We Are in Charge of Our Bodies

Book excerpt: Support young children as they learn the importance of setting physical boundaries. Being in charge of one’s body is a key foundation of consent. We Are in Charge of Our Bodies builds children’s social and emotional skills and helps with setting physical boundaries. The sixth book in the We Say What’s Okay series, We Are in Charge of Our Bodies follows Jackson and his classmates as they learn the names for their private body parts, that they can say what’s okay for their bodies, and why it’s important to respect others’ bodies. Using the book as a read-aloud, educators and families can model language to help children as they learn how to set and respect physical boundaries. The author, who hosts workshops and trainings on teaching boundaries and consent for families and early childhood educators around the country, offers additional activities in the back of the book. We Are in Charge of Our Bodies includes an introduction to adult readers about the book’s topic. Digital content features a letter to share with teachers and families and a song from Peaceful Schools with downloadable audio files and sheet music. We Say What's Okay Series Centered around a class of preschoolers, this series helps teach young children the social and emotional skills they need to understand the complexities of consent. Each book covers a consent theme, such as how to recognize the physical sensations that emotions create, look for body language cues, ask for and listen to choices, and know that our bodies have value. With believable, everyday situations and diverse characters, children can see themselves and others reflected in each story—and develop a vocabulary to communicate consent and feelings. Every book in the series is accompanied by its own song from Peaceful Schools with downloadable audio files and sheet music.