Early Childhood: Personal Space & Privacy

1. An important lesson to teach the child at this age is the concept of personal space. You have to tell the child that their body and the air around their body belongs to them. It is their ‘personal space’ and that no one can violate that space without their consent.
2. Tell that if anyone, a friend, an adult, a relative violates this personal space without consent, they have to yell a loud ‘NO’ and run from there to you and tell you what happened. Practice yelling a loud ‘No’ together with your child.
3. Tell them that no one can photograph them with out their permission. And no one, under any circumstances can photograph their private body parts. This is also an invasion of personal space.
4. Tell them that a violation of personal space must never be kept a secret.
5. Explain to them how bathing and changing clothes are private activities. And that no one can look at them or be present around them without their consent.
6. Tell them that just like them, everyone has their own ‘personal spaces’ that should not be violated by anyone, including them.
7. Kids in early childhood are likely to indulge in experimental touching and rubbing of private parts. Gently and appropriately, discourage them from doing so without passing a judgement or reprimanding them harshly.