For example, they might be bored, find it hard to manage emotions, see sexually explicit material on the internet, or be experiencing child sexual abuse.
Skip to content Skip to navigation. Typical and healthy sexual behaviour in children and teenagers Most sexual behaviour in children and teenagers is a typical and healthy part of development. School-age Problematic sexual behaviour in school-age children might include: persistently rubbing or touching their genitals in public, even when someone has tried to get them to do something else persistently flashing their genitals or bottoms to other children persistently using coarse sexual or explicit language wanting to play sexual games with much older or younger children forcing or tricking other children into playing sexual games repeatedly wanting to look at or touch the genitals of other children or adults.
Playing doctor. Of course, if an older child or adult is involved, your concern would be legitimate. Calmly ask your child to get dressed and distract him or her with a toy or game. Kids this age are especially interested in pregnancy, birth, and gender roles — boys usually play with boys, and girls with girls. This is also the age where their peers and the media begin to have a bigger influence on sexual attitudes.
Many kids in elementary school assume that babies are made when a man and woman lie next to each other, sleep in the same bed, hold hands, kiss, or swim together. Bad language. Children will pick up bad language and inappropriate slang from lots of places — TV, movies, their friends, and especially you, if you use it. Many times, they use these words without even knowing what they mean. Inappropriate jokes.
And do they realize that some of those jokes can hurt people? As with bad language, kids often tell these jokes without understanding them. Calmly explain why the joke is inappropriate, then tell a more kid-friendly one as an example of an appropriate joke that will still get some laughs. Tolerance and respect are learned behaviors. Birds do it, bees do it. Kids sometimes see their pets or other animals engaged in sexual behaviors. Some react with surprise, disgust, or embarrassment, but most are curious even if a bit giggly.
When kids ask about what these animals are doing, this is another chance for you to send the message that sexuality is a natural part of life. Encourage natural curiosity, provide accurate information, and model an attitude of respect about reproduction.
As kids continue to understand and experience their bodies, and the physical changes of puberty emerge, your attitude and acceptance will continue to play an important role in their healthy development. Kids — especially early and late bloomers — need lots of reassurance as they head into this uncharted territory. It needs a sensitive understanding to prevent it from reoccurring. Get behind the eyes of your child. He wants to learn what the other sex looks and feels like.
The child is more interested in satisfying curiosity than in sexual arousal. You can tell innocent sexual curiosity from deviant sexual behavior by these characteristics. Innocent acts are occurring when:. Convey that you are not angry. If children sense that they have done something bad or that you are angry, they will clam up. Email us your feedback. Content is regularly updated so please refer to www. Skip to main content. Close main menu. KidsHealth NZ.
Open main menu Close main menu. Search form. Hidden Submit Search. Key points to remember about sexual behaviour in children and young people expressing sexuality through sexual behaviour is natural, healthy and a basic aspect of being human it is normal for children to develop their understanding of sex differences and sexuality just as they develop in other areas sometimes children show sexual behaviours that appear to be outside the normal range - it is important to understand why this is happening sometimes these behaviours are a response to a child or young person's exposure to sexual experiences that are inappropriate for their age - this can include sexual abuse but sexual abuse is not always the reason for abnormal sexual behaviour What is normal sexual behaviour in children?
What is normal and healthy sexual behaviour in children of different ages? What sexual behaviour in children is out of the normal range? Acknowledgements The content on this page is based on the Brook sexual behaviours traffic light tool.
External links and downloads Sexual behaviours traffic light tool. Email us now. Print this page. Family Violence. Never Ever Shake A Baby. Preventing Child Abuse.
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