Boundaries
When boundaries are clear and easy to understand children know which behaviour is acceptable and which not. Boundaries help to keep children safe: do not put your fingers in the socket, don’t talk to strangers, etc.
There shouldn’t be too many rules or they will be hard to enforce. Just a few simple boundaries such as the following cover a lot of territory:
Stay safe and healthy; don’t hurt anybody.
Look after our things; don’t break anything or make a mess
Speak nicely to each other; no yelling, taunting, name-calling, or put-downs.
Respect and honour each other; no bad manners or poor sportsmanship
Children need boundaries to feel safe, but, as it is a natural part of growing up to test the boundaries, we must expect children to step over a boundary line. When this happens there must be consistent and reasonable consequences. In some cases a simple reminder may be enough. For other, more serious offenses or for repeated offenses, more severe consequences need to be in place, such as a name on the board, removing privileges etc. Consequences should be established ahead of time so there is clarity and they should be consistently applied every time so children feel secure and know where they stand. …show more content…
This doesn’t mean that children set their own boundaries, but rather that adults listen to the children’s input and children listen to explanations of the adults. Even with young children, explanations can be given as to why certain boundaries are in place, and by encouraging -and expecting- children to think of logical reasons they will be taught valuable lessons on how to work things out for themselves enabling them to develop their own healthy personal
When boundaries are clear and easy to understand children know which behaviour is acceptable and which not. Boundaries help to keep children safe: do not put your fingers in the socket, don’t talk to strangers, etc.
There shouldn’t be too many rules or they will be hard to enforce. Just a few simple boundaries such as the following cover a lot of territory:
Stay safe and healthy; don’t hurt anybody.
Look after our things; don’t break anything or make a mess
Speak nicely to each other; no yelling, taunting, name-calling, or put-downs.
Respect and honour each other; no bad manners or poor sportsmanship
Children need boundaries to feel safe, but, as it is a natural part of growing up to test the boundaries, we must expect children to step over a boundary line. When this happens there must be consistent and reasonable consequences. In some cases a simple reminder may be enough. For other, more serious offenses or for repeated offenses, more severe consequences need to be in place, such as a name on the board, removing privileges etc. Consequences should be established ahead of time so there is clarity and they should be consistently applied every time so children feel secure and know where they stand. …show more content…
This doesn’t mean that children set their own boundaries, but rather that adults listen to the children’s input and children listen to explanations of the adults. Even with young children, explanations can be given as to why certain boundaries are in place, and by encouraging -and expecting- children to think of logical reasons they will be taught valuable lessons on how to work things out for themselves enabling them to develop their own healthy personal