Colour the Social Boundaries – Social Skills and Personal Boundaries Activity

Colour the Social Boundaries – Social Skills and Personal Boundaries Activity

Colour, discuss and explore everyday social situations to help children understand and respect social boundaries!

About This Resource

Our Colour the Social Boundaries printable colouring activity helps children explore social skills and personal boundaries through a fun, engaging worksheet featuring 24 relatable social situations.

Children use three colours to decide whether each situation is Okay, Not Okay or It Depends, encouraging them to think about personal space, permission, communication, feelings and respecting other people's choices.

What's Included?

• Colour the Social Boundaries Worksheet: An illustrated colouring activity featuring 24 everyday social situations.
• Three-Colour Key: Children choose colours to represent It's Okay, It's Not Okay and It Depends.
• Suggested Answer Key: Guidance for adults, including suggested answers for all 24 situations.
• Discussion Questions: Thought-provoking questions to encourage conversations about different types of social boundaries.
• Real-Life Examples: Explore how the same situation can feel different depending on the people involved.
• Key Messages and Safeguarding Guidance: Important reminders about personal boundaries, consent, communication and speaking to trusted adults.

What Social Boundaries Does It Explore?

The activity covers a range of everyday situations children might experience at school, at home or with friends, including:

• Personal Space: Sitting close to someone, offering hugs and physical contact.
• Consent and Permission: Asking before borrowing belongings, respecting someone's answer and understanding the importance of saying no.
• Friendships and Social Interactions: Giving nicknames, including others and respecting friendship choices.
• Communication and Feelings: Making comments, asking personal questions, teasing and recognising how our words affect others.
• Privacy and Personal Information: Respecting belongings and thinking carefully about sharing information about other people.
• Speaking Up: Recognising uncomfortable situations, communicating boundaries and asking trusted adults for support.

Why 'It Depends' Matters

One of the most important parts of understanding social boundaries is recognising that everyone has different comfort levels, preferences and feelings.

For example, giving someone a nickname might be a lovely way to show affection, but it could also make someone feel embarrassed or upset.

Offering a hug might be comforting to one person, while another might prefer some space.

By including an It Depends option, this activity encourages children to look beyond simple right-or-wrong answers and consider questions such as:

• How might the other person feel?
• Have they given permission?
• Would everyone feel comfortable in this situation?
• What could we do to respect their boundaries?

These discussions help children develop empathy, perspective-taking and a better understanding of social interactions.

Features and Benefits

• 24 Relatable Social Scenarios: Helps children explore everyday situations involving friendships, personal space, communication, permission and respecting others.
• Interactive Colouring Activity: Makes learning about social boundaries fun, creative and engaging.
• Three-Colour System: Encourages children to recognise that some social situations aren't simply right or wrong, but depend on the people and circumstances involved.
• Develops Social Awareness: Helps children recognise how their words and actions might affect other people.
• Encourages Empathy & Perspective-Taking: Supports children in understanding that everyone has different feelings, preferences and comfort levels.
• Builds Confidence in Setting Boundaries: Reinforces that children can say no, communicate their needs and ask for personal space.
• Promotes Respectful Friendships: Explores the importance of listening, asking permission and accepting other people's choices.
• Supports Communication & Discussion: Includes thought-provoking questions that encourage children to explain their reasoning and consider different viewpoints.
• Includes an Answer & Discussion Guide: Provides suggested answers, real-life examples, key messages and safeguarding guidance to support adults delivering the activity.
• Flexible & Easy to Use: Ideal for individual work, small groups, ELSA sessions, PSHE lessons and whole-class discussions.

How to Use

1. Choose Your Colours: Children create their own three-colour key using the crayons at the top of the worksheet.

2. Read and Colour: Read each social situation and colour the shape according to whether they think it's Okay, Not Okay or It Depends.

3. Discuss and Explore: Use the accompanying discussion guide to explore children's answers, particularly situations where different people might have different opinions.

4. Reflect: Encourage children to think about their own boundaries, how they can respect others and what they can do when something makes them feel uncomfortable.

The activity can be completed independently, in pairs, small groups or as part of a whole-class discussion.

What Skills Does This Resource Support?

• Understanding personal and social boundaries.
• Recognising and respecting consent.
• Developing empathy and perspective-taking.
• Building positive friendships.
• Communicating feelings and needs.
• Respecting personal space and belongings.
• Understanding that people have different preferences.
• Recognising when boundaries have been crossed.
• Developing confidence to say no and seek support.

Perfect For

• PSHE and RSE lessons
• ELSA sessions
• Social skills groups
• SEND support
• Nurture groups
• Friendship and relationship interventions
• Pastoral support
• One-to-one discussions
• Classroom wellbeing activities
• Home learning

With engaging illustrations, relatable situations and guided discussion questions, Colour the Social Boundaries provides a simple, accessible way to introduce important life skills.