It is never too late to start teaching your child the importance of good manners. Children are like sponges and can easily absorb what they are taught, as long as they learn it as children.
While it may seem difficult to teach good manners, the best course of action is to model the behavior and encourage your children to follow suit. You can tell your kids all day long to have good manners, but the reality is, if you don’t, you are going to be in big trouble. There are so many important things that we teach our children, but teaching them good manners is especially important.
Not only will it ensure that you are sending a good human into the world, but it will also help them to forge healthy social relationships with others. With that said, here are 10 good manners you need to teach your kids.
1. To not interrupt.
It is so rude to interrupt someone who is speaking. What you are saying when you talk over someone is that what they are saying is not important. If your child interrupts you, tell them that instead of verbally interrupting, they need you to place a hand on your arm. Any time they forget, remind them, and go back to your conversation.
2. To say please and thank you.
While saying please and thank you should be common sense, if you take a stroll around in any public place, you will soon realize that is not the case. Teach your child to say please if they are asking for something, and to say thank you when they are receiving something.
3. To say excuse me.
There are multiple reasons to say excuse me. For example, if someone is talking to your child if they need to walk away, teach them to excuse themselves from the conversation and go do what they need to do. Additionally, if they bump into someone or are in someone’s way, teach them to say excuse me.
4. To be a good guest.
When your child is invited over to someone’s house, remind them to be on their best behavior. Teach them to throw away their trash after they are done with it, to make up their sleeping area, and to offer to help as needed. Also, tell them to say thank you when they are invited somewhere. A good guest gets invited back, but not only that- it’s just the right thing to do.
5. To have good table manners.
There are a few basic table manners all kids should be taught. This includes not talking while they are chewing up food (not just because of manners, but because it’s a choking hazard.) Also, placing a napkin in their lap and teaching them to wipe their mouths is good practice. And of course, if they need to leave the table to say “Excuse me.”
6. To acknowledge someone who is speaking to them.
When someone is speaking to your child, teach them to acknowledge the person speaking to them. For example, if they are asked a question, they should either answer it or say why they do not want to answer it. It’s just rude to ignore others.
7. To clean up after themselves.
When your child makes a mess, teach them that it is good manners to clean it up. When they leave the table, if it’s age-appropriate, they need to learn to clear their place. If they eat candy, teach them to throw away their trash. And if they make a mess-show them how to clean it up or teach them to alert someone else if they cannot.
8. When not to speak.
There are times when speaking is not appropriate. This would be when any public speaker or entertainer has taken the stage, at a funeral when the service is being conducted, or when they have the urge to say something that is not nice.
9. Shaking hands and making eye contact.
Teach your child about shaking hands when they are younger, so that when they grow up they will have that knowledge. When they meet new people, show them how to greet them, and how to make a firm handshake with eye contact. First impressions matter.
10. To be polite to servers.
When someone is waiting on you, use your best manners. Emphasize to your child why they should treat servers with respect, even if they are unhappy. If they act rudely towards a server, set them straight.