Bella’s Rules is available as a YouTube read-along.
Have you ever made up a rule that you think everyone in your family should follow? Are you the only one in your family who thinks your rule is a good one, or does the family think it is a good rule too? Bella’s Rules is a story about a little girl who does not like to follow anyone’s rules but her own. Although she knows the family rules by heart, she likes her own rules much better. When you hear Bella’s rules, you might understand why she likes them best of all. One of her rules, for example, is that it’s okay to eat candy for breakfast. Everything seems great to Bella until she gets a puppy of her own, a puppy who also does not like to follow the rules.
While you are listening to Bella’s Rules, think about why we have rules, and what family rules you have that are like Bella’s family rules.
Discussion Questions:
- Why do you think we have rules?
- What do you think the difference is between a rule and law?
- Bella’s Family Rules include no yelling indoors, no painting on walls or pictures, no climbing on the furniture. Do you have any of these rules at your house? Be prepared to share.
- Bella’s rules included having candy for breakfast, never washing her hair, and never having such a thing as bedtime. Do you think Bella’s rules are good ones? Why or why not?
- Do you have any family rules that you think are hard to follow?
- Do you agree with Bella that, “Once in a while a rule is meant to be broken”?
S.T.A.R. Card:
We all have rules we follow. However, we do not always have the same rules. For example, if you have a dog, you might have a rule about how often you must walk the dog. Think of a rule you have in your home that might not be a rule in other classmate’s homes? Be prepared to share.
(Lesson developed by Anne Spector, C70’s Lead Educator.)