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Boundary Building Blocks

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Hailey Moles

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

My Space, Your Space Lesson

Students will be able to identify and respect personal space boundaries for themselves and others, fostering positive social interactions.

Understanding personal boundaries is crucial for developing healthy relationships and feeling safe. This lesson helps young students learn to communicate their needs and respect others' feelings, which are foundational life skills.

Audience

1st Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion and a physical activity.

Materials

  • Friendly Fences Slide Deck, - Personal Space Circle Activity, - How Big Is My Bubble? Warm-Up, and - My Friendly Fence Worksheet (Optional for follow-up)

Prep

Gather Materials & Review

10 minutes

  • Review the Friendly Fences Slide Deck content and teacher notes.
  • Print or prepare to display the How Big Is My Bubble? Warm-Up.
  • Ensure you have space for the Personal Space Circle Activity, or prepare a way to designate personal spaces (e.g., hula hoops, tape on the floor, or designated spots).
  • (Optional) Print copies of the My Friendly Fence Worksheet for a follow-up activity.

Step 1

Introduction: My Bubble (5 minutes)

5 minutes

  • Begin with the How Big Is My Bubble? Warm-Up to engage students and introduce the concept of personal space.
  • Ask students: "What is a 'bubble' of space around you? How does it feel when someone gets too close to your bubble without asking?"

Step 2

Exploring Boundaries with Friendly Fences (10 minutes)

10 minutes

  • Present the Friendly Fences Slide Deck.
  • Discuss what a boundary is using simple terms and relatable examples (e.g., property fences, lines on a sports field).
  • Use the slides to explain how personal space is like a 'friendly fence' that helps us feel safe and comfortable.
  • Encourage students to share examples of when they might need their 'friendly fence.'

Step 3

Personal Space Circle Activity (10 minutes)

10 minutes

  • Facilitate the Personal Space Circle Activity.
  • Guide students through defining and demonstrating comfortable personal distances.
  • Emphasize asking permission before entering someone's personal space and understanding 'no' means 'no.'

Step 4

Wrap-Up & Reflection (5 minutes)

5 minutes

  • Conclude by asking students to share one thing they learned about respecting personal space or setting a 'friendly fence.'
  • Reinforce that everyone's 'friendly fence' might be a different size, and that's okay.
  • Remind students to practice their 'friendly fences' throughout the day.
  • (Optional) Distribute the My Friendly Fence Worksheet for individual reflection or homework.
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Slide Deck

Your Friendly Fence!

Imagine you have an invisible fence all around you! This is your 'personal space.'

It helps you feel safe and comfortable.

Welcome students and introduce the idea of a 'personal bubble' or 'invisible fence' around them. Ask them to imagine it. Explain that today they will learn about how to keep their bubble safe and respect others' bubbles too.

What's a Friendly Fence?

A friendly fence is like an invisible line around you.

It helps you show others how close they can get so you feel happy and safe.

Ask students what they see in the picture. Explain that just like a real fence shows where one yard ends and another begins, our 'friendly fences' show where our space ends and someone else's begins. This helps everyone know how to share space nicely.

Why Do We Need Them?

Friendly fences help us:

  • Feel safe and comfortable.
  • Not accidentally bother our friends.
  • Have enough room to play or do our work.

Ask students: "Why do we need friendly fences?" Discuss reasons like feeling comfortable, not bothering others, and having room to play or work. Emphasize that different situations might mean different fence sizes.

Ask Before You Enter!

Always ask before stepping into someone else's friendly fence.

Say: "May I come closer?" or "Can I sit here?"

If they say no, that's okay! We respect their choice.

Introduce the idea of asking permission. "What if you want to get closer to a friend? What should you do?" Emphasize using words like 'May I come closer?' or 'Can I share your space?' and respecting their answer.

What If Someone Gets Too Close?

It's okay to say:

  • "Please step back."
  • "You're a little too close."
  • "I need some space."

Use a kind but clear voice!

Discuss what to do if someone gets too close to their friendly fence without asking. Role-play a few simple scenarios. Emphasize using clear, kind words like 'Please step back, you're too close to my friendly fence.'

Remember Your Friendly Fence!

Your friendly fence helps you and your friends feel happy and safe.

Remember to ask and respect everyone's space!

It's a building block for being a good friend!

Summarize the key takeaways. Reiterate that friendly fences help everyone get along. Ask students to give a thumbs up if they understand what a friendly fence is.

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Activity

Personal Space Circle: How Close Is Too Close?

Objective: Students will physically demonstrate and articulate comfortable personal space boundaries.

Materials:

  • Open classroom space or gymnasium
  • Optional: hula hoops, chalk, or tape to mark individual spaces

Instructions:

  1. Setting the Stage (2 minutes)

    • Gather students in an open area. Ask, "Who can remind us what a friendly fence or personal bubble is?" Allow a few responses.
    • Explain that today, we're going to feel what different amounts of space feel like.

  2. Individual Bubbles (3 minutes)

    • Ask each student to stand with their arms outstretched to their sides, making a big circle. "This is your biggest bubble! No one should be inside your bubble without your permission."
    • Then ask them to put their arms on their hips. "This is your medium bubble. This is often a good distance for talking to a friend."
    • Finally, ask them to stand with their feet together and arms at their sides. "This is your small bubble. This is for when you are very close to family or special people."
    • "Which bubble feels most comfortable when you're talking to a friend? Which bubble do you use when you're playing a game that needs a lot of space?"

  3. The Shrinking Circle (5 minutes)

    • Have all students stand in a large circle, far enough apart that they can stretch their arms out and not touch anyone. "This is a very big, comfortable space!"
    • Instruct students to slowly take one step forward, then another, gradually making the circle smaller.
    • As they get closer, ask:
      • "How does this feel?"
      • "Are you comfortable?"
      • "Is anyone in your friendly fence?"
      • "What do you want to say if someone is too close?" (Encourage using phrases like "Please step back" or "I need more space.")
    • When the circle becomes uncomfortably small for some, have them articulate it. Then, have everyone take a step back to a comfortable distance.

Discussion Prompts:

  • How did it feel when the circle got very small?
  • Was it okay to say when you needed more space?
  • Does everyone have the same size friendly fence? Why or why not?
  • How can we remember to respect each other's friendly fences during the day?
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Warm Up

How Big Is My Bubble? Warm-Up

Objective: To quickly engage students and activate prior knowledge about personal space.

Instructions:

  1. Introduce the "Invisible Bubble" (1 minute)

    • "Good morning/afternoon, everyone! Today, we're going to start by thinking about something invisible that we all have around us: our personal space bubble!"
    • "Imagine you have an invisible bubble all around you. This bubble is your space, and it helps you feel comfortable."

  2. Demonstrate and Discuss (4 minutes)

    • Teacher Demonstration: Stand in front of the class. Extend your arms out to your sides. "This is how big my bubble is when I need lots of room!"
    • Then bring your arms closer to your body. "This is how big my bubble is when I'm sitting at my desk."
    • Student Participation: Ask students to show you how big their personal bubble is right now. (They might stretch their arms, or just show a small space.)
    • Ask: "How does it feel when someone gets too close to your bubble without asking?" (Expected answers: uncomfortable, crowded, a little mad).
    • Ask: "How does it feel when you have enough space?" (Expected answers: happy, safe, calm).

Transition: "Great job thinking about your bubbles! Keeping our bubbles safe and respecting others' bubbles is super important. Let's learn more about this!"

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Worksheet

My Friendly Fence Worksheet

Objective: Students will draw and write about their personal friendly fence and how to respect others

Instructions: Draw your friendly fence and then answer the questions below.

Draw Your Friendly Fence!

Draw a picture of yourself with your friendly fence around you. Show how big your comfortable space is!













Questions About Your Friendly Fence

  1. What does your friendly fence help you do? (Circle all that are true)
    • Feel safe
    • Feel crowded
    • Feel happy
    • Have room to play
  2. What do you say if someone gets too close to your friendly fence without asking?





  3. What do you do if you want to enter someone else's friendly fence?





  4. Is everyone's friendly fence the same size? Why or why not?





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