How to Teach Good Manners to your Child

Good Manners open doors that the best education cannot. Children are born with a number of innate abilities, but behaving politely is not one of them. Hence, the duty is on the parents to teach their little ones how to behave in a polite society. Come along to discover the "how" of raising a courteous and friendly child.

5 ways to teach good manners to your child

Show them, teach them!

Prepare your little one learn the magic words- "please" and "thank you". Pick up some good picture books which show few activities like when we burp, we should say "excuse me". Paste charts in their rooms to show that- "hands are not for hitting. They are for waving, washing, clapping, counting, drawing, hugging, etc.", and make a point to ask them about this- time to time. Repeating things everyday will turn their practice into habits. 

Teach Good Habits the fun way

The best part about kids is that they are like clay; you can mould them as you want. And making use of fun activities will help you get ahead easily. Play table-manner games with your kid, and plan a family manners-party every weekend for them.

If you have more than one kid, you can give points to one for reminding things to the other one; or make daily routines like arranging their beds, toys and books. Make sure you do not give punishments or use harsh words for not doing any work.

You are their Role Model

You are their first teacher, so your attention on daily activities like brushing twice a day, putting things back in their place after the use, using words like 'please' and 'thank you' will automatically instill the good manners in your child. Besides this, prompt them when they forget to be mannerly.

Step in when things get underhand. For example, during any children party, someone might inevitably hit, bite, or toy-snatch. If your child is the initiator, you should say, "That made your friend feel bad. Let's make him feel better by saying that we're sorry."

Be Polite, Show love!

On your child's every misbehavior, explain why they are wrong and how they can avoid this in future. Hug and comfort them after the incident has passed to cultivate love and trust in them. Ask them to wait for their turns and not to interrupt while you are speaking. And when you are done, make sure to give the child your full attention. Children learn by seeing, so show them to respect others by respecting them.

Acknowledge them

Always remember to praise your child. When they greet guests with a simple “hello” and “welcome” or when they behave generously around other kids. It is important to encourage little ones for every good gesture they attempt. At this age, it's hard for kids to understand the concept of sharing, so reinforcing it with praise when they manage to share is important. Further, always start by setting examples; snatching the TV remote from your spouse and changing the channel is the exact sort of behavior you want to discourage in your child.

Keep up with the praise, practice and patience and see your little lady or gent surprise you with their social behavior.