Resources for Parents
Many parents find that talking with their children about sexuality and reproduction can be overwhelming. There are many tools to help you, no matter if you’ve already begun talking with your children about sexuality and want help answering specific questions, or if you don’t know how to start the discussion. We hope reading about talking with your kids about sex and sexuality will be helpful.
There are also many other resources that can help:
Websites
SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change
Factsheets and Activities
Parents’ Checklist to Support their Children’s Sex Education
Talking About Consent and Healthy Relationships at Every Age
The Talk Show: Using TV to Talk With Your Children About Sex
Let's Talk: Tips for Talking With Your Teen About Sexuality
Let's Talk: Tips for Talking With Your Parents About Sex and Relationships
Parents and Teens Talk About Sexuality: A National Poll
Parents and Teens Talk About Sexuality: In Their Own Words
Just the Facts: Teen Sexual Behavior and Parent-Child Communication
Sex Ed Coloring Sheets and Games
Books About Talking with Your Children About Sexuality
For Goodness Sex: Changing the Way We Talk to Teens About Sexuality, Values, and Healthby Al Vernacchio
How to Talk with Teens About Love, Relationships, and S-E-X by Amy G. Miron and Charles D. Miron
Making Sense of "It": A Guide to Sex for Teens (and Their Parents, Too!) by Alison Macklin
Sex Positive Talks to Have With Kids by Melissa Pintor Carnagey
Sex & Sensibility: The Thinking Parent's Guide to Talking Sense About Sex by Deborah M. Roffman
Sex, Teens, and Everything In Between by Shafia Zaloom
Sexuality: Your Sons and Daughters With Intellectual Disabilities by Karin Melberg Schwier and David Hingsburger
Staying Connected to Your Teenager: How to Keep Them Talking to You and How to Hear What They're Really Sayingby Michael Riera
Talk to Me First: Everything You Need to Know to Become Your Kids' "Go-To" Person about Sexby Deborah Roffman
Teaching Children with Down Syndrome about Their Bodies, Boundaries, and Sexualityby Terri Couwenhoven
Why Do They Act That Way?: A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teenby David Walsh
Books for Children
There are books written about sexuality for children of different ages. Reading books about sexuality with your children is a great way for you to break the ice and start an ongoing discussion. And children will benefit from having books like these in your home to look at when they have questions about sexuality.
It's Not the Stork!: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends by Robie Harris (for ages 4 and up)
It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing up, Sex, and Sexual Health by Robie Harris (for ages 10 and up)
It's So Amazing!: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Familiesby Robie Harris (for ages 7 and up)
Let’s Talk About Sex by Robie Harris
Sex is a Funny Word: A book about bodies, feelings, and you by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth
The “What's Happening to My Body?” Book for Boys: A Growing Up Guide for Parents and Sons by Lynda Madaras and Martin Anderson (for ages 8 to 15)
The “What's Happening to My Body?” Book for Girls: A Growing Up Guide for Parents and Daughters by Lynda Madaras and Marcia Herman-Giddens (for ages 8 to 15)
What Makes a Baby? by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth
What's in There? All About Before You Were Born by Robie Harris (for ages 2-5)
What's the Big Secret?: Talking about Sex with Girls and Boys by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown (for ages 4-8)
Who Has What? All About Girls' Bodies and Boys' Bodies by Robie Harris (for ages 4-8)
You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender, Puberty, and Other Things by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth
Additional Resources
Don’t hesitate to seek out additional support. Talk with friends and family members about their experiences talking with their children about sexuality. Ask them what worked and what didn’t work for them.
You can also encourage your parent-teacher association (PTA), church, or temple to invite Planned Parenthood educators to talk with parents about this important topic.
