Unit 1: My Strong Self — Children consolidate interoceptive awareness into clear body safety rules they understand, own, and can articulate. Grades 1 to 3, designed for the classroom and the home.
Hall (2023), drawing on Reid-Merritt (2010), frames self determination as the foundation of liberation work. Knowing what belongs to you, what you value, and having that count is not just an emotional skill. It is a political and protective one.
Body autonomy is one of the earliest and most concrete sites where children can practise self determination. When a child says no to unwanted touch and that no is respected, they are rehearsing the internal process they will rely on in every future situation where their boundaries are tested.
The rules in this session are not a script to memorise. They are a framework for children to internalise and eventually make their own. Encourage children to rewrite these rules in their own words. Their version is the one that will actually stay with them.
Hall, S. (2023). Shaping identities: How social work education made me white. Master of Social Work Thesis, McMaster University.
Reid-Merritt, P. (2010). Righteous self determination: The black social work movement in America. Inprint Editions.
Research consistently shows that children who know the correct anatomical names for their body parts are more likely to disclose abuse, more likely to be understood when they do, and more likely to be believed by adults and in legal contexts.
Using nicknames or euphemisms, while well intentioned, can create confusion and make it harder for children to communicate clearly if something happens to them.
Using correct anatomical terms in a calm matter of fact tone teaches children that their whole body is normal, nameable, and worth talking about. It removes shame and builds the communication confidence that keeps children safer.
For children who giggle or react with embarrassment: this is completely normal and expected. Acknowledge it briefly and continue matter of factly. The adult's calm normalises the language faster than any explanation will.
Tobin, J., Specker, S., and Mullamphy, D. (2020). Early childhood educators and the prevention of child sexual abuse. Early Childhood Education Journal.
Darkness to Light (2023). Stewards of Children. darknesstolightorg
You: Last week we talked about what your body knows. This week we are talking about the rules that protect what your body knows.
I want to start with something important. Your body safety rules apply everywhere. At home, at school, with friends, with family, and online.
Let me say that again. Online too.
If anyone ever asks you to share a photo of your private parts, or sends you a photo of theirs, or asks you to do something on a screen that involves your body in a way that feels wrong, those are your body safety rules being broken. Online.
You do not have to figure out what to do alone. You tell a trusted adult. That is the rule.
Now we are going to look at some scenarios together. These are situations that real kids your age encounter. I want you to work with a partner first and think about what you would do.
Remember: there is no perfectly right answer for every situation. What matters is that you know your rules and you trust what your body is telling you.
This session may prompt disclosures. Before facilitating this content review your mandatory reporting obligations and ensure you know your school or organisation reporting pathway.
If a child discloses during or after this session: Stay calm. Thank them for telling you. Do not ask leading questions. Tell them it is not their fault. Tell them you are going to help them. Follow your mandatory reporting protocol immediately.
Children rarely disclose in the middle of a group session. More often disclosures happen quietly after, in a one on one moment. Make yourself available after this session.
For children who have experienced abuse or trauma: This content can be activating. Watch for signs of withdrawal, distress, or dysregulation. Offer the option to step out with a trusted adult. Never require participation in scenario work for this week.
For children who minimise or dismiss body safety content: Do not push or debate. Plant the seed clearly and move on. The information is now in them even if they do not show it.
For children who ask very specific questions that suggest personal experience: Follow your disclosure protocol. Do not explore the question in the group setting.
The scenario sorting activity on Worksheet 2 can be completed verbally in a one on one setting for children who find group work activating for this topic.
All written responses can be completed verbally with a trusted adult recording the child's answers on their behalf.
Test each other on the body safety rules. One person asks the question. The other answers.
Pick three body safety rules that matter most to you. Rewrite each one in your own words so it sounds like you.
Now read them out loud to yourself. Do they sound like you? Do they feel true? These are your rules now.
Complete this on your own then share it with one of the people you write down.
I need to tell you something and I need you to really listen.
Practise saying that sentence out loud right now. Three times. It gets easier every time you say it.
Talk through each scenario together. What would you do? Who would you tell?