Children are not born with good manners. Babies cry when they're hungry, sleep when they're tired and coo when they're happy. But as they grow, they begin to enter the social arena, where many actions are dictated by manners. Manners can differ from culture to culture, so what might be good manners in one country may be rude behavior in another. Regardless of the country, though, children may be eager to learn good manners so that they can interact with adults on their level. Other children may not be so eager. For parents and caregivers, though, the responsibility of teaching good manners to kids can be accomplished by following a few easy steps.
Step 1
Present a positive model for the behavior of the kids. As the old adage goes, actions speak louder than words. It will be difficult to teach manners to kids if you are not well-mannered yourself. As you exhibit new behaviors that reflect good manners in front of the kids, don't hesitate to mention the behavior so that they can see for themselves how to do it.
Step 2
Start with one aspect of manners, table manners for example, and teach this aspect to the kids before moving on to another aspect of manners. Teaching one subject at a time will help kids focus on the activity and help prevent overloading them with information.
Step 3
Keep a mental list of prompts for the kids when they forget what to do to display good manners. For example, if a kid forgets to extend a hand when meeting an adult, you could ask, "What do we extend when we meet an adult?" If the kid still can't remember, point to your hand.
Step 4
Explain to the children why good manners are important. They are necessary if for no other reason than to be certain of avoiding being rude in situations, such as meeting the parents of their friends or going on a class outing to a science center. Good manners also help in the sense that people get treated in the same manner as they treat others. By being polite to others, we command politeness in return.
Step 5
Give praise to the kids when they successfully show good manners. You don't have to do this the moment they exhibit the good behavior, but it should be mentioned. Bedtime is a good opportunity to shine praise on them for their behavior during the day.
Tips and Warnings
- Rewarding kids for good manners is a positive teaching tool that can help to firmly plant lessons into their minds.
- Kids experience peer pressure from many avenues, and some of this peer pressure may not always be positive. Sometimes bad manners can result from peer pressure.
