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The Human Body
Tips on How to Talk to Your Preschooler
By Teri Brown
Preschool children are very curious about their bodies and how they work. "Why?" seems to be their mantra as they ask what this is and what it does, over and over and over again. Helping our children understand their bodies and how to take care of them is part of our job as parents. The trick is doing it so children this age can understand.
Stacy DeBroff, President and founder of Mom Central, Inc., a company devoted to providing pragmatic tips and advice to strengthen busy families and enhance the home environment, believes that while preschoolers are curious about their bodies and need to know the basics, they usually don't want or understand more than that
"As a parent, the temptation is to go into more details than kids this age care about," says DeBroff. "So the best technique is to keep it simple, and then ask if your child has any other questions...at which point they have likely already run off to play with a toy."
Games, like Simon Says, that name the body parts or reinforce them are wonderful at this age. Debroff suggests starting with the basics, then adding details like eyelashes or "named fingers" like pinky or pointer. As your child becomes more adept, throw in some toughies like pupil of your eye, or one nostril. Make your children laugh by including some just plain silly ones like funny bone or baby toe.