I am me, I can say No

Little children may not always have the words to express discomfort, but they deserve the
knowledge to recognize it. With this belief, the project “I Am Me, I Can Say No” stepped into a preschool to gently educate young minds about good touch and bad touch, planting the seeds of awareness, confidence, and self-protection. For this purpose, we chose a preschool in Hanwella with nearly 45 little children. We planned a few activities to teach them, as they were still very young and might not understand the depth behind the topic.
We visited the preschool in the morning, and it was filled with the joy of noisy little children. First, we wanted to be friendly with them, so we sang a few songs together, helping them feel comfortable around us. After that, we used the Swimming Kit Rule to teach the children about good touch and bad touch. The Swimming Kit Rule is a simple and effective method used to teach young children about body autonomy, personal boundaries, and the distinction between good and bad touch. It defines private areas of the body as those covered by a swimsuit, empowering children to recognize and speak up about inappropriate contact. This helped the children understand which parts of the body are private and that they should protect them from inappropriate contact by strangers.

Then, to teach them how to recognize strangers, we asked the children to draw themselves and the people they love such as their mother, father, sister, brother, and teacher inside a circle. We explained that these are the people who care for and protect them, and that if someone outside the circle tried to approach them in an inappropriate way, they should immediately tell one of the loved ones inside the circle. After that, we also taught them a short poem titled “These Are My Private Parts” to help them identify the private parts of their bodies. Since they were very young, the poem helped them understand the concept of good touch and bad touch more easily. The head teacher of the preschool also supported us a lot throughout the project.

Finally, we ended the session by giving the children a small treat, and the head teacher showed us some of the children’s colouring books. There were a few children who used darker colours in some of their drawings, which appeared to hint at a lack of care due to the busy schedules of their parents. So, we asked the children to draw a picture however they want using the colours they want, through that drawing we could observe different psychological factors of the children. The Professional Development Avenue carried out this initiative emphasizing that the developments in personality and awareness comes with no age limit. The purpose of the project was successfully carried out, as the children learned what good touch and bad touch are, who the people that love them are, and how to recognize strangers.

In a room filled with tiny voices and curious eyes, we learned that awareness can be gentle.
Through stories, smiles, and simple conversations, we planted ideas of safety and trust in young hearts. This Rotaract project was not just about teaching; it was about listening, caring, and standing quietly for those who are still learning how to protect themselves. In doing so, we left with the hope that even the smallest lessons can grow into lifelong strength.

Rtr. Maleesa Rodrigo