Setting boundaries is not the same as limiting your child experiment new things. Children do not limit themselves to what they know or get from others; they will develop a greater curiosity, initiative and determination. The child will therefore know how to manage a new situation and will use past experiences to guide his actions. For as long as the boundary is realistic, and care is taken how to reinforce the rules, the children will develop in an environment where he will have control and will gain in confidence.

I offer below an example from an activity which took place at the nursery: one of the children had drawn a bear and asked the teacher if she could help her cut it out for her. The child knew she was not allowed to use the scissors as she could have hurt herself and she asked for help. We assume the boundary of using scissors must have been positively reinforced since the little one understood the consequence of using scissiors for that particular activity and searched for a solution to reach her gold without overstepping the boundary. The fact that the teacher acknowledged in a positive way her solution was an added bonus for the child.

Trying out new things, less predictable, the child will discover new boundaries which, in time, will set himself. As long as there is no danger for the child, he should be allowed to experiment, even if he fails. He will learn from his mistakes. His own mistakes are the best lesson to teach the child the need for boundaries.