How to Teach Your Keiki Good Manners
Imagine you are sitting down to a nice family dinner out, the restaurant is bustling and then your little seven year old lets out a huge belch. You are mortified, and he is laughing. Now, this can happen even to the best of us, but when it becomes a regular thing, that’s when it’s not okay and it’s time to teach that boy some manners!
We all do our best to have children who say “please,” “thank you” and “excuse me,” wait their turn in line, and not belch at the dinner table. Having your children learn and participate in good manners takes consistency.
Kids will mirror the actions that they consistently see.
When your children see you and your spouse or family members being polite, they will mirror your actions. If they see you always burping at the dinner table while out, they’ll do that too. The “do as I say, not as I do” rule is thrown out the window when it comes to kids.
You can teach manners by having good manners yourself. When you ask your children to do something or ask them for a favor, make sure to always say “please” and “thank you” yourself.
Pretend your way to good manners.
As your children grow up, it becomes expected that they meet and greet an adult with respect. Teach them how to shake hands, look the person in the eye and ask how they are doing or say “nice to meet you.”
Pretend play at home is a great way to teach meet & greet and table manners. Have a tea party or let your little one host an imaginary dinner. Pretend to arrive and ring the doorbell. Have your child greet you with a hello, how-do-you-do and even a handshake.
With a little modeling of good behavior and making it fun, your keiki will be keeping those burps off the dinner table and rocking good manners in no time.
