During the past few months I have been teaching the children about personal space and being respectful to other people’s feelings. It is important that children learn that they control their own bodies. Not only can they choose what they do but they also have the power to tell someone to stop when they are doing something they do not like. Kids need several skills to be able to do this:
§ Recognize feelings
§ Assertively say stop when needed
§ Stop when they are asked to stop.
You can easily help your children utilize these tools. Help them recognize and name their feelings, point them out when they are experiencing a feeling and talk about your own feelings. Play stop and go games (red light, green light and freeze tag) to develop the ability to control their bodies, and to stop immediately. Finally, always model the behavior you expect, children learn more from your example than from any other teaching.
