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Growing up nude4/6/2023 ![]() ![]() Sexual Development in Early Childhood: Infants, Toddlers, and PreschoolersĬhildren as young as 3 years of age can identify their own gender (girl or boy), and then, soon after, can identify the gender of others. They may play or dress up as people of the opposite sex. They often pretend to be something or someone else. The behavior is impulsive, without much thought.Ĭhildren often play make-believe. They have a poor understanding of the long-term consequences of their behavior.Ĭhildren’s typical sexual behavior (such as curiously looking at another child) is unplanned. Preschool children have limited ability to plan and control their behavior. Whether or how often a child repeats sexual behavior is often related to how caregivers respond to the child’s initial sexual behavior. They try to avoid discomfort, including getting in trouble.They want approval, praise, and rewards from their parents. They imitate behaviors of other children and adults, and play “doctor,” “house,”or “mommy and daddy” with other children.Ĭhildren want to avoid being punished by their parents. They learn about behaviors by watching the people around them and imitating them. Young children will use the technical labels (such as vagina, vulva, penis, anus), if taught these terms. These words can be exciting to children who will use the words repeatedly, particularly with other kids. They use words related to urination (“pee-pee”) and defecation (“poo-poo”) when labeling their private parts. ![]() They learn through their senses, especially by using sight and touch. They learn through their senses,especially by using sight and touch. This curiosity includes wanting to see how boys’ and girls’ body parts are different. They are curious about physical differences between boys and girls and between children and adults. They are curious about the world, about how things work, and about how things are similar and different from each other. They may appear to not care about how other people feel because they don’t fully understand the impact of their behavior on others. They will undress and run around nude in front of others. They often lack modesty and want to be comfortable. They do not see themselves from other people’s viewpoints. Preschool Children’s Development and Behavior Typical Cognitive, Language, and Social Development in Preschool Children NCTSN Sexual Development and Behavior in Children (Spanish) NCTSN Sexual Development and Behavior in Children The following links lead to downloadable handouts from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network about sexual development and behavior in children. The “ What is Problematic Sexual Behavior” section provides information on the differences between typical sexual behavior and problematic sexual behavior in more detail. The following sections provide more details about the development of sexual knowledge and behavior in children. Knowing about children’s behavior and how it changes as they grow can help caregivers determine if a child’s sexual behavior is typical or something to be concerned about. Preschool-age children have little sense of modesty. For example, young children seek pleasure and avoid discomfort or pain, so if they are uncomfortable in their clothes, they will take them off, not thinking about being nude in front of others. The relationship between children’s general development and their sexual behavior is provided in the second column. The table below gives examples of young children’s general development and how they learn throughout the preschool years. All aspects of children’s development-including cognitive, language, motor, social, emotional, and sexual development-are linked to each other. This section will provide information about typical sexual development and how it is different from sexual behavior problems.Ĭhildren’s sexual awareness starts in infancy and continues to strengthen throughout preschool and school-age years. ![]() Many parents are unsure how to know when a certain sexual behavior-such as when a child touches another child’s private parts-might be “playing doctor” or might signify a more serious issue. Those books also hardly ever explain the difference between typical/normal sexual behavior and sexual behavior problems. Child development books and other educational materials for parents rarely include any information about sexual development. ![]()
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