so, from memory, what makes a baby, mummy laid an egg, the bottoms book, any of the individual Robie Harris books would be good to start with.
What is a good book to give my 12 year old boy. I would like him to be well informed by reading for himself and not influenced by his peers
Okay, now my copy hasn’t arrived yet but I do have his other book and it is fantastic and for boys – Jo Langford – Spare me the talk!
Another good one that I do have a copy of and love is by Amy Lang – Dating Smarts: What every teen needs to know to date, relate or wait! There are lots of others but these two people know their stuff!
Thanks for the reminder that I need to discuss these topics with my 9 year old girl. I thought I could wait awhile longer, but I see that is not the case! Could you recommend a few reputable educational books she could read in private? I’m sure there are a lot of books out there, but I have no idea where to start. Thanks again.
Hi Michele, yeah, sorry to say it, but the times are a changing! Which means that we need to start talking to our kids a little bit earlier about some stuff! Puberty is one of them!
My fave book on puberty for young girls is Secret Girls Business by Fay Angelo/Heather Anderson/Rose Stewart (they have 2 more that add on the content + a boys one). Another is the ones by Kelli Dunham – the Girls Body Book (+ a boys one). There are many others but i think that these two are perfect for the first intro to puberty.
Just make sure that when you give them to your daughter, that she knows that she can come to you with her questions. I have just read both of these with my 10 year old in the evening just before bed. It worked quite well and even I learnt a few things that I had forgotten!
I do have a blog post on my making friends sites website on how to read these sort of books with kids that may help –
Hi there! Can you please recommend educational books for 6.5 year old boy or the time period you describe as 6-8?
I love the layout of your giveaway too
This is an epic article. Thanks Cath. I think my 7 year old and I are ready to have another chat. Thanks for helping us.
Dear Cath! It was always confusing for me to chat with my 9 year old daughter about this topic. Your article really helped! Thank you very much!
- To respect other people’s privacy. For example, if the bathroom door is closed, that they should knock and ask if they can come in.
If you are struggling with the words to use, there are some fantastic sex education books that you can use. They provide the information and are written in an age-appropriate way. Also, at this age, they don’t notice if you slip an educational book into the pile of books that you read before bed each night!
This is the stage where your kids believe and absorb everything you say – so don’t waste this opportunity to set yourself up as their main source for information. If you don’t they will just get it from somewhere else (friends and the media).
Adolescence and beyond…
Nice article. Quick comment. The article states that fertility begins when girls start having their periods. But, in fact, we know that a girl can get pregnant before her first period, since the egg drops before the period begins. I’ve always thought that to be a pretty important detail.
The current ‘trend’ is to let kids know that it is okay to ‘touch their private parts ‘ (or to fiddle) but that there is a time and a place for it.
Surprised to see such a gender normative approach. We really need to start early letting kids know that Most boys have a penis and most girls have a vulva…to allow for more gender fluidity, and to create more acceptance in the future. My 3 year old and 8 year old have not had any problems with getting that the gender someone was assigned at birth may not match the gender someone feels they are. I want my kids to accept that as normal from day one.
There are some books listed there and they are set up based on what you need from preschool and up.