5 Tips for Teaching Good Manners to Children
Good manners also promote greater self-worth in children and also a great appreciation of their surroundings. Parents should begin instilling good manners from a young age, and this needs to be part of daily learning.
In today’s technological society, teaching manners to children is more critical than ever. Without a doubt, one of the most important tasks that parents need to address is that of teaching their children social skills.
Children need to learn how to treat others politely and to be respectful and considerate of them.
5 tips for teaching good manners to children
Parents should take the following suggestions into consideration when teaching good manners to their children:
1. Be a model of good behavior
The first essential piece of advice for teaching manners to children is that you model the behavior you want to see. Children are prone to follow the examples they see in their role models, so set a good example.
At the same time, you should speak in a friendly tone when addressing your children and others. If you ask your children to do something, do so without making threats.
It’s not always easy to practice patience. However, as an adult, it is your responsibility to model appropriate behavior.
2. Sensitivity
Good manners stem from a sense of respect towards others. The path towards respect is, essentially, sensitivity. If you can teach your child to be sensitive and considerate to others, then you are giving a wonderful gift.
The root of good manners is respect towards others, and the root of respect is sensitivity. Sensitivity is one of the most valuable qualities that you can instill in your children from a young age. A child that is sensitive will consider the feelings of others and naturally become a well-mannered person.
“Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats beauty and youth.”
—Chanakya—
3. “Please” and “thank you”
Teaching children to say “please” and “thank you” is the foundation to teaching good manners. These words, of course, are the building blocks of good manners. As children grow, their parents can encourage them by writing them thank you notes – preferably by hand.
It goes without saying that children should learn to say thank you when they receive a gift. But we should also teach them to be polite and give thanks to those that help them and serve them.
This includes waiters and waitresses, cashiers, drivers, etc. It also includes saying thank you to family members who do things for them on a routine basis.
4. Take turns when speaking
Teach your child the habit of not interrupting, but rather waiting his or her turn to speak. This is a frequent issue, especially with children. It occurs because they want to express themselves as soon as something comes into their heads.
Children are naturally egocentric and need reminders not to interrupt. It’s important to teach them to wait to talk until the other person has finished speaking.
To help your children learn this skill, you can use a visual reminder. For example, you can use a stuffed animal or a wand to indicate when it’s someone’s time to speak.
5. Don’t be forceful when teaching manners
Language is an ability that should be enjoyed, not forced. Yes, it’s good to occasionally remind your children to say “please” before granting a request. However, you should avoid being forceful or overbearing.
In fact, you need to be careful. Children can easily get tired of these words before they even learn their meaning. It’s better to stick to occasional gentle reminders and, once again, model the behavior you want to see. This will be much more effective than constant nagging.
Don’t make the word “please” a condition for granting your child’s requests. In other words, saying “please” isn’t the magic word for getting what they want, but rather an important part of being polite.
This way, you’ll effectively work these words into your child’s vocabulary naturally, without giving the impression that their use entitles your child to reward.
Lastly, we want to remind you that you need to have a great deal of patience when teaching children to be polite. Without a doubt, this is something that you’ll need to work on every day in order to obtain results.
Nevertheless, we’re sure you’ll be glad you made the effort!