How Do I Explain to My 5 Year Old What Testicles Are For?

You might start by asking him what HE thinks they are for. Then you'd at least know where "he is at." You may recall the old joke about the kid who asks his Mom "Where did I come from?" She replies with a detailed explanation of reproduction in humans. He replies, "Gee, the kid next to me on the School Bus came from Boston."

Hi K.,
If it were me, I would tell him bits and pieces until he is satisfied with the answer. Otherwise he will ask someone else who may give him an answer that may be more than or different from what you want him to know. Kids are exposed so early now to all kinds of stuff. I would rather have mine get the info. from me, and know that I will answer their questions honestly and without embarrassment, so they won't seek the answers elsewhere, especially later on when it will be about the real important stuff. If you're Christian, check out the "God's Design for Sex " series. I've found it extremely helpful with my kids, and it starts with the real young kids, so the topic is never an uncomfortable one for them, and more comfy for me as I don't have to fumble for words to explain things. The first two books are in storybook format. Good luck.

Curiosity is a gift and it's natural to be curious! Keep it simple.

When my son was little, maybe around the age of your son, he would ask innocent questions. I'd answer matter-of-factly. Sometimes, as he got older, I'd give him more information than he needed (bigger terms, etc.) He'd laugh and say "I don't want to know THAT much Mommy!" as he started to glaze over. Be alert and you can kind of tell when you've said enough. It will usually end with an "okay".

Basically testicles are for making babies. If he wants more, they're for helping him develop into an adult man, like daddy. If he still wants more, they're for helping him to develop whiskers, broad shoulders and seeds for making babies. ... You get the picture. Like I said, he'll let you know when he's satisfied with enough info. It is typically much less information than you might think.

The most important thing is to show your comfort in talking with him about it. And remember they're not asking in terms of sexuality as much as what this part is for. (It's your 5-year-old asking, not your 16-year-old : )

It's also not unusual for a younger sibling to ask things earlier. Keep it plain and simple and I bet that will be enough. If not, keep on answering in a matter-of-fact tone as if he's asking about his nose, or his toes, or his belly button. They're all parts we need to be a complete human being.

And enjoy the curiosity in your little guy! Keeping open lines of communication will build trust for the later years when you get the tougher questions!

Honestly in simple terms :)

Testicles are there to help you have a baby if you want one when you are a grown up. :)

I know it is a bit shocking when young kids ask these kinds of questions! If it makes you feel any better, my then-4 year old son asked me, calmly and out of the blue, at the dinner table, "Mommy, did I pop out your vagina?"

I believe it's important to answer these kind of questions calmly and factually, in an age-appropriate manner. So for example, with your son's question, you might say "testicles help make good chemicals called hormones that keep boys and men healthy and strong. One of them is called Testosterone." If he wants to know more, you can tell him about testosterone building muscles, regulating hair growth, and making men's voices get lower. The role of testicles in reproduction can wait until the day he asks about where babies come from!

Good luck!

wow.. I'm looking into my future for a good answer to this one just in case.. testicles is a big word (even though you did the right thing by telling him the truth, but not elaborating). Maybe the way I explained what a vagina is to my daughter may work here - it's just a special area that God (or whoever you may believe in) created just for women. good luck.. you just scared me!

I can't wait to read the advice. My son is four and started to ask me why it gets big and small again sometimes. I told him at first like you did, go ask your father. He freaked cause he didn't know what to say. So back on me. If he was older I would be able to explain but he is only 4 so what do I say? When my son asked again I told him it must mean he has to pee. LOL he hasn't asked since.

Hi K.,

I always found it helpful to be direct yet give just enough information appropriate to their age. Just tell your little guy that his testicles will allow him to make a baby when he is an adult. Most likely, he won't go any further than this. But if so, be prepared to answer truthfully with short answers. He's curious - good for him - so it may get a little more involved. I remember a quote from an expert that if you remember finding out about sex you found out too late. Who know if this is true but it worked with my kids.

Have fun and keep us posted.

S. V.
Mother of two adult children and grandmother of 2 under 2.

My thoughts with these (adorable)complicated moments - is to give them the truth. If my son is ever that specific - my answer will be that it's so that when he grows up he could be a daddy if he wants to be. If he needs a more specific answer then that - run with it!
Our kids deserve the truth (most of the time) and it's easier then taking on the chance of confusing them later in life or sending them mixed messages by sugar coating the truth or brushing them off.

8-)

"They are testicles" "it's how we know you are a boy, not a girl" "Girls don't have testicles." You could also deflect at this age. Really, what are our toes for? Ask him that. That could stump him for awhile :) I would not get too specific at this age. No lying, but I doubt he wants or needs the WHOLE story yet.

I told my three and five year old boys they were part of the human reproductive system, for making babies. Just keep it simple. That satisfied mine. Of course the three year old a few months later was squeezing them saying, look Mommy, I am breaking my babies. Sigh. It was all I could do to keep from laughting.
Good luck.

If you want to avoid any sexual reference, you can explain that when he is older they will make hormones that will let him grow up to be a man, so he can grow whiskers, get a deeper voice, and broad shoulders like daddy.

In the interest of balance, you can tell him that girls have something similar on the inside (ovaries) that allow them to develop to be shaped like mommies.

Hi K....My almost 7 year old asked the same question when he was about 5 also. I told they were to make babies. He then replied that he didn't want babies :)...and he was happy with that...So, my advise is yes, give him an honset, truthful but basic answer ...Good luck

M. M
45year old of a cusrious spirited almost-7 year old..working Part-time at school and a pedi's office

Funny my son just asked me the same question. I wasn't sure what to answer him except other than they are called testicles - when he asked me what they do I told him to ask his father; but of course he never does.
Thank you for all the answers you received it gave me the ground work to answer his question,

I think it's important to relax about the sexual aspect and deal with now. Tell him the scrotum holds the 2 testicles which feel like little balls, so much so that people call them "balls". Emphasize that they will help him grow into a man and all that entails - beards, deep voices, different muscles, etc. Not just the baby-making thing. IT's our own discomfort with the sexuality that makes us emphasize that - and testicles are meant for more than that. He needs to learn about protecting them, and that they will change when he is a teen and again when he is a man. Later on he can learn about "shrinkage" after swimming in a cold lake - that can come with general science lessons about things swelling in the heat and shrinking in the cold. Thermometers go up and down, cookies and loaves of bread get larger when they bake, hot air rises and cold air descends, etc. Right now he needs to learn that they are private, no one should touch them except himself and the doctor during a check-up, and that's it.