PRIMARY STUDENTS
Objective: To help children distinguish the difference between good and bad (appropriate or inappropriate) touch. To affirm a child’s right to say no to an adult who makes them feel uncomfortable.

Prayer that speaks of God’s love.

Kinds of Touch and a Child’s Right to Privacy

Introduce by saying, “God loves us so much. God created us to be happy. He gave us our bodies. What are some happy things we do with our bodies?” (run, jump, sing, skate, laugh, smell flowers, pet puppies, hug our parents, play, see new faces….)

Touching is something we do with our hands. We give and receive touches. What are some good kinds of touches? Good touches make us hay and comfortable and loved.

What about bad kinds of touches that make us feel sad, confused or uncomfortable? Can you name some of those? (When someone forces you to kiss or touch them, when someone tickles you too much even when you have said “stop”, when someone touches you in the private areas of your body).

Review the private areas of our bodies – those covered by a bathing suit. Point out that no one should ever touch those private parts of our bodies. There are exceptions, like when the doctor has to examine us when there is something wrong, or when we need to ask our parents to help us with something. We should try to take care of our own bodies as best we can by ourselves.

Learning the Skills to Avoid Bad Touching

Your bodies belong to YOU. Whenever a person bothers you with a bad, “not OK” touch, you can say “NO.” Even if it is an adult or someone who is bigger than you, or someone you even love and know well. Let’s hear you all say “NO”.

You may ask children to stand and this time say “no” with their voices and their bodies. Show them how to move back and hold up their hand in a stop motion.
“After we say “NO” in a big voice and hand motion, what do you think you should do then?”
Answer: Go tell an adult that you trust!

Sometimes a bad touch is scary and you might feel scared to tell someone, but it is important to do that. Remember you can’t get into trouble when you tell someone the truth about a bad touch. When someone touches you that way, it is NEVER your fault. Adults are supposed to keep you safe and need to know when someone made you feel unsafe.

End lesson as you usually do with a prayer.

MIDDLE GRADE STUDENTS

Objective: To help children recognize the lures used by those who sexually victimize children. To give children strategies for keeping from being tricked into uncomfortable and dangerous situations.

Opening psalm or prayer that speaks of God’s care: Ps. 23 “The Lord is My Shepherd”

Identifying Safe People in our Lives

Begin by asking, “who are the adults that make you feel safe?” (Try not to get generic categories, like, “teachers, parents”, etc. Instead encourage them to name folks, Mom, Mrs.. Brown, etc.) Continue by asking, “what do they do to make you feel safe?” After they process the first 2 questions, tell children that most adults want us to be safe and try to protect us, but sometimes there are people that do not make us feel safe and protected, and make us feel uncomfortable. “What are some things people say or do to make us uncomfortable?”
You may get a variety of responses, but zero in on or prompt responses around unwelcome affection (over-tickling, forced kissing), uncomfortable touches, verbal control, being alone with someone, being tricked into doing something you don’t want to do…..

Identifying Lures

Today we are going to learn to recognize people who cannot be trusted to keep you safe or try to trick you into situations that make you uncomfortable. Ask, “Are these persons always strangers?” Affirm that often these “tricky” people are known to you and try to get you to like or trust them first. The ways they do this are called “lures”. Do you know what some lures are?”

Responding to Lures

What do you think you would do if someone used one of those lures on you to try to get you into an uncomfortable situation? It is important to follow a few special safety rules for avoiding tricky people with lures (even if they are known to you):

1) Know you always have the right to say “NO” to anyone who makes you feel uncomfortable , even if it is an adult and you were taught to do what adults tell you. You have the right to be respected and tell someone that is what you need. For Ex., “Uncle Tom, I feel uncomfortable when you keep tickling me. I need you to stop when i say it is enough!”

2) Tell a trusted person (you named some already) when someone makes you feel uncomfortable or when someone tells you to keep a secret about an uncomfortable situation. Even if someone threatens you if you tell, it is important to still tell.

3) Always let a trusted adult know where you are at all times and who will be with you. Never be in a situation where you are alone with a person who makes you feel uncomfortable.

4) Always stay alert! Sometimes we might know what a lure is, but we get involved in the situation and get tricked without realizing it.

Suggested closing: Draw a picture of something you learned that helps keep you safe. End with a blessing!

JUNIOR HIGH STUDENTS

Objective: To help youth recognize lures used by those who sexually victimize others via anonymity of the Internet. To give young teens skills to avoid being victimized by internet sexual predators.

Prayer: Psalm 136 “I have formed you and I know you, says the Lord.”
Reflect on God who knows us better than anyone and calls us by name.

Watching Out While Having Fun

Ask young people what are some things they like to do for fun?
When we decide to do something for fun, we tend to just do it an only think about the fun it will be.

Rarely, if ever, do we think about the dangers that something fun might hold….For example, we think that roller blading is fun, and it is! But it’s more fun when we are aware of and prepare for the dangers inherent in roller blading. We need to know how to stop, what protective gear to wear, etc., If so, it can be great fun.

What are some of the dangers to be aware of in the things you mentioned above? How many of you think surfing the net and meeting people online is fun?

Internet Safety Scenarios

Divide the group into 3 and give each group one of the following scenarios to talk about. Call the group back together to report on what they said.

A) You create a screen name by using your first name, last initial and birth date to make it easy for you to remember. It is easy to remember, but is this screen name a good idea? Why or Why not?

B) You are in a chat room and someone starts to talk to you. She says she is your age and lives in a nearby town. At the end of a long conversation, she says she wants to meet with you. You really want to make some new friends and are interested in meeting her. What do you do?

C) You are creating your own website. You want to make it in your personal style. What information should you put on it and what should you avoid putting on it?

If the young people come up with ideas for internet safety, affirm them then mention the others they did not come up with. Review some of the dangers and lures that predators use via the anonymity of the internet.

Using the Internet Safely

Ask young people to come up with some “Ten Commandments” for online safety. Fill in what they missed. Talk about the importance of parents in helping them to avoid the dangers of the Internet and to keep their online use safe and fun!