Nursery World - A delicate situation

Discussions about bodies can raise issues which need to be dealth with sensitively. Jennie Lindon suggests how you can be prepared A topic like 'Our bodies' can generate some subtle and potentially delicate issues, so discuss within your team some of the scenarios you might face.

A topic like 'Our bodies' can generate some subtle and potentially delicate issues, so discuss within your team some of the scenarios you might face.

Awkward questions

Plan how to respond to awkward questions. You may feel that some questions are straightforward. If Hannah asks, 'How big will I be when i grow up?', you can explain that children normally end up a similar height to their parents. But suppose she aks, 'Why does Annop walk all wobbly?' She still needs a simple reply from an adult who is not tempted to dodge issues around disability. The reply might be, 'Because Annop has cerebal palsy and his brain doesn't send his legs clear messages.' Annop may, of course, want to answer himself.

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