Fact Sheets And Publications

Talking About Rules

• Parents sometimes are not clear about what they expect of their children.
• To help children learn about rules the following steps may be helpful:

1. Identify what is expected.
2. Tell the children what is expected as a rule.
3. Say the rule in a positive way.
4. Give the children examples of the rule.
5. Help the children practice the behavior.
6. Explain what will happen if the children follow the rule and what will happen if the children do not follow the rule.
7. If children do not follow the rule, remind them of the rule and do what you told them you would.

• Have a few good rules.

Choose to have rules about those things that are most important to you. If you have lots of rules, children won’t be able to remember them. Choose a few good rules, and then enforce them.

Download the "Talking About Rules" Comic

Pat Tanner Nelson, Ed.D.
Extension Family & Human Development Specialist
ptnelson@udel.edu

Families Matter! is produced by Dr. Patricia Tanner Nelson, Extension Family and Human Development Spe-cialist, University of Delaware. This issue was adopted from materials prepared by Dr. Robert Hughes, Jr. for Cooperative Extension, University of Illinois.
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