Step One – Keep It Science-Based

One of the biggest questions parents often wrestle with is:
How do I talk to my kids about sex? When do I start? How much is too much?

I found myself asking the very same things. For us, the “right time” came unexpectedly—when my daughter and her friend watched the movie Matilda. In one scene, the idea of being “unwanted” or a “mistake” comes up. The girls picked up on it and, as kids do, launched into a string of rapid-fire questions about how someone could mistakenly get pregnant. My personal favorite: “If I drink water, can I get pregnant?”

Because the questions came up while the girls were together, the other mom and I decided to tackle it jointly. We let them know we’d sit down the following week to answer their questions. That gave us time to think through what we were comfortable covering now and what we wanted to save for later.

Our goal was to create what I call Step One of the Bigger Conversation—introducing kids to the basics in a way that’s age-appropriate, factual, and curiosity-friendly.

Creating a Safe, Normal Setting

nstead of turning it into a Big Serious Talk, we treated it more like a playdate—with dinner, laughter, and conversation. After eating, while everyone was still relaxed, we sat down to go through the girls’ questions (which we had them write down earlier in the week).

Beforehand, the other mom and I compared notes: what we wanted to cover, what we weren’t ready to dive into yet, and how to frame this as just the first of many conversations. Setting those boundaries gave us confidence and helped the kids understand that this would be an ongoing dialogue that grows as they do.

By keeping the setting casual and familiar, the conversation felt natural, not intimidating. The unspoken message was clear: this is simply another important topic we can talk about openly with our parents.

Sticking to Top-Level Science

For kids ages 6–8 (our girls had just turned 7), the goal isn’t to overwhelm them with details but to lay a clear, science-based foundation.

Here’s how we framed it:

• Start with what they know. We asked, “What do you already know about sex?” to get a sense of their perspective and curiosity.
• Bodies have different parts. We kept it simple: boys have a penis, girls have a vagina. (Nothing new here, but it grounded the conversation.)
• Babies start with an information exchange. We explained that when a penis goes into a vagina, information is exchanged.
• That information is genes. This was the fun part! We explained that genes are like little instruction cards that decide things like hair color, height, or eye color.

To make it interactive, we used personal examples: my daughter has hazel eyes like me, so we asked her, “Who do you think gave you that gene?” Her friend has red hair, so we did the same. Before long, the conversation turned into giggles about genes vs. jeans—a reminder that humor is both natural and welcome when kids are learning.

The entire conversation lasted maybe 20 minutes before they moved on to the next thing. We wrapped up with two key takeaways:

1. This was information just for them—other families will have these conversations when they’re ready, but they can always talk to each other.
2. This was only the first of many conversations.

By keeping things at this level, the kids came away understanding reproduction as science and biology—not magic, accidents, or “mistakes.”

Why Starting Early Matters

Kids are naturally curious, and their questions often come out of the blue. Meeting them with simple, science-based answers builds trust. They learn:

• They can come to you with big questions.
• Their curiosity won’t be shut down.
• Facts are better than myths or playground rumors.

And as a parent, you establish yourself as their go-to source of information. Every curious question becomes an opportunity to connect instead of brushing them off.

Final Thought

Talking to your kids about sex doesn’t need to be one Big Talk. Breaking it into age-appropriate, bite-sized conversations makes it far less intimidating—for them and for you. Think of it as a series of mini-conversations that grow alongside your child. Start with the basics of science and genetics, then build layer by layer over time.

The reason starting early and often matters so much is simple: kids are like sponges. They’ll soak up information from somewhere, and eventually, they’ll be full. I want to be the one filling my daughter’s sponge with the right drops of information. That means embracing her curiosity, answering her questions honestly, and establishing myself as her go-to person for anything and everything.

We know it takes a village to raise a child—and a village of tools, too. That’s why we created the Bright Littles Favorite Tool Shop. From the books we love for talking about sex ed, puberty, and menstruation, to the calming tools I’ve used with my own daughter for anxiety and nerves—you’ll find our go-tos all in one place. Keep the conversations going with Bright Littles. Find us on Amazon here!