The Explorers Commitment to Child & Body Safety

At Explorers Early Learning, safety isn’t just something we do, it’s who we are.

The launch of the Explorers inaugural Body Safety Week formalised the everyday practices that already underpin our approach to early learning.

For Explorers Early Learning CEO & Founder Lynda Salvo, “Body safety is part of everyday life, and we’re proud to be sharing this learning with our families and community.”

Across our centres, children explored body safety through story, play, reflection and conversation, building understanding, confidence, and trust. Body Safety Week provided an important opportunity for children and families to engage in life-changing learning experiences.

Why Body Safety Education for Children Matters

Research from the Australian Government’s Child Safe Organisations Framework highlights that consistent communication between adults and children builds trust and encourages children to speak up if they ever feel unsafe. Open and ongoing conversations are key to helping children understand and apply these ideas in everyday life.

During a Body Safety Webinar hosted by Explorers Early Learning, child safety expert Kristi McVee shared powerful insights about the importance of teaching children about body safety.

“Almost fifty percent of abuse cases are child-on-child, kids harming other kids,” Kristi revealed at the beginning of her presentation. “It all depends on what children know about body safety and what their attitude towards consent is.”

At Explorers, we believe that body safety education empowers children to grow with confidence, respect and self-awareness. Teaching these concepts early helps children build lifelong skills that support their wellbeing and relationships.

This preventative approach is one that Kristi also supports and encourages:

“The best protection for children is knowledge, teaching them about safe and unsafe touch, consent, and trusted adults.”

Nurturing Understanding: Body Safety for Every Child

Body safety education isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s about meeting children where they are, helping pre-verbal children feel safety through connection and play, while supporting verbal children to express safety through communication and understanding.

By tailoring learning to each child’s stage of development, we ensure that every Explorer can engage, understand, and feel empowered to speak up in their own way.

For our Youngest Explorers: Pre-verbal Body Safety Education

During Body Safety Week, learning focused on trust, connection, and emotional recognition through play and movement.

Activities included:

Dramatic Play with Soft Toys: Through gentle play and role modelling, children learned about kindness, consent, and respecting boundaries.
Exploring Feelings Through Storytelling: Using “The Feelings Series” by Trace Moroney, Educators helped children recognise emotions and connect them to facial expressions.
Dancing to Action Songs: Songs like “Sleeping Bunnies” promoted body awareness and personal space, early steps toward self-regulation.
Exploring Simple Auslan Signs: Learning basic sign language empowered children to express needs and feelings through both verbal and non-verbal communication.

For Older Children: Verbal Body Safety Education

Body Safety Week encouraged self-expression, confidence and reflection.

Activities included:

My 5 Safe People: Children created posters identifying trusted adults they could talk to if they ever felt unsafe.
Exploring the Power of Their Voice: Reading Say Something by Peter H. Reynolds encouraged children to use their voice with bravery and respect.
Secrets vs. Surprises: Using Secrets and Surprises by Jayneen Sanders, children explored the difference between uncomfortable secrets and safe surprises.
Speak Up and Be Heard: Through art and discussion, children practised expressing feelings and ideas safely.

Recognising Unsafe Behaviour and Empowering Families

While body safety equips children with knowledge, it also empowers adults to recognise red flags.
As Kristi McVee explained:

“If an adult is more interested in spending time with your child than you are, that’s a red flag…A person who ignores or dismisses a child’s body safety rules and consent, who pushes past boundaries, is not a safe adult.”

Understanding grooming behaviours helps parents and educators take proactive steps to protect children.

“The thing about grooming is that when we understand it, we can see it…They build trust with the parent and the child, it’s slow and deliberate.”

At Explorers, we share this vision, empowering families with the awareness, language, and confidence to protect children from harm and help them thrive.

Body Safety Learning at Explorers

Empowers children to understand their bodies, their rights, and their ability to protect themselves, fostering empowerment rather than fear.
Reduces risk by helping children recognise the difference between safe and unsafe touch, and know how to respond if something doesn’t feel right.
Builds confidence and resilience, giving children the tools to make choices, speak up, and navigate challenges with self-assurance.
Encourages consent and respect, teaching children that they have the right to say “no” to unwanted touch, and the importance of respecting others’ boundaries too.

Promoting a “Safe Speak” Culture for All

At Explorers, safety is a shared responsibility. We’ve created a strong Safe Speak culture that empowers our team to raise concerns without fear, and we extend that same trust to our families.

“As parents, if you ever have that bad instinct or gut feeling, trust it. Keep open communication, remind your child they can always come to you, and they’ll never be in trouble”, added Kristi during the Webinar.

We encourage families to speak with us openly, whether you have questions, suggestions, or concerns. Together, we build a culture of trust and accountability. Body safety isn’t a one-off lesson, it’s embedded in how we teach, connect, and care every day.

Our Educators promote this by:

Using respectful, consent-based language with children
Encouraging children to speak up if something doesn’t feel right
Facilitating learning experiences that help children understand their rights, boundaries, and personal agency

We believe every child deserves to feel safe, respected, and empowered to be themselves. Our commitment to child and body safety is embedded in everything we do, from the way we teach and connect, to the spaces we create for children to learn and grow.

Book a tour at your nearest Explorers centre to see how we nurture safe, confident, and happy learners every day.