ETIQUETTE: A FANCY WORD FOR GOOD MANNERS

With proper etiquette, children and teens will gain confidence and tools needed to build positive and productive relationships in life. Below are some helpful tips you can use to incorporate teaching good manners throughout your child’s every-day encounters.

• Teaching good manners begins at home. This includes table manners and phone manners as well.
• Start at an early age: begin to teach your child good manners when they are infants.
• Please and thank-you’s are a must: If you hand something to you child and they don’t say thank-you simply remind them and ask “what do you say?” or “what’s the magic word?”. Eventually they will catch on and always remember to say please and thank-you.
• Lead by example: children like to mimic those around them so it’s important for you to show good manners at all times as well.
• Go out of your way: teach your child that good manners isn’t just in the way you speak but in your actions. It can include: opening the door for someone, helping someone with their bags, letting someone go before you etc.
• Reciprocate good manners: Explain to your child is someone is courteous to thank them and be appreciative. If the child is the one being courteous and their good manners aren’t acknowledged use it as a learning tool and ask them how it made them feel. They are more likely to remember that feeling and always be polite and say thank-you in return.