Personal Space & the Hallway at School

Why Personal Space Matters

The first week of school is exciting—but it can also be overwhelming. Hallways become crowded, backpacks bump into one another and many students spend more energy navigating people than thinking about learning.

How do we use our personal space and the personal space of others? Do we think about it, or do we just move to where we want to be? Consider the last time you walked down a sidewalk or a hallway. Were you alone or were others present? How about riding public transportation? Attending a social event? Did you feel comfortable or a bit penned in? In thinking about neurodivergent folks and their use (or desired use) of personal space, it led me to think about one of the busiest places in any school: the hallway. Crowded hallways may involve:

- sensory overload

- unpredictable movement

- unexpected touch

- loud noises

- difficulty processing multiple stimuli

Why Hallways Are Challenging

Many students (and adults), not just autistic, but some learners with ADHD, anxiety, trauma histories, or simply different comfort levels may also find crowded spaces stressful. These everyday hallway experiences can significantly influence students' readiness to learn. When students feel physically and emotionally safe during transitions, they're better prepared to engage once they reach the classroom.

Personal space is important for all kinds of communication and interpersonal relations; it provides a level of safety and comfort. A personal space bubble is an imaginary, psychological boundary surrounding an individual. It represents the area in which they feel comfortable and safe. This “bubble” helps an individual regulate interactions, sensory input and their sense of security. It is connected to a person’s:

- emotional regulation

- executive functioning

- attention

- transition times

- behavior

- belonging

Like many educators, I wasn't taught much about personal space during my teacher preparation program. Most of what I learned came through experience. Let’s do a quick review of the typical view of space.

- Intimate space – 18” bubble around each of us

- Personal space – 18” up to 4’ – some might call this “arm’s length”

- Social space – 4’-10’

- Public space – over 10’

Personal space needs vary from person to person; there isn’t one “right” amount of personal space. The need is influenced by:

- culture

- age

- personality

- sensory preferences

- familiarity with others

And why does all this matter in school hallways? Learning happens when there is/are:

- reduced anxiety

- smoother transitions

- fewer hallway conflicts

- increased emotional regulation

- improved school climate

Practical Strategies for Teachers

Many adults expect kids to "just know" how to navigate crowded hallways. In reality, body awareness, spatial awareness and reading social cues are learned skills that benefit from explicit instruction and practice—just like lining up, collaborating or resolving conflicts. Here are five ways educators can support personal space in busy hallways:

- Teach hallway expectations explicitly—not just "walk quietly."

- Practice transitions before the first busy day.

- Demonstrate body awareness through games or movement activities.

- Teach students how to notice nonverbal cues that someone needs more room.

- Allow anxious students to transition a minute early or late.

- Model "excuse me" and "after you" language.

- Assign hallway jobs that naturally spread students out.

- Offer alternate routes or slightly earlier transitions when possible.

- Watch for students who consistently avoid crowds or become dysregulated.

Rather than providing all the answers, invite students to brainstorm how each strategy might work in their own school. When learners help generate solutions, they are more likely to understand and use them. Brainstorming and sharing is one way to get kids thinking about the issue of personal space and how their buffer zone works best. This awareness might help ease some of the stress (or even fear) kids experience at school. (Recently I wrote about worry and anxiety kids might experience about the beginning of school.)

For example, using a hula hoop may be an easy way to visually show what personal space means (or can mean). Learners can “try on” a hula hoop and see how near or far others are from them. It might look like this:

- students wear the hoop

- classmates approach

- discuss personal comfort level

- relate to hallway situations

- connect to respecting others' space

Think of personal space like a buffer zone. Sometimes that buffer zone is at a premium, like in a crowded school corridor where things are moving fast and it is loud. How can we know (or help) if someone needs more space?

As adults, we can look for social cues. Is someone’s behavior changing (sometimes not for the good)? We could ask about boundaries. We might suggest a different route or moving towards the wall. We could use our bodies as a buffer for movement in a crowded hall.

When we intentionally teach students how to navigate shared spaces, we're teaching more than hallway behavior—we're teaching empathy, self-awareness, and respect for others. Those lessons extend far beyond the hallway.

Questions for Reflection

- Which hallway locations create the most crowding?

- Which students seem uncomfortable during transitions?

- What expectations have we taught—and what have we assumed students already know?

- How might we intentionally create a little more space or predictability?

Resources

CAST. (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0.

Hall, E. T. (1966). The hidden dimension. Doubleday.

Shanker, S. (2016). Self-Reg: How to help your child (and you) break the stress cycle and successfully engage with life. Penguin.

Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2008). Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. Yale University Press.