5 Tips to Developing Manners During Childhood

Manners may seem like they have become a thing of the past in many places, but guiding your children to be polite and courteous should not lose priority in a family household. Manners are almost always appreciated in social circumstances, despite them being so often neglected in today’s society. Due to the uncommon nature of manners during childhood today, a child who displays social grace will immediately make a good impression.

Learning how to mind manners now will not only help your child in their social development during childhood but will also positively impact them in social settings during their teen years and young adulthood.

Here are a few ways in which you can help your little one mind their manners during childhood:

1. “Please” and “Thank you.”

   This is the oldest courtesy in the book and probably the first one your toddler should learn too. Teach him that the proper way to ask for something should always include a “please” and that the proper way to accept a gift or treat should include a thank you. Practice this with your child until it becomes a natural habit.

2. Sharing is caring.

   You’ve heard this saying time and time again, and yes – there is truth to it! Make sure your child follows this rule of thumb by giving her two toys that are similar and encouraging her to offer one to her friend during playtime.

3. Apologizing.

   Teach your child that apologizing is absolutely necessary if he does something that hurts another person, either physically or emotionally. Explain to him how the action he took hurt that person and tell him that he can make the situation better by apologizing to the person he hurt.

4. Making eye contact.

   One of the most important parts of making polite conversation involves making eye contact. A good way to remind your child to make eye contact during conversation is by asking her to notice the color of a person’s eyes and to report it to you later after the conversation has ended.

5. Handshaking.

   Instruct your child to shake a person’s hand when he meets them for the first time. You can use a little trick to help him remember how to shake hands properly: show him the web of your hand (the area between your thumb and pointer finger) and explain to him that when he shakes a person’s hand, he should touch the web of his hand to web of the other person’s hand. Practice this with him a few times until he has it mastered.

At Carpe Diem Private Preschools, we believe that manners help children build gratitude rather than a sense of entitlement, which is what many children are naturally inclined to feel during childhood. By practicing manners and gracious behavior with your children, you can help foster their character development and support them in their growth as well-rounded individuals. We make it a priority to include character education as part of our curriculum here at Carpe Diem and we believe that by working together with parents we can nurture life-long values and social skills.