Good manners seem outdated today. Kids want this, want that, get me this, do that, all showing disrespect for their parents, adults and even themselves. But manners need not be a thing of the past.
Here are 5 important reminders on how to mind your manners.
1. Start young. Please and thank you can be learned from the time children learn to talk. Reinforce the good behavior and ignore the bad. Good manners are habits that can be learned and practiced early and often.
2. Teach patience: Children should be taught not to interrupt when others are talking. The Golden rule applies here: Treat others as you want to be treated. Children don’t like it when they are interrupted, they shouldn’t interrupt others.
3. Sharing is caring: Sharing is a hard concept for only children. They are so used to having all their toy all to themselves. The more play dates and social activities your child attends, the more he will learn that sharing is actually fun and makes you feel good about yourself.
4. Cover your cough or sneeze: I have noticed that preschool children learn to sneeze or cough into their elbow instead of their hand. This is a great habit to get into as it reduces the spread of germs and is more polite than letting it fly all over the room.
5. Show respect: One of my husband’s least favorite replies is yeah or nah. My son is showing great improvement in showing respect by replying “yes Ma’am or yes sir.”
As an added bonus, Schoodoodle makes a Mind Your Manners game for ages 4 and up. It can never replace what we as parents teach our children, but reinforcement and repetition never hurts.
Remember, our children repeat what they see and hear. If we have good manners, chances are, our children will as well. Make manners and important part of everyday life and you will see a big improvement in the Please and Thank-you department!
