Manners for Children

Manners for Children
By Cassie Martin and Monicka

Manners for children are a great gift. By teaching your child manners you are enabling him to interact positively with those around him. Teaching a child good manners will help him be liked and respected by adults as well as his peers, which will give him more confidence, setting up a positive spiral.

Children should learn that good manners means more than just following protocols like which cutlery to use, and more even than using the right words. “Please” and “thank you” mean so much more when they are said with genuine feeling.

Here are some ideas to help you help your child practice good manners.

Table manners – set a good example, because your children will for the most part unconsciously pick up table manners from their parents. For extra fun – and polish! - schedule special dinners for the whole family where everyone dresses up and practices his or her best manners. It’s just a game – but as we know the best learning takes place when children are enjoying themselves.

Thank you notes - have a special drawer with notelets, writing paper, nice pens and envelopes to make it easy for your child to write prompt thank you notes after receiving a gift or when someone has done something nice for them. Even in this age of electronic communication, everyone loves getting a personal, thoughtful hand written note.