Concept
Touching can be warm, affectionate, and caring.
Objectives
Children will be able to:
- Identify appropriate "okay touches."
- Express an awareness of feelings associated with "okay touches."
Teacher Information
Positive touching results in a child feeling good, warm, nurtured, and comfortable. This section emphasizes positive touching with children and a review of the many experiences children have with gentle touching. Try and relate "okay touches" to other classroom experiences during the day.
At this point in the curriculum, teachers should introduce anatomically correct dolls (clothed) to help demonstrate "okay touch" and to help roleplay the situations. Using the dolls in this way will enable the children to become familiar with them naturally before they are used as anatomical models for inappropriate touch. It might be helpful to have the children name the dolls to enhance this relationship.
Picture Description and Suggested Language Guidelines
Many people touch us. Sometimes a friend touches us. Sometimes a person in our family touches us. Sometimes a teacher touches us.
- Look, here is a picture of a daddy and his little girl. She is sitting on her daddy's lap. They are watching television. They feel good and are happy. The little girl loves to be with her daddy. This is an "okay touch."
Activities
- Make a chart or poster of faces depicting an entire range of different feelings (i.e., happy, sad, angry, confused, etc.).
- Make a book or poster of pictures from magazines representing "okay touches."
- Make a "Feeling Bag or Box" for "okay touch." Use tactile examples such as feathers, cotton balls, make-up brush, flannel, soft plush toys, etc.
- Demonstrate examples of "okay touches"-pat on arm, stroke on cheek, arm around shoulder.
- Use dolls to demonstrate “okay touch."