The child who follows instructions still deserves to understand the reason behind them.

A child who complies is easy to leave uninformed, since nothing appears to be going wrong. A rule held without its reason cannot travel, though: it says nothing about the situation you failed to anticipate, and it will not survive the first person who tells them it is pointless. Obedience is fragile in a way understanding is not. Compliance now and judgement later are two different investments.

When you give an instruction this week, add the sentence saying what it protects. Then ask what they would do in a slightly different version of the same situation, and listen to the answer.