How to Explain Periods to a 7-year-old

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Talking about periods to a 7-year-old is probably something you won’t be looking forward to. However, they need to know how their body works. I’ve discovered some methods you can use to help explain/teach about periods.

How do you explain periods to a 7-year-old? The first thing is to make it simple. Don’t substitute important words, but also don’t go so in depth that they can’t follow you. You can use pictures and charts to make it easier to understand. 7-year-olds can understand the basics, so don’t be too shy about it. If you are too bashful and unclear, they probably won’t be able to understand exactly what you are trying to say.

You should probably be the one to explain periods to your 7-year-old. However, you don’t have to be. If you don’t feel that you are confident or adept enough at explaining, there are other ways you can explain.

Explain it To Them

If you are going to explain periods to your 7-year-old on your own, then remember to be as clear and simple as possible. It’s normal to be a bit lost and uncomfortable when you have to explain periods, but don’t let that stop you from trying.

Try explaining it yourself first, before referring your child to someone else.

When you explain it to them, you’ll know what they know. A lot of parents prefer to do it themselves because it’s more comfortable for their child. It is also a good trust building moment.

It opens the door for you to have other similar conversations in the future; conversations about sex, wet dreams, erections, and other natural bodily functions that are more personal and need explanations.

If you want to explain it yourself, but aren’t quite sure how to, here are a few steps you can take that will ensure you explain it well to them.

Do Research

Look up some videos and see for yourself how others explain it. If you do this, you will be more confident in your knowledge and less likely to stumble over your words when explaining a period.

It is also helpful to do research because everyone explains it differently. Whether it’s in-depth or more simple, you need to know what to say. The more you know about a subject, they better you are able to explain it.

If you educate yourself, it is that much easier to educate your child. And, don’t be embarrassed if you don’t know. It’s as easy as a snap of your fingers to learn something as simple as how a period works so you can explain it to your child.

Create the Right Atmosphere and Place

There is a time and a place to talk about such a personal thing as a period. Some children are more comfortable in groups while others are more comfortable one on one.

When I was in elementary school, they had something called the maturation program. We all went to the gymnasium and watched a video and some lady explained periods to us. I had NO CLUE what the heck she was talking about!

I sat all alone in the back without my mom. Mothers were encouraged to come, but having as many children as she did it was a bit more difficult for my mom to make it. She eventually got there, but it was near the end.

When I got home, my mom had to re-explain it all to me. (I still didn’t understand) At the program they had given me a hygiene starter kit and that’s it. I didn’t even know what a hygiene starter kit even meant. I was obviously a one on one type of child.

My sisters finally explained periods to me and taught me how it all worked and what to do. I was less confused and more confident in it. They explained it to me and my sister at the same time. It was the first time I actually understood what a period actually was.

The reason I was less confused is that my sisters sat down with me and looked me in the eyeballs to make sure I understood. They made it fun and were very loving about it.

Atmosphere is very important when you are teaching your child about their body. They need to be in an environment that allows them to pay attention and to learn.

The reason I couldn’t pay attention at the program was because my mom wasn’t there and I was the only child without a parent present. I was too embarrassed to focus.

I didn’t understand when my mom explained it either. I forgive her though because, she later told me how she disliked the maturation program because she wanted to explain periods to me and the program just made it so she couldn’t do it when she wanted to.

Make a Starter Kit

If you are about to teach a little girl about her period, having a pre-made “starter kit” and bag will do wonders. (Or if you just let her know that you have a special kit for her when she gets her period, that works too.)

Here are some things that should/could be in the starter kit:

Wet wipes
Feminine Wash
Feminine Spray
Tampons of all different sizes
Pads of all different sizes
Instructions on how to use each item
Deodorant
Perfume
Chocolate
Ibuprofen
Heating Pad
A letter from Mom of encouragement and excitement that they’re finally becoming a woman.

You don’t have to have all of these items in the starter kit, just be aware of how active your child may be and go from there. Some women get cramps and some don’t. Some women bleed more than others, etc.

Whatever you put in your child’s starter kit, be sure it’s something that you have explained or are willing to explain to your child.

You may want to explain each item and use the starter kit as a way to have a method to your explaining. It might help you to stay on track and keep your child’s attention. (And let’s be real, it’ll help you focus as well.)

Go For It!

Now that you are all prepared to explain periods to your 7-year-old, go for it! You’ve done your research, bought pieces for a starter kit, and you’ve set a time and place to explain it.

Make sure that your child feels as safe and comfortable as possible. You should be excited and positive about it. They need to understand that periods are normal.

For your little 7-year-old boys, it can’t hurt to educate them on how to treat young ladies when they are on their period. Giving them a little boy starter kit can’t hurt. I’ll let you use your imagination on that one.

Questions My Child May Have About Periods and How to Answer

Most of the questions a child will have about a period will have to do with their level of understanding. Here are a few questions and suggestions for possible answers.

What is a period?

Period is the name given to a very specific time of the month when women’s bodies are getting rid of the old and unused parts of an organ called their uterus. The uterus gets rid of these parts which causes women to bleed.

What is the Uterus?

The uterus is an organ inside the body where babies are made by the mom. Boy’s don’t have a uterus, only girls do.

What is a sanitary napkin/pad?

When you bleed, you need something to protect your clothes from getting dirty. Tampons and pads catch the bleeding and keep your clothes clean. The same goes for the wet wipes and wash, they are their to keep you clean as well.

Why do women have periods?

Women have periods because they have a uterus. The uterus is their for women to be able to have babies. Periods happen when a woman isn’t going to make a baby. The part of the uterus that keeps the baby safe gets bigger when an egg enters, and then it leaves the uterus when the egg dissolves.

This part is called the lining. When it sheds the woman has to wear a pad to protect her clothes from getting dirty.

Do women bleed because they are sick?

They don’t bleed because they are sick. Their body does this naturally as part of a process of renewing the bedding space for the next egg to come along and rest in.

Will I get a period?

This is a question you’ll likely hear from a 7-year-old whatever their sex. You could respond like this, “Only women get periods. You can only have a period if you have a uterus. If you are not a woman and you are bleeding then you probably have something wrong with your body. ”

Or like this, “Yes, you will get a period every month. It will last about 3-5 days and then it will be gone. It won’t come around again for another month.”

Let Your Doctor Explain

If you don’t even want to go near explaining a period to your child and you’d rather a professional do it, get in touch with your doctor. Doctors are knowledgeable and experienced. They explain medical topics all of the time and would be more than happy to help you out.

It isn’t the first time they’ve had to explain a period, and it won’t be the last.

Besides, it might be good for your child to hear it from someone like a doctor. A lot of children see doctors as knowing everything about the body. It could make it fun for them to go to a hospital and learn from the best.

Don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed if you have to ask a doctor for help in explaining periods to your child. They understand that the body is a very personal matter. Most people are hesitant to explain such intimate things with anyone at all. Some people are just more reserved.

Doctor’s work with people’s bodies all the time and have a lot of experience explaining things in a very simple way. They are good at putting things in a way that will be at your child’s intellectual level.

You may even take the chance to talk to your doctor about other subjects of a personal nature that will come up in the future. Ask them how you can explain those to your child. I’m sure that they will be more than happy to oblige.

Read a Book With Them

I have six sisters, and growing up my mom used many different methods to teach all of us girls about our periods. She tried explaining it herself and even bought books. By the time it got to me she didn’t really need to do much because my sister’s taught me.

However, my sisters recall even today how useful those books were for them even later in life when teaching their own children. One of my sisters used her book just last year to teach her own daughter about sex and periods. My niece is now very aware even though she gets embarrassed if you talk about it.

I guarantee that if your child loves books, they will learn very well from a book about periods. Here are some books from Amazon that explain periods and menstruation just as good as a doctor could- maybe even better.

The Period Book: A Girl’s Guide to Growing Up
The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls (I would suggest this one. This is what my mom got for my sisters when they were little and they loved this book. There is also a second and third book you can buy as your daughter ages.)
HelloFlo: The Guide, Period.
Growing Up: It’s a Girl Thing

These aren’t the only books that I’ve found. Amazon has a wide variety of books so go ahead and take a look.

You can read these books with your child, or you can let them read it on their own. My suggestion would be to let them read it on their own, and then go through it with them.

It is likely that they will have questions about what they read. This will help you to have a foundation to work with in teaching them. You won’t have to start from scratch, and you’ll get to spend some quality time with your child.

Let Youtubers Teach You How

With the rise of technology, there are a great deal of resources which are now at our beck and call than ever before. Use these resources to teach your children about periods.

There are so many great videos that can teach subjects and concepts more clearly than I could ever do. Watching a video is simple and easy. Besides, kids these days are all into technology now. All you have to do is look up what you want to know and then push the play button.

As an example, below are a couple of videos that can help explain periods to your child. I picked two of them that I would use with my own children. They are simple, fun, and they are straightforward. They use language your 7-year-old is sure to understand.

This first video explains what a period is and answers many questions your daughter might have. It has some fun cartoons that will keep your daughter’s attention. It can be used to teach a little boy, but a girl might be more interested in this one rather than the one that is below it.

Girls tend to be more concerned with how to deal with a period rather than what is actually going on inside her body. Girls will generally be more frightened about it because it’s happening to them. Boys will not be worried or scared about it.

This video will explain the process of the menstrual cycle. This video can be used to teach boys and girls about what is happening in the uterus in a very simple way.

This video won’t answer any of the questions your daughter might have about dealing with a period. But, it will answer the questions she might have about how it all works and why it works.

Tips for Explaining Periods to Your 7-Year-Old Son

Some of the ideas mentioned earlier can be used to explain menstruation to a boy, but there are some things that may be different. You may not have to spend as much time explaining a period to a boy.

You don’t have to show him how a tampon works or how to use a pad. As they get older they’ll figure it out or they’ll ask about it later. For now, they need to know how the uterus works and that women use products to keep themselves clean.

In addition, it can’t hurt to explain to them how they should talk about and treat periods. I remember being teased and bullied a bit about my period by boys when I was younger.

Educating your boys on a girl’s menstrual cycle and what really goes on will help them to have some sympathy. It also won’t hurt their romantic future to be aware.

Young boys need to learn and understand what happens during a woman’s period just as much as a girl does. It may not be happening to them directly every month, but it effects them indirectly every month if they interact with young women.

It’s better to get them started learning about it sooner rather than later. However uncomfortable it may be, it must be taught. And, if none of these methods appeal to you, feel free to do whatever you feel is best to teach your child.