Good manners are key to your child’s social success. Social skills are important in all aspects of your child’s life, from the playground to the classroom to the workplace. Social skills help others feel comfortable with us and help us make friends. These skills help us resolve conflicts in a healthy way. These are a few basic rules that every parent can easily teach their child to ensure they know how to mind their manners:
1.Treat people the way you want to be treated. It sounds simple, but this is always number one for me. Teaching children to be kind is something they carry with them forever. It is important to model kind behavior for your children and remind them that their behavior affects those around them.
2. Children should not interrupt when adults are talking. Unless there is an emergency situation, children should wait patiently to speak to an adult until they are finished with their conversation.
3. When an adult speaks to your child, you should teach them to make good eye contact. It shows respect and confidence. Teaching them to say “yes, ma’am” and “no, sir” also shows respect and will leave a lasting impression. 4. Knowing proper place settings empowers children when they are at the dinner table. Children should be taught to eat the food that has been prepared and to not make rude comments about the food they don’t like. It is not necessary for children to eat everything on their plate, but they should be encouraged to try it. 5. Children should be taught to say, “thank you” when someone has done something nice for them or given them a gift. Teaching children to write thank you notes is a skill they can use now and also later in life.
As parents, teaching basic manners sometimes gets overlooked in our busy lives. We should not assume our children know proper etiquette, so it is our job to teach them. As parents we can’t just talk the talk, we must walk the walk. Teaching our children to have good manners will help them to be well-liked and successful throughout life.
For more information on etiquette and classes at Southern Grace, visit their social media outlets
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