As part of the primary school experience, children are required to listen to and follow rules and instructions. This plays a significant role in their development and behavior in childhood and adulthood. In the beginning, with nursery, reception, and year one – depending on when they join – this plays a large foundation of the day.
Rules and instructions might be formed in the way of a game, and children are often praised, verbally or rewarded with stars, stickers, or other reward schemes for following in
structions well and behaving nicely. This may be something as simple as hanging up their outdoor wear and sitting on the carpet. In many infant classrooms, there are boards that act as behavioral markers in which children can gain ‘points’ or ‘stars’. Each week there may be a winner who wins a certificate. This may be rewarded in a school assembly (see our assembly section here), which provides quite an impetus for children to behave well; they can show it to other friends and to their parents at home.
Rules don’t always have to be strict, but can be fun. This lays a foundation for their later life.