Game Rules of Touch

In Good Touch Bad Touch we saw how sexual predators use everyday touch to trick, confuse and desensitize children. Flowers and animal activities were suggested as easy ways to help your children learn the sneakiness between good touch turning into bad touch.

Here’s another two super easy protective play ideas to weave into your everyday life. Remember that the more you protectively play, the better the chance that your child will not be hurt by those horrible people that try to trick them with touch.

Rule poster: Make up a poster collage that depicts good touches that turn to bad touches. Even an ice cream on a hot day leading up to a melted ice cream and a sad child is a great example of good touch to bad touch and is something that most children would be able to identify with. Draw a big red line through the middle of the collage, through the behaviours that are beginning to become suspicious, and tell your children that it is at this point that they must tell the person that they are going to tell on them. This is not tittle-tattling or dobbing. This is you protecting your children against the possibility of sexual abuse.

Traffic Lights: When teaching children colours many parents use some sort of reward system for when the child gets the colour right. If you show behaviours as traffic lights, where green is good touch, orange is suspicious or iffy “I’m going to tell” touch, and red is “No way! I’m telling now” touch, it is easy for them to remember that behaviours can change from go to stop. Reward your child for correct guessing of behaviours. A sticker, or a story, is better than a food reward as food and good nutrition is a child’s right, not a treat.

Related articles:
Understanding Protective Behaviors in keeping Children Safe
BITSS of Touch