Resources to Support Effective Conversations

• Why open, on-going, age-appropriate conversations with your kids about sex are important 

• How to explore and manage your own emotions and messages about sex and relationships before you talk with your kids 

• Why vulnerability is important 

• How to honor your child's or teen's complicated or strong emotions 

• How to ask careful questions 

• Tips for successful conversations 

• Conversation openers 

• What answering questions could sound like 

• What information is age appropriate 

This page allows you to explore by age and topic area. Whether you have a preschooler or a high schooler, this site provides tips on how to talk with them in an age-appropriate way about their body, identity, and personal safety. It also provides guidance on what they need to know at this age about social skills, relationships, pregnancy and reproduction, and sex and sexuality. Free. Good for those who learn by reading. 

This page helps you build a script to respond to a question or start a conversation on a wide variety of topics, tailored to specific age groups. Use their easy drop-downs and then customize for your family.  Free. Good for figuring out what to do in a specific situation. 

This resource from TeenSource offers short, accessible tips, messages and suggested activities by age. Free. Good for short attention spans.. 

This helpful blog covers many topics: talking about pornography, supporting consent in everyday life, making the talks more fun, answering sex-related questions, etc.  They also have a great list of suggested additional resources. Free. Subscribing to the blog is a good way to remind yourself to have these conversations frequently. 

They have an enormous library of short videos (2-5 minutes) on hundreds of sexual health related topics. Free. Great as conversation-starters, particularly if there’s a specific topic you want to cover (like online safety, porn, body image, etc.).