Growth+&+Development

Growth & Development: Physical, Emotional and Sexual

Sex Growth and Development By: Bernard Tjahjadi

3-4 years
Characteristics of sexual development are:
 * Three- and four-year-olds are curious about where babies come from.
 * They explore other children's and adults' bodies because of their curiosity. "Playing doctor" and pretending to be mommy or daddy become more common activities.
 * They have increased interest in the differences between adults' and children's bodies.
 * By age four, girls may become intensely attached to their fathers and boys to their mothers.
 * Children begin to have a sense of modesty and can begin to understand the difference between private and public behavior.
 * For many children, genital touching increases, especially when they are tired or upset.
 * Three- and four-year-olds still have a concern about elimination and frequently use words that refer to bowel movements and urination.

**5-7 years**
Characteristics of sexual development
 * Children in this age group begin to have more contacts outside the family. Other children may bring up new ideas about sex.
 * They have increased need for privacy while bathing and dressing.
 * Five- to seven-year-olds often increase their use of sexual or obscene language (frequently to test parental reaction).
 * They are more interested in what it means to be male or female.
 * They give up wanting to "marry" mom or dad. Girls become closer to their mothers and boys to their fathers.
 * Children in this age group become more reticent about asking questions.
 * Masturbation continues to be common. Tell your child that this is not wrong, but it is something one does in private.

http://extension.missouri.edu/xplor/hesguide/humanrel/gh6002.htm GH6002, reviewed January 2001
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BY: Bernard Tjahjadi