Mind Your Manners

We teach our children to say "please" and "thank you" but good manners require much more than just saying the "Magic Words".  Teaching your children good manners gives them lifelong survival skills and the tools to build, strengthen, and maintain relationships with others.   Below are some activities you can do with your child to reinforce good manners.

1.  Show your children the manners you expect at home first.  The next time you eat dinner together, have your children pretend they are eating at a restaurant.  How should they talk to each other?  What should they say when the waiter brings their food?  How do we sit in our seat?  What do we do if we finish eating before the rest of the family?

2.  The next time your children mentions something nice that another person did for them.  Discuss how did that person's actions made them feel. Then suggest they write a thank you note to express their appreciation.  A thank you notes doesn't have to be a lot of words; it can even be a picture.

3.  You can write short thank you notes to your children for things they do that you appreciate.

4.  Explain to your child the importance of taking turns.   Practice taking turns with a favorite toy or activity.  For example, if your child absolutely loves swinging, practice swinging for a prescribed amount of time then moving on the another activity, in an effort to allow another child the opportunity to swing.  This will be a beneficial skill to possess on the playground, and in school yards.

5.  Meetings, Greetings, and Good-byes make for a fun family game that can give your child an opportunity to practice polite ways to meet new people, greet people they know, and say good bye.  With your child, role play meeting new people (peer, adult, teacher...).  How do you greet a friend, relative, or pediatrician?  What are some of the ways you can say goodbye after spending time with someone? 

Children can benefit from learning that little acts of appreciation, caring, and respect can make others feel really good.  And manners are a part of appreciating, respecting and caring for the feelings of other.  Try fun learning activities and role playing at home to instill good manners in your child.  Good manners start at home and spread abroad.