Playing to Teach Boundaries

When discussing boundary setting, start by defining boundaries and talk about this topic in a developmentally appropriate manner with your children.

I often start out the conversation by defining boundaries as a set of flexible but firm rules about my body, mind, time, relationships and activities. Kids can understand the concept of rules and borders from an early age and when we can give them specific topics to which they can apply these “rules”, the concept of boundaries becomes more real and concrete for younger children and can help parents find more ways to discuss healthy boundaries with their older children. At its core, boundaries are about empathy, respect, communication, and compassion defined by rules that regulate behaviors and expectations in relationships. Families with healthy boundaries model mutual understanding, developmentally appropriate rules, and open communication with each other thus modeling healthy relational templates for their children’s future relationships.

To read more about teaching and creating boundaries add the Boundaries Issue to your MASK Library

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