teaching Consent. Starting Early and Simply.” from EEK
“[W]e can start teaching our children about consent at a young age by teaching respect for others and boundaries, which are all vital components of a child’s developing healthy sexuality.”
“Three Generations of Silence: How Do We Turn This Around?” from EEK
This article discusses how sexual assault/harassment is something that is often brushed under the rug. It offers a variety of ways that mothers can help ensure that their daughters know when to speak up.
“Is Your 12 Year Old HOT Enough? She Better Not Be!” from EEK
There are simple things you can do every day to help your child know where their true worth lies-within themselves.
- What To Do If Something has Happened to You –Who to Talk to
“How to Make Your Home a Safe Space” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
“...it can sometimes be tough to create a safe and fun space when new technology often presents many different kinds of dangers. These can very quickly take away from the safe space you’re trying to create. But there are plenty of simple, meaningful things we can do to create a warm, inviting safe space for our families and friends.”
“Helping Your Child Become the Master of Their Body: Moving Beyond Good Touch/Bad Touch” from EEK
This family night lesson will guide you in how to help your kids feel comfortable and in control of their bodies, danger signs to look for from predators, how to help your child say “no” to unwanted affection, and more.
“Vigilant Parenting in the Digital Age” from EEK
“Simply telling our children how to act on the internet is just not enough. We need to be aware of the dangers around, as well as be vigilant in monitoring technology use in our homes… We also must have many discussions with our children about technology use.”
- How Predators Groom Children
“A Lesson for Teaching Your Children About Predators” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
A simple family night lesson to help parents teach their children about predators.
“What Online Predators Don’t Want YOU to Do” from EEK
This article provides a few tips on what you can do to prevent a predator’s access to your kids.
“Child Predators: What Every Parent Should Know” from EEK
Unfortunately, oftentimes it’s families and friends who pose a threat to our children. Learn what to look out for to protect your child against whoever may be threatening them.
- How to Say “No”
“Kids and ‘Affection’: Why I’m NOT Teaching My Kids To Be Polite” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
This article outlines the importance of helping kids say “no” to unwanted affection and letting them know that they will be believed if something does happen.
“Can You Spot the Grooming Behaviors of a Predator?” from EEK
This lesson teaches a few tactics on how to recognize grooming behaviors and has multiple links to more helpful resources.
“How to Identify A Child Predator Online” from EEK
“This is a guide to identify terms, code words, and symbols used by child predators online.”
- Your Instincts Keep You Safe
“The Secret I Almost Did Not Tell” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
In this article, the author shares her own experience with sexual assault as a child and what parents can do to help stop it.
“Protecting Special Needs Children from Unwanted Sexual Attention” from EEK
“According to research on vera.org, special needs children are 2.9 times more likely to be sexually abused and 4.6 times more likely if that disability is mental or intellectual.”
“Sexual Assault Awareness - Conversation Starters to Protect Your Children” from EEK
Establish yourself as someone your child can trust, and make sure they’re comfortable talking to you about these things!
- Pornography
“Dads Kill Porn” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
“[A] dad’s warmth and consistent presence appear to have a protective impact on his daughter’s sexual development and activity. Conversely, a fatherless daughter may experience sexual development that can far outpace her emotional, social, and neurological development.”
“So You’ve Had Your First “P*orn Talk.” Now What? from EEK
This video is a clip from UCAP (Utah Coalition Against Pornography) 2016. It introduces research and the effects of pornography and children, and how to talk to your kids about it.
“Porn Addiction is Not Just a “Boys’ Problem Anymore..” from EEK
Even the idea that your daughter may have a problem with porn can be shocking; having a plan can help you to be calm as you address this topic with your children.
- Sexting & Social Media
Noah's New Phone: A Story about Using Technology for Good from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
A great family night book featuring a poignant story that addresses smartphone rules, online bullying, social media, and more.
“Teaching Social Media Literacy” from EEK
This family night lesson can “help your children to understand that the edited photos and exciting lives shown on social media are not an accurate portrayal of their everyday life.”
“Parents, Do You Know the Most Common Emojis Used in Sexting?” from EEK
Sometimes it can feel like your child is texting using hieroglyphics, and you have no idea what they’re saying. This article breaks it down, and points out some emojis that can be a problem.
“8 Dangers of Sexting—and What Parents Can Do” from EEK
This article (second in a series) talks about how dangerous the practice of sexting is, and what it can lead to.
“Talking to Your Kids About Sexting” from EEK
At some point in their life, your child may receive a sext or feel pressured to send one. This family night lesson can help you know how to talk to your child about this topic.
- Being Media Savvy
“A Family’s Guide to Digital Media” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
This free e-book was created to assist you and your family in finding a media balance by providing you the tools and information you need to create your own family media usage plan.
“A Lesson About Media Literacy” from EEK
“Encourage your child to think about not only the images they see, but the messages that are being presented in the images they see–this is teaching them to deconstruct media.”
“Tame Your Family’s Media Before it Takes Over Your Lives!” from EEK
This article suggests 3 simple ways to help your family be media healthy. These tips can help you manage your media, so it doesn’t manage you!
“Why A Family Tech Detox is Just What the Doctor Ordered” from EEK
Food detoxing has become very popular; this article discusses why media detoxes are just as important, and gives 5 simple steps to help you do it!
- Body Image
“Teaching Our Kids about Healthy Body Image” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
This lesson includes great advice to help you teach your child to have a more positive body image.
“Positive Body Image Starts With Moms” from EEK
This article discusses how the way that mothers feel about their own bodies will influence the way that their children think they should feel about their own bodies.
“Teaching Healthy Body Image to Boys” from EEK
Includes a lesson for parents that is geared specifically towards helping parents teach their young boys about developing a healthy body image.
“Teaching Kids About Healthy Body Image:Tips from the Experts” from EEK
Studies show that kids, on average, are viewing media for about 8 hours a day. Is it any wonder distorted body image views are so common amongst our children?
- Self-Worth & Self-Esteem
“5 Ways A Mother Can Develop Self-Worth In Her Son” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
This article offers mothers a variety of ways that they can help their sons develop positive self-worth.
“5 Things A Father Can Do to Increase His Daughter’s Self-Worth” from EEK
This article describes a number of ways that fathers can help their daughters to develop positive self-worth.
“Empower Your Child Today Through Positive Self-Talk and Affirmations” from EEK
You can nourish your child’s view of themselves with a simple solution: compliment them! And teach them affirmations to help them realize their worth!
“Learning Positive Self-Talk” from EEK
Children need to know that their self-worth is based on who they are, not how they fit into popular culture. This lesson can help you do just that!
“I Love Myself and That’s What Makes Me Beautiful” from EEK
This article gives tips on how to love yourself and teach your children to learn to love themselves. Don’t rely on others to do it for you!
- Shame & Guilt
“Three Mistakes I’ve Made Using Shame and Guilt” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
This article describes some of the ways parents may inadvertently teach their children to associate shame and guilt with body image and behavior.
“30 Days to a Stronger Child” from EEK
This book provides 30 lessons to help you out as you work to teach your child what they need to know to have positive self worth and live a healthy, balanced, and strong life.
“Raising Strong Kids in a Porn Culture” from EEK
This video, from the Utah Coalition Against Pornography Conference, discusses small, simple habits to build resilience in our children and teens against pornography and other negative influences.
- Pregnancy
“Common Questions Kids Ask About Sex (And How to Answer)” from Educate and Empower Kids (EEK)
“We want our kids to be curious about life, and we want them to ask us their questions. However, talking to our children about sex and questions that surround sex can sometimes be scary or nerve-wracking.”
“4 Easy Steps to Creating Healthy Communication About Sexual Intimacy” from EEK
“When we make it clear to our children that we will talk to them about anything–no boundaries–we encourage them to come to us, rather than plunging down the wormhole of the internet...”
“7 Steps to Take to Establish Yourself as an Approachable Parent” from EEK
“…the advice I am most comfortable doling out, is to prioritize becoming an approachable parent. In other words, you want to learn how to listen to your kids talk about sex, not just learn what to say to them about sex.”
- STDs & STIs
“Information for Teens And Young Adults: Staying Healthy and Preventing STDs” from the CDC
This page provides helpful information from the Center for Disease Control on how to prevent STDs and how to practice safe sex.
“Adolescents and Young Adults” from the CDC
This page provides links to videos and other resources about how to talk to your child about these topics and gives more information on STDs.
“Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)” from the WHO
This article from the World Health Organization goes into greater depth on statistics about sexually transmitted infections, and how to prevent, diagnose, and treat them.
