Well-behaved children are eye candy for every parent. Teaching manners to a child can be both fun and difficult at times. However, it is the duty of parents to teach it at the right age. Start at the right age so that kids can be taught different kinds of manners in an effective way.
Begin From the Right Age
Surprisingly, the journey to teach manners to a child begins right from infancy. This includes several aspects like teaching the child to be sensitive, considerate of other’s feelings, etc. A sensitive child would always respect others. Here, the practice of manners would be heartfelt and not absorbed out of compulsion by the child.
Moreover, nowadays parents have started teaching their children to be ‘assertive’ as well. As long as assertiveness is not coming in the way of politeness, it is a socially correct path for children to follow since childhood.
How do Children Intimidate Parents?
Yes, children indeed tend to follow their parents. This is why you should use polite words like thank you and please right from the beginning while talking to your child. Though kids don’t understand much, the words would at least enter their dictionary.
So make sure you have a nice expression on your face while asking something from the child saying please next time. This point can be helpful for parents in the dilemma of how to teach good manners, to children in the age group 1 to 3 years.
Importance of Name Calling
Try to address your child with his name each time you start a conversation. This is one of the most important social skills that your child should gain. If you address the child by his name, he would also address you like mom, may I or Dad, please help, etc. instead of directly banging into a conversation.
Acknowledge The Child
You must value the presence of your child. It often happens that children are made to accompany elders at get-togethers and they end up feeling bored. You must keep your child with you physically throughout the endeavor. Don’t let him feel left out and give him a chance to create trouble. Try to maintain an eye contact with him. This would enable your child to respect social gatherings and teach politeness and other public manners.
Don’t Be Forceful
Teaching manners is not a day’s task. It might take months for your child to master those magical words. However, parents should not lose hope and try not to follow a strict path to teach the use of polite words forcefully. This is because your child is too young to understand the meaning of such words. Forcing can tire him from using thank you and please even before he knows the importance of using it.
On the other hand, the significance of reward should also not be forgotten. It is one of the essential parts of the guide to teaching kids manners. Whenever your child follows proper mannerisms in front of guests or outsiders, let him know how impressive it was in person. You can also make attempts to correct him politely while appreciating the effort.
