Feelings and personal boundaries
Objective:
The learners should develop an awareness of their own feelings and personal boundaries. The goal is to teach them to distinguish between good and bad touches, define their personal space, and learn appropriate responses in uncomfortable situations.
Content and Methods:
The worksheet begins with a "Feelings barometer," where students evaluate touch situations using emojis. Next, the concept of "personal space" is introduced, which learners will illustrate and define who may enter it. A text about an uncomfortable situation serves as a basis for partner work to reflect on feelings and reactions. A table for categorizing characteristics of "good" and "bad" touches, along with group work to gather examples, deepens understanding. Methods include self-assessment, creative design, text analysis, partner and group work, and categorization exercises.
Competencies:
- Recognizing and naming personal feelings related to touch
- Defining and communicating personal boundaries
- Distinguishing between acceptable and uncomfortable touches
- Reflecting on behaviors in potentially uncomfortable situations
- Collaboration and communication in partner and group work
Target Group and Level:
Grade 3 and up
Note:
Worksheet 2 from the worksheet series "My Body Belongs to Me."
57 other teachers use this template
Target group and level
Grade 3 and up
Subjects
Feelings and personal boundaries
Feelings Barometer
Draw a happy face (😊) next to a touch that feels good and a sad face (😔) next to a touch that feels bad.
📋 Insert the emojis:
My Personal Boundary
📋 Task: Every person has an invisible boundary around them. This is your personal space. When someone enters this space and you don't want them to, it often feels uncomfortable. Imagine you are standing in the center. Draw a circle around yourself that shows how large your personal space is.
🖌️ Here is space for a drawing: a person stands in the middle of a circle. Next to it is an arrow pointing to the circle. This represents your "personal space."
📋 Task: Read the text carefully.
You are standing in a room, and there are many people around. You are talking with your friends and having fun. Suddenly, a grown-up comes over and stands very close to you. You feel a bit strange and uncomfortable because you don’t know why they are so near. You look around and see that your friends are also noticing how close the adult is to you. You feel like you want to move back a little, but there isn't much space behind you. Your heart beats a little faster, and you wish the adult would step back. You don't know what to say, so you just stand there, hoping they will move away soon.
👥 Task for Partner Work: Discuss the text with your seatmate. How would you react in this situation? What feelings do you experience?
Sample Solution
In this situation, I would feel a little scared and uncomfortable because the grown-up is standing too close to me. I might feel nervous because I don’t know why they are so near, and I would wish for them to step back a little. My heart might beat faster because I feel worried and want to have more space to feel safe.
Here are some ways to handle this situation:
Ask Politely: I could say, "Excuse me, could you please give me some space?" This is a polite way to ask the grown-up to step back a little.
Move Away: If there is a little space, I could try to move back or to the side to create more distance between us.
Tell a Friend: I could tell one of my friends how I feel. Maybe they can help by standing closer to me, so I feel more comfortable.
Use Body Language: I could use my body language to show that I need more space, like stepping back a little or turning away.
Ask for Help: If I feel very uncomfortable, I could ask a teacher or another adult for help. They can ask the grown-up to give me more space.
It's important to remember that everyone has the right to feel safe and comfortable, and asking for space is okay.
📋 Task: Enter the sentences into the table. Categorize when a touch is "Good" or "Bad."
- I feel safe and comfortable with it.
- It feels good.
- I want it.
- It feels uncomfortable/strange or even hurts.
- I don't want it or it surprises me.
- I feel uncomfortable, scared, or sad about it.
📋 Categorize the sentences:
👥 Task for Group Work: Together, find two examples of a good touch and two examples of a bad touch.