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my 4 yr old came home from school today with a letter saying that relationship/sexuaility education lessons are startin in school tomorrow does anyone know what this about or what way teachers approach this subject when teaching it to 4 yr olds
sexuality for 4 year olds????!!!! Please let us know what that is all about….sounds odd to be teaching a 4 year old that. Unless its about stranger danger and inappropriate touching or something like that? but thats usually called Child safety teaching.
I’d want to know more about that….
No idea. At least they asked you.
My 3 year old(almost 4 now) came home from playschool a few months back and started asking me if I had a baby in my belly. The teacher was pregnant and told them all that she had a baby in her belly and that she had to go to the doctor to get it taken out. I have been plagued with questions on whether or not my two were in my belly. How I got them out. If there are any more babies in there, etc. ever since.
I think it’s great to get the kids introduced to these things. This country acknowledges there are hangups re: sexuality so why the big fuss when someone is trying to educate children about it?!?
I personally wanted to be in control of what my kids knew on the subject and make no excuses when they ask where babies come from. We use the proper words for anatomical male/female parts and to be honest it’s no big deal nor a taboo subject to them. It’s just another body part.
For me, I wanted to have my children know that these areas are their own and to be respectful of them and those on other people. I think knowledge is empowering and this is no exception!
well i spoke to her teacher this morning and she said that they will teach this lesson for half hour once a week for nine weeks………she told me not to worry about it cause really all they teach is about strangers and inapporiate touching……when my little girl came home from school todsay i asked her if she learnt anything new and she said no…….im interested to hear what she makes of the whole thing but should i come straight out and ask her and if so what would be the best way to approach it or should i say nothin and wait and see if she brings up the subject
I’m all for being honest with kids – we are as open as possible with our 3 about sex and babies etc but I would like to know what way it is being taught in school so that we are not telling them different things.
for eg. my 6 year old daughter asked me last week, who made the baby in my tummy and I said mammy and daddy made it and she corrected me and said that actually, Holy God made it!! Don’t know where that came from as she does not even do religion in school until next year and it did not come from us! Funny the things they say – last year she thought the stork brought babies because thats what her friends parents told her, and her friend passed on this nugget to our daughter who just accepted it was true.
It can all be so confusing for them, so we do try to be as honest and upfront as possible with them.
the joys of being a parent eh, its like walking a tightrope sometimes!
Just a bitof teacher input: what you are discussing is called SPHE (Social, Personal & Health Education) It is compulsory all the way to junior cert (and should be done to LC). I do most of it in my second level school – with teenage boys!!!!
One section – & there are about 10 – deals with RSE (Relationships & Sexuality Education). Others deal with health, exercise, smoking, drinking, self-esteem, drugs etc…
Now, don’t anyone panic! No one is going to be telling the wee ones about the ins & outs of sexual relationships!! At the early level they talk about friends & friendship & that they have private bits (the bits under their swimsuits etc).
They will be taught the correct names for the body parts at some stage & by the end of primary school they will know the basic facts of life & the basics about pregnancy. By the time they leave 2nd level, they should know right up to contraception, stds etc.
As for the 3 year old in playschool – you’d be amazed what they learn from one another. My 2 & 4 year olds are in a creche. I recently had a baby (& had a very big bump for a very long time!!) & so did a lot of other mums. The kids were all fascinated & boy could they tell you lots about babies in mammy’s tummies! Believe me, the child would have picked up very quickly what was in the teacher’s tummy from the classmates even if the teacher hadn’t said anything.
Generally, if a child asks a question it is better to answer it truthfully, without giving extra info
ie ‘Why have you a big tummy?’ ‘There’s a baby growing in there.’
‘How will it come out?’ ‘The doctor will take it out’Hope that adds some clarity….
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