Silkysteps early years forum - planning ideas for play - Boundaries and Rules 0-16 years?!

Hi and welcome to Silkysteps :smile:, this is quite a tough one as generally speaking views on boundaries can be enormous - what one person agrees with another can challenge !

A good place to start, is to look at the sort of rules and boundaries that you personally might already know - possibly include times: to wake up, go to bed, behaviour, politeness how you act and feel in different places with different people and how rules and boundaries impact on what you do and don't do in those places & situations.

Use your search engine to look for Age appropriate rules and Parenting styles

For the youngest children we can look to keep them safe so rules and boundaries may be applied to supervising the area - risk assessment, checking for dangers.

For older children who are beginning to explore their boundaries the same risk and monitoring of the play environment and equipment might continue but the Children's own choices and decisions are expanding so levels of adult/other child expectations, knowledge and own experiences are used to help guide any new or exisitng rules / boundaries.

Rules and boundaries I would imagine all begin by the saying of no ..

No don't put hand prints on the tv screen, no don't put the toilet paper down the loo, no don't cut the mail up .. :D lol

This is a long winded example sorry ..: Babies may need cushions around / beneath them to prevent them from bumping their heads if they fall or move - a place has been set up to provide this and there is an understanding that everyone accepts as to why the cushions are there - until .. someone removes one - and does so repeatedly even after being requested not to. Others then begin to remove the cushions as well .. when forced to make an action that protects someone .. in this situation the baby if they're on the cushions :wide-eyed or it might be the cushions themselves - arranging new replacements or the leader/Staff member as they have to find, fetch & return them day in day out - Do you make it a rule not to remove the cushions at all - and is this a rule that needs an enforcement element ie: a punishment to enforce the power of the rule, or do you intervene/interrupt so that the cushions are prevented from being taken, move the cushioned area somewhere else, tell them/everyone off, explain, give reason & monitor or do something else ..

Much older children have rules and boundaries of 'society these could include swearing - language. Inapproprite conduct towards other people, students, members of staff. Aggressive behaviour, intimidation. If possible search for What is bullying. Other areas that will involve boundaries & rules could be Courtesy, politeness, ettiquette and peoples individual / group expectations & concepts of these.

ASBO - A Guide to Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and Acceptable Behaviour ASBO from the home office these can be applied for against anyone currently over the age of 10: Source YJB Youth Justice System

Preschool Rules may be similar to Secondary school as would boundaries but additional compliance aspects such as uniform, homework :irked:, attendance/responsibilities of timetables & deadlines, Jewellery, footwear, makeup...

Hth .. let us know how you get on :smile: