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Child Development & Early Education vocabulary · Behaviour and Guidance

Boundaries

Meaning in child development & early education, with examples

/ˈbaʊndəriz/nounCore term

In child development & early education, boundaries means: Clear and consistent limits that adults set for children about what is and is not acceptable, so that children feel safe and know what to expect.

In Turkish: sınırlar, kurallar

How it is used

Usually plural. Adults set, keep to and explain boundaries, and a child may test or push them. Common in behaviour policies and conversations with parents, often together with the word consistent.

Example sentences

  1. Two-year-olds often test boundaries to see what will happen.

  2. We agreed with his parents to keep the same boundaries at home and at nursery.

Common collocations

  • set boundaries
  • clear boundaries
  • consistent boundaries
  • test boundaries
  • push the boundaries
  • behaviourThe way a child acts and reacts, especially in everyday situations with other people; in childcare it is often discussed in terms of what the child is trying to communicate.
  • consequenceWhat happens as a result of a child's behaviour, either naturally (a toy left in the rain gets wet) or arranged by an adult and clearly linked to the behaviour.
  • positive reinforcementEncouraging a behaviour to happen again by following it with something pleasant, such as praise, a smile or a sticker.
  • time-outA behaviour strategy in which a child is briefly taken away from an activity to a quiet place after unacceptable behaviour, so that they can calm down.

More terms: Behaviour and Guidance

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