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      Healthy boundaries with friends

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can explain why personal boundaries are important and why we should respect other people’s boundaries.

      Key learning points

      1. We all have boundaries around what we will and won't do.
      2. We have to decide when to say yes and no.
      3. Good friends respect each other's boundaries.
      4. Ignoring someone's boundaries is unacceptable.

      Keywords

      • Boundary - an imaginary line separating what we will and won't allow

      • Respect - treating others kindly and valuing their feelings, ideas and boundaries; for example, listening carefully and being polite, even if you disagree

      • Unacceptable - doing or saying something that is not ok

      Common misconception

      If someone does something we don’t like, this means they are crossing a personal boundary.

      It's important to remember that personal boundaries only apply to things that affect us. We cannot have boundaries that control other people's actions, even if this means they do something that we don't like.

      Teacher tip

      Ensure to differentiate between "what we want" and "our personal boundaries". It is inappropriate for us to dictate what the people around us do. However, it is important to state what we want, and for others to respect our personal space and boundaries.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the words to their definition.

      Correct Answer:ideas,someone's thoughts or opinions

      someone's thoughts or opinions

      Correct Answer:disagree,to have a different opinion from someone else

      to have a different opinion from someone else

      Correct Answer:care,to be kind to someone

      to be kind to someone

      Correct Answer:support,to provide help and encouragement to others

      to provide help and encouragement to others

      Q2.
      Which statements are true?

      Good friends always agree.
      It is rude to disagree with a friend.
      Correct answer: When people disagree, they can learn from each other.
      Correct answer: Everyone gets things wrong from time to time.

      Q3.
      When we disagree with someone, it’s important to still to their ideas.

      Correct Answer: listen

      Q4.
      How can we care for and support our friends?

      Correct answer: help them if they are feeling worried or sad
      ignore them when they talk about how they feel
      Correct answer: include them in our activities and conversations
      laugh at them if they're feeling worried or sad

      Q5.
      Match the statement with whether it is true or false.

      Correct Answer:false,Compromise only makes one person happy.

      Compromise only makes one person happy.

      Correct Answer:true,Compromise is an agreement that makes all people happy.

      Compromise is an agreement that makes all people happy.

      Correct Answer:true,It's ok to say no to friends if we feel uncomfortable.

      It's ok to say no to friends if we feel uncomfortable.

      Correct Answer:false,There is nothing we can do to stop bullying.

      There is nothing we can do to stop bullying.

      Q6.
      To __________ someone means to praise them for who they are or something they have done.

      support
      upset
      Correct answer: celebrate
      welcome

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the words with their definition.

      Correct Answer:boundary,an imaginary line separating what we will and won't allow

      an imaginary line separating what we will and won't allow

      Correct Answer:respect,treating others kindly, valuing their feelings, ideas and boundaries

      treating others kindly, valuing their feelings, ideas and boundaries

      Correct Answer:unacceptable,doing or saying something that is not ok

      doing or saying something that is not ok

      Q2.
      Which statements are true?

      If someone does something we don’t like, they are crossing a personal boundary.
      Correct answer: We cannot have boundaries that control other people's actions.
      We always have to say yes to the people around us.
      Correct answer: We can decide when to say yes and no to the people around us.

      Q3.
      How can we respect someone's boundaries?

      Correct answer: offer them an alternative that could make them feel more comfortable
      encourage them to cross their boundary
      make them feel bad for having a boundary
      Correct answer: accept their boundary and not question it

      Q4.
      Match the feelings with whether their boundary has been respected or ignored.

      Correct Answer:respected boundary,cared for

      cared for

      Correct Answer:respected boundary,safe

      safe

      Correct Answer:ignored boundary,sad

      sad

      Correct Answer:ignored boundary,uncomfortable

      uncomfortable

      Correct Answer:respected boundary,in control

      in control

      Q5.
      someone's boundaries is unacceptable.

      Correct Answer: Ignoring, Crossing

      Q6.
      Match the phrases to whether or not they are respecting of someone's boundary to not play outside after dinner.

      Correct Answer:respecting the boundary,"That's ok, we can play again tomorrow!"

      "That's ok, we can play again tomorrow!"

      Correct Answer:respecting the boundary,"No worries, I understand!"

      "No worries, I understand!"

      Correct Answer:ignoring the boundary,"Only babies can't walk to school!"

      "Only babies can't walk to school!"

      Correct Answer:ignoring the boundary,"You know you want to stay out!"

      "You know you want to stay out!"


      To help you plan your 3 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Healthy boundaries with friends, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...