Manners are simple social rules that everyone needs to develop. They make life easier for everyone, and teach us how to act when we’re in someone else’s home or with people we know less well than ourselves. Here are 10 great ways to teach your children the importance of good manners.
Be a Good Example
Being a good example is one of the best ways to teach your children manners. When you set a good example for your kids by being polite and considerate, they will follow your lead.
When you are polite to others and kind to your children, they learn by watching you. If they see that you are respectful to other people, they will learn to be respectful as well. If they see that you have confidence in yourself and your abilities, they will learn to have faith in themselves as well.
When you treat others with respect, it shows your children that everyone deserves respect regardless of who they are or what they look like.
The same goes for manners; when you show them how important it is for people to say “please” and “thank you,” it reinforces the importance of these simple gestures that help us all get along better together!
Be Patient
The most important thing you can do as a parent is to help them develop good habits. Children often model their behavior on what they see, so if they see that you are patient and kind, they will learn how to be patient and kind themselves. If they see that you get frustrated easily or lose your temper, then they are more likely to do the same thing.
Patience also teaches children patience, which is an important skill for life. Being able to wait for something is a skill that many adults struggle with, and it’s one that children will need to learn in order to succeed in school and beyond. Patience allows us to take the time we need in order to accomplish goals and complete tasks successfully, so it’s important that we teach our children how this works early on!
Be consistent
If you say something once but do not follow through on it, then they will not know what to expect next time. They may act out or they may just ignore you because they do not see the point of listening anymore.
You need to be consistent with your parenting style if you want them to behave properly when interacting with others in public areas such as restaurants or shopping malls; especially if there are other people around who could potentially get hurt by their actions such as running around without adult supervision nearby!
You should also try rewarding good behavior instead of punishing bad behavior like most parents do nowadays which only creates more problems down the road when they don’t learn anything from their mistakes or misdeeds! This means letting them know that they did something wrong without making them feel bad about themselves because that’s how trust builds up between parent/child relationships over time!
Have Fun with it
When you’re dealing with your children, having fun can be one of the most effective ways to teach them manners. You can have them practice their table manners, for example, with a fun game.
Before you start playing any kind of game with your child, it’s important to make sure that they understand what’s expected from them. Let them know what the rules are and how they’ll be penalized if they don’t follow them.
Then, when they’ve done something wrong and need to be corrected, explain why it was wrong and how they can do better next time. If you explain things in an interesting way that doesn’t involve yelling or scolding, they’re more likely to remember what not to do next time around.
Model what you Want Them to do, and Explain why it’s Important
If you want your kids to say please before they take food off the table, then say “please” before taking a bite. If you want your kids to say thank you when someone opens the door for them, then be sure to thank them when they do it for you.
Explain why good manners are important as well. If someone else is doing something nice for your child, explain why that person did it and what it means. For example, if an adult opens the door for your child and says “have a nice day,” explain that this person has done something nice because they care about other people’s feelings and want them all to have a good day. If someone else helps pick up their toys, explain that this person has done something nice because they care about keeping things organized so everyone can use them easily.
Reward good behavior, but don’t punish bad behavior
Rewarding good behavior means that when your child does something that you like, you should tell them so. This could be as simple as saying “thank you” when they help out with the chores. If they have been doing well for a while and have been doing chores without being asked, then maybe you can give them a reward like an extra hour of video games or something small like that.
Punishing bad behavior is not effective at all. This means that if your child is acting up, yelling at them will not stop them from doing it again because they are just acting out because they want attention or because they think it will make them feel better about themselves. They might even do it more often if they get punished instead of rewarded for their bad behavior. Punishing can also lead to more problems down the road like depression or anger issues which can lead to criminal activity later on in life so it’s best to avoid punishment altogether and focus on rewarding good behaviors instead!
Don’t Give in When They Want Something they Shouldn’t have (like candy before dinner or staying up late on school nights)
Teaching your kids to be polite and say “please” and “thank you” is important, but it’s also important to teach them what’s acceptable behavior. If you give in when your child wants something, he or she will learn that being demanding and whining will get them what they want.
If your child asks for something you don’t want him or her to have—such as candy before dinner—tell them no, then wait until later in the day or the next day if needed. Your child will eventually learn that asking nicely doesn’t always work, but waiting patiently usually does!
Make Sure They Understand why Rules Exist and what the Consequences are if They Break Them
Children are like sponges. They learn everything they know from the adults around them, and if those adults aren’t teaching them manners and how to behave in a socially acceptable manner, then they’re going to grow up without any manners at all.
There’s nothing wrong with letting your child make some mistakes when they’re young. It’s important for them to learn what works and what doesn’t—but it’s also important that they understand why rules exist and what the consequences are if they break them.
For example, if you tell your child that it’s rude to interrupt someone while they’re talking, then you should explain why that is: because it’s impolite and makes people feel uncomfortable. But then you should also let them know that if they do interrupt someone while they’re talking, their mommy or daddy won’t be happy with them. In other words, teach them about manners in a way that makes sense for their age group!
Use Positive Reinforcement When Possible
While it may seem counterintuitive, using positive reinforcement is a way to teach your children manners. When you tell them not to do something, they’ll have a tendency to do it more often. That’s because they’re trying to get your attention and make you happy—so they’ll do the thing they know will get that attention.
But if you give them positive reinforcement when they do things right—if you let them know that what they did was good—they’ll be more likely to repeat that behavior in the future. For example, if you say “Thank you,” that’s positive reinforcement! If instead of saying “Don’t throw food,” you say “Please don’t eat with your hands,” that’s negative reinforcement.
Don’t Forget about Yourself! Learning how to Teach Your Children Manners can be Stressful Enough
It’s important to remember that you need to take care of yourself as well, especially when you’re learning new things. As a parent, it’s easy to put your own needs on the backburner because you are focused on taking care of your children. But learning how to teach your children manners isn’t all about them—it’s about you, too!
Your children will pick up on how stressed and overwhelmed you feel when they see their parents stressing out over something that seems so easy for them. They’ll also learn that it’s okay for them to have bad manners if they see their parents doing the same thing. Teaching your kids proper manners is an important part of their development and socialization skills, but it doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming for either one of you!
Being polite might not seem as important as it once was, but that’s no excuse to let manners slip. Teaching your kids the basics is easy, but gaining their acceptance and common sense enough to apply these tenets on the fly is harder. These tips will help you avoid a trip to grandma’s house in the near future because you turned a blind eye.
