How to Teach Children Manners

Good manners are very important. Teaching your child about manners at an early age ensures them more confidence, better grades and gives them an edge on their competitive world. Not certain about how to go about this? Here's how.

The good manners lessons should always start at an early age. As your child is learning how to walk, talk and interact with other children, that is when to start. Teach your children to ask for something with a please thrown in at the end. A simple thing, but very important. Let them know the value and importance of sharing. If they have siblings, this lesson is easily taught. They get time with a toy and then, they need to share it with another. Serve snacks and teach children to take one and pass the tray along to other kids. So easy. Use any gathering as a teaching ground. Doing this will solve any jealousy or possessive issues later in life.

Young children are very open to learning and they learn best by example. The example that you set for them. Parents saying please, thank you and showing forgiveness inspires the same actions in their children. Addressing their elders with sir or ma'am come from you. Show them. Good manners are best learned from family and this good example sets the standards by which your child lives life. Remember this. A husband opening doors for his wife shows what good manners are all about. Telephone manners need to be taught. The art of taking messages and saying that the message will be delivered is also important. Though we live in an email and voice mail age, sometimes a personal phone message needs to be delivered to you. Elderly people are not so internet or tech suave and they usually converse by telephone. Your child is often the receiver of these calls. Make certain that they know how to ask who is calling and take their number and name down. Delivering the message is important and a valued art of communication. Your child needs to know how to properly talk on a telephone. That is your job to teach them. Practice with them often.

No, good manners are not a school taught art. They are home taught and should be strictly enforced. Teaching your child to say thanks for something is very important. Your child also needs to know their personal play boundaries. This means that if they need to stay in your yard, tell them so. Set guidelines for outdoor areas and playtime. A child should never be playing in a dim lit street after dark. Your child needs to know that their yard is their area of play, unless they ask permission to go anywhere else. A wandering child with no play boundaries can get bitten by a dog, trespass and be prey to neighborhood predators. A child should respect other people's property. This needs to be taught at an early age, for their own safety. They will learn this from their parents, guardians or care givers. It is a life saving lesson. Better taught by you than strangers.

As you can see, learning good manners is not only about being polite. It is about safety, too. A child that knows good manners will be more accepted by their friends and their parents. They will also be happier, knowing for certain, how to act, in any given situation. If any doubt, ask first. That is a good motto. You will know what is going on with your child and they will not hesitate to inform you first. That is priceless. Rules are made to be followed and teaching your child good manners will improve their learning skills. And give you more peace of mind. It all starts with you showing them the right way.