A rule you do not like
There is a rule at school you think is unfair. Everybody has to follow it.
What do you do?
Step 1: What Would You Do?
There is often more than one good answer. Pick one and see what happens.
Somebody says to
An older child tells you to do something that breaks a rule you know is about safety.
What do you do?
Step 2: What That Was
The name for what you just worked out.
Every rule was made for a reason. Usually so nobody gets hurt, or so things are fair.
You can ask why
Asking why a rule exists is a good question, not a rude one. Most grown-ups can tell you.
And you still follow it
Sometimes the reason is not obvious and the rule is still there for a good reason you cannot see yet.
Step 3: Try It
These ones do have right answers.
Why That Rule?
Tap a rule, then tap the reason.
Match each rule to why it exists.
Tap a card on the left to start.
Step 4: Quick Check
Two questions, then you are done.
Question 1 of 1
Is it all right to ask why a rule exists?
Step 5: Your Life Mission
Something to do away from the screen. Nobody is checking.
Ask about one rule
- Pick a rule you follow every day.
- Ask a grown-up why it is there.
- See if you can guess before they tell you.
Why: Guessing first is what turns a rule into something you understand.
Step 6: What You Learned
- Rules have reasons.
- Usually safety, or fairness.
- You can ask why.
For the grown-up
Giving reasons has a real cost — a child who knows the reason will sometimes decide it does not apply. The trade is a child who can also tell a good rule from a bad instruction, which matters more.
"Because I said so" works and teaches nothing transferable. Where there is a reason, saying it is usually quicker than the argument that follows not saying it.
Some rules genuinely have reasons a small child cannot follow. Saying "there is a reason and I will explain it when it makes more sense" is honest and better than inventing one.