The tone of voice we use is just as important as which words we say. To get this idea across, you could ask your child to say the same sentence in various tones of voice. For example, you could ask him to say, “I want some juice,” in a demanding tone, a bossy tone, a pleasant tone and a whining tone. If you record this into a tape recorder, and play it back to him, it will help him learn how to speak pleasantly without whining or sounds bossy. Again – make it a game, and take part yourself too – so that the learning takes place in a fun environment.

Remember to be polite TO your child. If we forget to say Please and Thank you when we want our children to do something for us, how can we expect them to remember when they want something?

Phone manners – once your child is getting close to the age of being old enough to answer the phone, why not play games that help her understand how to talk politely on the phone? Simple phrases like “Who would you like to talk to?” and “Just a minute please,” will make the caller feel comfortable – not to mention impressed with your polite child!

The influence of TV and movies – It can be a real shock to hear our child repeat something rude, especially if we know we don’t use that word in our household. We need to be aware that if they are allowed to watch TV and movies, children will pick up new vocabulary. To minimize the damage to our children’s manners, it’s a good idea to have a simple discussion about the fact that movies are for entertainment and don’t represent real life. Once this is repeated a few times, the child should be able to appreciate that just because he’s heard something on TV it is not necessarily OK to use it at home. You may have to remind him of this fairly often, but it is well worth the effort. Always remember to scold the behavior and not the child! Never tell your child he has been rude, but say that the word or behavior was rude.