Lesson 8 — My Body Belongs to Me

Summary

The unit’s capstone teaches that each person’s body belongs to them. Learners tell safe touch from unsafe touch, learn the correct names for the private parts a swimsuit covers, and practice saying no and telling a trusted adult. The lesson gathers the whole unit — food, water, sleep, movement, first aid, and body safety — into one message: my body is healthy, safe, and strong, and it belongs to me.

Objectives

• Describe safe and unsafe touch and the correct names for private body parts, and practice saying no and telling an adult. (D03.S4.03.02)

Connection

Your body is yours. From the day you were born, it has been yours to live in, and no one else may touch it without your okay. Some touches feel safe and wanted — a hug you ask for, a high-five, a doctor checking you with your permission. Some touches feel unsafe or unwanted — and you always have the right to say no, to say stop, and to tell a trusted adult. Today you will learn your rights and practice using them.

Materials

• “Safe and unsafe touch” scenario cards
• A “body belongs to me” picture (private parts shaded)
• Each learner’s “my trusted adults” list
• Role-play puppets or dolls

Preparation

• Prepare the scenario cards and the “body belongs to me” picture.
• Read the facilitator note fully, including the safeguarding guidance, before teaching.
• Use the correct, respectful names for private body parts: penis, vulva, and bottom (anus) — the parts a swimsuit covers, plus the chest.

Facilitator note

This lesson is written to the learner (“you”). Read this note fully before teaching.

• Keep the tone calm, matter-of-fact, and empowering. This is about a child’s rights and safety, never about frightening them and never about shame.
• Use the correct, respectful names for private body parts — penis, vulva, and bottom (anus) — and the general rule that private parts are the parts a swimsuit covers (plus the chest). Correct names are a recognized child-protection practice: a child who knows the right words can tell clearly and be understood. Where a family or community uses different words, honor those words too, while still teaching that private parts have real names.
• Safe touch is touch that is wanted and okay (a hug you ask for, a high-five, a doctor checking you with your permission). Unsafe touch is touch you do not want, or touch of private parts for no good reason. The rule is simple and body-based: your body belongs to you, you may say no to any touch you do not want, and “no” and “stop” always count.
• Practice every scenario with a doll or puppet, never with real bodies, and never ask a learner to act out unsafe touch.
• Honor every way of speaking up: saying, signing, pointing, showing a picture, or writing all count. A learner who is deaf or hard of hearing practices “no” and “stop” in their sign language and points to the cards; face the learner for every demonstration. A learner who is blind or has low vision names the private parts aloud and practices the words, with the picture described clearly.
• If a child discloses abuse or an unsafe situation: stay calm; believe them; thank them for telling you; do not promise secrecy; do not press for details or ask leading questions; tell your designated safeguarding lead and follow your local child-protection procedure immediately.
• This closes the unit. The trusted-adult list and any drawings are portfolio artifacts. Celebrate how much each learner can now do for their own health and safety.

Procedure

1. Gather (5 min). Remember your body’s needs — food, water, sleep, and movement — and the first aid you learned. Now learn one more thing: your body belongs to you.
2. Private parts have real names (10 min). The parts a swimsuit covers are private parts: the penis, the vulva, and the bottom (anus), plus the chest. They are normal parts of your body, and they have real names. Knowing the real names helps you tell clearly if you ever need to. These parts are private — not because they are bad, but because they belong to you.
3. Safe and unsafe touch (10 min). A safe touch is one you want and feel good about — a hug you ask for, a high-five, a doctor checking you with your permission. An unsafe touch is one you do not want, or touch of private parts for no good reason. Look at the cards and sort them: safe or unsafe?
4. You can say no (10 min). Your body belongs to you, so you may say no to any touch you do not want. Practice in a strong, calm voice: “No.” “Stop.” “I don’t like that.” You can also sign or show a picture. Practice with a doll or a partner — the doll stands in for you, never a real body.
5. Tell a trusted adult (10 min). If someone touches you in a way you do not want, or touches your private parts, tell a trusted adult. If the first grown-up is busy or doesn’t understand, tell another, and another, until someone listens and helps. Telling is never wrong, and you are never in trouble for telling.
6. Gather the whole unit (5 min). Say it together: “My body needs food, water, sleep, and movement. I can do first aid for small hurts. My body belongs to me — I can say no and tell a trusted adult. My body is healthy, safe, and strong, and so am I.”

Differentiation

• Support: Use two or three scenario cards and practice one “no” phrase many times; model the words and a calm voice.
• Support (non-speaking): Practice “no” and “stop” with a sign, a picture card, or a point; match safe and unsafe touches by pointing to the cards.
• Support (blind/low-vision): Practice the words aloud and name the private parts by their real names; describe the picture and the scenarios clearly.
• Extension: Name a second trusted adult to tell, in order, as they would if the first were busy, and explain why correct names help keep a child safe.

Assessment

• Formative (observation): Can the learner name one private part correctly and, in their own way, say no and name a trusted adult to tell?
• Portfolio: The trusted-adult list and any drawings become unit portfolio artifacts.
• Self: The learner names the safe rule of the lesson — “my body belongs to me” — and one trusted adult they would tell.

Home connection

With a grown-up, name your body’s needs and your trusted adults, and practice saying a strong “no” and “stop.” Remember: your body belongs to you, and telling is never wrong.

Resources

• World Health Organization, “Preventing violence against children” and the INSPIRE strategies (correct names, saying no, and telling keep children safe): https://www.who.int/teams/social-determinants-of-health/violence-prevention