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The world is not free from predators which is why it is our duty to teach and protect our children from harm. The first step in ensuring their safety is teaching good touch and bad touch to them.
When they learn to differentiate between the two, it will be easier for them to recognise an uncomfortable or threatening situation or feeling and report it to a responsible and safe adult. This will help the children to avoid dangerous situations and keep themselves safe.
Since this is such a sensitive discussion we have put together 12 tips for teaching good touch and bad touch to your children. These tips ensure that the discussion remains healthy and safe while also ensuring that your children understand the importance of the conversation and act accordingly.
It is highly recommended to start teaching good touch and bad touch to your children from an early age. When you encourage uncomfortable discussions from early childhood, it becomes easier for them to participate or contribute to such conversations later.
Educating them while they are young will ensure that they approach you in times of crisis involving a bad touch.
Also Read: The Importance Of Early Childhood Education: Benefits For Your Child
While discussing personal safety for kids, parents must avoid any signs of hesitation, discomfort, or reluctance. Instead, they must be very direct, clear, and open to having such conversations.
Being hesitant during such discussions can influence the kids to think that it is something to be ashamed of or imply that the conversation is about a hush-hush topic.
It is important to use clear and direct language when you’re teaching the names of body parts to your children. When you use nicknames for their sexual organs, they think it’s something to be embarrassed of.
On the other hand, using accurate names for every body part will invite clear communication from their side. This will help them identify uncomfortable situations, clearly communicate their discomfort, and remove themselves from such a situation, thus, preventing child abuse.
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When you’re teaching good touch and bad touch to your kids, it is important to build a safe space for them to communicate with you as well. You can do this by encouraging them to ask questions and being curious about their insights.
You can ask if it’s okay for someone to hug them even if they feel uncomfortable. You can drive the conversation forward according to their response.
Letting them participate in the discussion helps build a safe space for them to return to in case they encounter an unsafe situation.
When you ask your children how they would feel if someone hugged or kissed them without permission, you must emphasise the importance of having boundaries. Setting up clear and strict boundaries is crucial for ensuring personal safety for kids.
However close they may be with a person, having physical boundaries is completely valid. At the same time, they must learn to respect the boundaries of other people and not invade their personal space.
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A good touch is essential physical contact that makes you feel safe and happy. On the other hand, a bad touch will make you feel uncomfortable and on edge.
While unwanted physical contact with their sexual organs definitely falls under the bad touch category, physical contact on your face, arms, or legs without consent should also be condemned.
This is why when you’re teaching good touch and bad touch to your child, you must clarify the differences between the two so that they can identify, comprehend, and react accordingly.
It is important to emphasise the value of consent while educating kids about safe and unsafe touch. This means that nobody can touch any part of their body without their clear consent.
They must understand that they have full control over who gets to hug, kiss, or touch them. This right should be exercised to say no any time they feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
Regardless of how close the person is, a child should be taught body autonomy so that they can decide what makes them comfortable and what does not.
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A young child may not understand when they should keep a secret and when they should confide in an adult they trust. This is why it is important to teach them the difference between safe and unsafe secrets. This will help in preventing child abuse.
While a surprise birthday party should be kept a secret, somebody making your child feel uncomfortable must be shared. Understanding the differences between such secrets will help kids to approach an adult in case of an unfortunate event.
Sometimes a bad touch may not seem threatening in the conventional way. In such cases, you must teach your child to trust their instincts.
Since they know their bodies the best, they will be able to figure out if a certain physical interaction is making them uncomfortable. In such cases, they must immediately remove themselves from the situation and consult an adult they trust.
They must trust their instincts, intuition, or gut feelings at all times even if the threatening individual seems friendly.
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There are many age-appropriate educational resources available that talk about personal safety for kids.
You must expose your children to such resources so that they can find a perspective other than their parents. It will help in further educating kids about safe and unsafe touch.
Teaching good touch and bad touch to your children will help them recognise an uncomfortable situation and react accordingly.
Either they can remove themselves from the situation and limit their interaction with the concerned individual or they can voice their concerns to call out the culprit.
Standing up for themselves and others is extremely important. This will encourage other victims to raise their voices as well and the threatening individual can be stopped from harming anybody.
Finally, the most important tip while educating kids about safe and unsafe touch is to converse with them regularly.
This ensures that they find you safe and comfortable to share any unpleasant experiences. At the same time, you will be able to identify if something bad has happened to them from their stories.
You can also role-play with your child occasionally so that you can teach them how to respond during certain situations. This will help them become sure and confident in dealing with any unpleasant situation.
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Teaching good touch and bad touch to your children is essential in maintaining their safety and well-being. When you follow the above-mentioned 12 tips, you will be able to create a safe space for your child to feel comfortable in discussing their experiences and understanding the importance of personal boundaries.
Open communication, clear language, and regular conversations are some of the things that will empower your child to trust their instincts and seek the help of a trusted adult when needed.
JBM Global School, one of the Best Schools in Noida, prioritises the safety and holistic development of its students. The school campus is equipped with a multi-security system that includes CCTV cameras, verified staff members, and GPS tracking devices in their transport system. Moreover, this esteemed institution organises regular counselling sessions to support the students and create a healthy, safe, and secure environment for all.
