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Learning objective
Seek, give or deny permission for personal space and possessions.
Take home messages
Curriculum links
WA curriculum links
HPE: Interacting with others (AC9HPFP03)
- express and describe emotions they experience.
- recalling and sharing emotional responses to different situations and representing these in a variety of ways.
- talking about connections between feelings, body reactions and body language.
- expressing a variety of emotions, thoughts and views in a range of situations.
International technical guidance on sexuality education
Key concept 4.2 (5-8 years)
- Everyone has a right to decide who can touch their body, where, and in what way.
Key concept 5.2 (5-8 years)
- Everyone deserves to make their own decisions and all decisions have consequences.
Materials
- Hoola Hoops – enough for every class, if not available ask students to walk around with their hands out.
- Access to "This is my Bubble (Personal Space Song)" from Youtube - or have song lyrics printed out/written on board for students to sing along to;
This is my bubble, this is my bubble, this is where I feel comfortable,
This is my bubble, this is my bubble, this is where I feel comfortable,
This is my bubble, this is my bubble, please don’t let it pop – x3 each time changing the matching actions as per below
R1- with hoop up, R2 - with hoop on ground and hands out, R3 – hoop on ground with hands down.
Before you get started
- Protective interrupting - Teachers need to know and understand how to use this technique to prevent students form potentially disclosing sensitive information or abuse in front of other students.
- Dealing with disclosures - Teachers must be aware of the school and legal procedures if a student discloses personal issues, particularly disclosures of sexual abuse.
Introduce:
- your bod belongs to you
- you get to decide who touches it or comes near you
- your personal space includes the space around you
- if someone wants to enter your personal space they need to ask you.
Learning activities
Discussion: Asking permission
10 min
Ask:
How would you ask permission to borrow your friend's pencil?How would you ask a sibling if you could borrow a toy?
How would you ask a care giver if you can go to the park?
- Discuss:
"We know how to ask permission to do things or borrow things. Asking permission to enter someone’s personal space is the same except you can’t SEE someone’s personal space. Personal space is like an invisible bubble around someone’s body. Everyone has this invisible bubble and if you want to enter this space you have to ask them, and they have to say yes or show yes before you enter it." - Ask:
How would you ask permission to enter someone's personal space?
Personal space bubble practice
30 min
- Ask students to stand up and put hands out with palms up and turn in a circle slowly. Explain that this is the size of their personal space bubble.
- Ask them to keep turning slowly but change the heights that they do this at. Explain that the personal space bubble is all around them
- Round 1: Give students a hoola hoop each and ask them to move around the room holding them while trying not to bump into each other.
- Round 2: Students to move around the room again but this time they are allowed to ask permission from someone with the same-coloured hoop as theirs if their hoops can over-lap. Everyone to try asking someone and everyone who is asked is to practice saying no.
- Round 3: Students to move around the room again but this time they are allowed to ask permission of someone with a different coloured hoop if their hoops can over-lap. Each student decides if they want to say yes or no. If a student says yes, their hoops can gently overlap.
Teaching tip: Watch to make sure students are moving slowly, asking politely and crossing hoops gently. Can be used to discuss non-verbal behavioural elements of consent and permission giving/getting.
3-2-1 Reflection
10 min
Ask:
How did it feel to have someone say no/yes to you?
How did it feel to say no/yes to someone?
Why might someone say no when you ask to enter their personal space?
What should you do if someone enters your personal space without your permission?
- Say
"Sometimes if people enter our personal space bubble without permission it can make us feel uncomfortable or scared. We all have a right to feel safe at all times. When you feel uncomfortable or scared you can talk to someone you trust like a teacher or parent."
Health promoting schools
- How can we practice asking each other permission in our class/school?
- Ask students to talk to their siblings/care givers about their personal space bubble.
- Speak at the school assembly about how as a school we can respect everyone’s personal bubbles. Ask some PP students to demonstrate moving around without “bursting” each other's bubbles.
