Exploring the Concept of Touch
- Tell the children that the key messages are: “there are no secrets about touch” and “all touch can be talked about”
- Have a volunteer join you and ask for permission to touch their shoulder. If volunteer says yes, touch their shoulder and tell them they’ve done a great job
- Ask the rest of the children if there was anything wrong with the touch? (No, because we asked for permission/consent). Check in with volunteer to make sure that the touch was okay; ask the volunteer how they felt about it
- Tell the children that you’re going to touch the volunteer in the same way again (touch their shoulder) and this time, tell them to keep it a secret and tell them it’s private between you two
- Ask the group if there was anything wrong with the touch? (Yes, because we did not ask for permission/consent the second time and we also asked them to keep the touch a secret. They also didn’t look comfortable with it)
- Ask the volunteer if they had a bit of an “uh-oh” feeling the second time; you can also ask the class to raise their hands if they also had a bit of an “uh-oh” feeling about this
- Talk to the children about how the “uh-oh” feeling can protect us and it’s a message that we need to pay attention to. When we get the “uh-oh” feeling, it means something is happening that is making us feel uncomfortable
- Ask the children if they’ve ever experienced the “uh-oh” feeling and ask for a show of hands. If time permitting, have a few children share some examples
- Ask the children if they’ve ever experienced the “uh-oh” feeling and ask for a show of hands. If time permitting, have a few children share some examples
- Again, re-emphasize the messages that “there are no secrets about touch” and that “all touch can be talked about”. If anyone gets an “uh-oh” feeling about touch or has been asked to keep a touch a secret, they need to get help from an adult
DVD-specific Review on Touch
- Review the kinds of touch covered in the video clip:
Touch that makes you feel good and/or happy
Touch that makes you feel hurt, bad, angry, sad, little, and/or frightened
Touch that makes you feel strange and/or uncomfortable - Tell the children that the key message is: “there are no secrets about touch”