All adolescents are not the same. Some mature a little faster or slower than others. When I talk to parents about what content they want to teach their adolescent about puberty, each one has their own idea about when and what to teach their child.

As I began to consider writing books about puberty, I went to Amazon and read the comments that had been written about books that were already available. The biggest concern parents expressed about the existing books was that they felt the content should be age-appropriate. They didn’t want their 8-year-old child learning about sexual topics just because there was only one resource. Rather than writing one book, I finally wrote five books for girls and five books for boys.

This is how I broke down the content based on what the child needed to learn as their body changed.

Ages 5-7 are the best years to introduce basic anatomy like the ovaries and uterus if you have a daughter and the genitals if you have a son.

Ages 8-9 are when the beginning signs of puberty become obvious. A change in body odor, a change in emotions, and breast buds.

Ages 10-13 and older is when the big changes begin to happen. Hormones are ushering in a maturing process that is profound. Also, this is the time when stunning changing are happening in their brain. At times, they might seem like a different child than they had been just one year before.

By the time they are 14-15 years old, most adolescents have completed puberty, and they are sexually mature. At this age, they need to learn about conception, contraception, and sexual health.

As you think about what to teach your child, consider what is happening in his or her body at the time. This is a great guide for you.