Make a rule that holiday is stress free
With half term upon us, a lot of parents can feel stressed by thought of what it can bring. If you don’t have house/ family rules in place already, now may be a good time to agree upon rules before the chaos of half-term ensues.
Children need limits to help them understand what behaviour is acceptable and how we would like them to behave, and rules are a brilliant way of supporting this.
We’ve put together some tips for coming up with house/ family rules that are effective.
Get together
Rules are more likely to be followed if everyone has had an input in to them. Rules shouldn’t be a list of demands from parents: they are guidelines for everyone in the house.
Choose a time that is calm to sit together and draw/ talk/ write down ideas for rules before deciding on which ones to use.
You can involve younger children in this as well, even if they are unable to have much of an input.
Fewer is better
A long, exhaustive list of rules is no fun for anyone. As an adult you’ll struggle to remember them all so how can we expect children to do so?
As a general rule three to five house rules is a realistic number. Having short, clear rules also helps children (and adults) to remember them.
Be positive
Phrase your rules positively. Rules work best when they remind children what they should be doing rather than a list of things they shouldn’t be doing.
For example instead of ‘no shouting’ you could say ‘use your inside or quiet voice’.
Try to think of the behaviour you want to encourage when coming up with rules.
Be fair
Rules should be fair and realistic. Are you creating a rule that you’ll struggle to follow yourself? Are you being realistic about what your children can actually manage?
Rules need to be easy to follow in order for them to be effective, so keep them simple and easy to understand.
Make sure your rules are enforceable and you can back them up with consequences if you need to.
Consequences
Agree on consequences for rule breaking. That way everyone is clear on the expectations and what happens if these are broken.
Remember to follow through with consequences else rules become redundant. Remember that these are rules for the whole house, so if your child catches you breaking a rule be prepared to have a consequence just as they would!
Finally...
Display your rules somewhere where everyone is able to see them.
Make them colourful and engaging so they are eye-catching and can act as a reminder.
Children need limits to help them understand what behaviour is acceptable and how we would like them to behave, and rules are a brilliant way of supporting this.
We’ve put together some tips for coming up with house/ family rules that are effective.
Get together
Rules are more likely to be followed if everyone has had an input in to them. Rules shouldn’t be a list of demands from parents: they are guidelines for everyone in the house.
Choose a time that is calm to sit together and draw/ talk/ write down ideas for rules before deciding on which ones to use.
You can involve younger children in this as well, even if they are unable to have much of an input.
Fewer is better
A long, exhaustive list of rules is no fun for anyone. As an adult you’ll struggle to remember them all so how can we expect children to do so?
As a general rule three to five house rules is a realistic number. Having short, clear rules also helps children (and adults) to remember them.
Be positive
Phrase your rules positively. Rules work best when they remind children what they should be doing rather than a list of things they shouldn’t be doing.
For example instead of ‘no shouting’ you could say ‘use your inside or quiet voice’.
Try to think of the behaviour you want to encourage when coming up with rules.
Be fair
Rules should be fair and realistic. Are you creating a rule that you’ll struggle to follow yourself? Are you being realistic about what your children can actually manage?
Rules need to be easy to follow in order for them to be effective, so keep them simple and easy to understand.
Make sure your rules are enforceable and you can back them up with consequences if you need to.
Consequences
Agree on consequences for rule breaking. That way everyone is clear on the expectations and what happens if these are broken.
Remember to follow through with consequences else rules become redundant. Remember that these are rules for the whole house, so if your child catches you breaking a rule be prepared to have a consequence just as they would!
Finally...
Display your rules somewhere where everyone is able to see them.
Make them colourful and engaging so they are eye-catching and can act as a reminder.
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