How to teach your kids to be polite

Do you cringe at the idea of taking your kids out anywhere? Are you afraid of what they might say? Are your kids rude or obnoxious? Learn ways to teach your kids proper manners so they will behave politely and you will no longer need to feel embarrassed. Here are some ways to teach your kids to be polite.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Set a Good Example -- Children learn from watching their parents. If you are polite and display proper manners, they will do the same. Make sure they understand the value of being polite, and always remember the Golden Rule to treat others as you would like to be treated.

2. Please and Thank You -- These are essential words to a child's vocabulary, and should be taught as soon as your child is able to speak. Please and thank you should be used regularly, and regardless of the difficulty of the task. For example, "May I have some juice, please?" is acceptable. The phrase "Give me juice now" is not.

3. Respect the Home -- If you allow your child to jump and climb on your furniture at home, the same will be done when you go to visit other houses (some of which may include very expensive furniture). Your little one will not know the difference. Instead, teach your child to respect his/her home and treat it kindly.

4. Make it a Habit -- Manners should always be enforced, and you should always demand nothing less than utmost respect for others. If you would like your children to behave better at a restaurant, act as you would at a restaurant when you are at home. If politeness is a habit, you will need to do less and less enforcing.

5. Sit Back with Pride -- And remember to smile and thank everyone when you are complimented repeatedly on your very well-behaved children.

[hlthychoclitnut]

on 12/24/2008 Great to hear someone teaching their kids manners. It scary how some kids act out in a restaurant even wandering from table to table.

[oneloved]

on 7/18/2008 Great tips! I'm going to link this to my article, "How to Teach Kids Manners"

[sunnyoct]

on 7/15/2008 Very good article!

[AutumnLeavz]

on 7/15/2008 I believe manners are a lost art these days. We thought it was very important to teach the kids from the beginning and even got compliments at a fancy dining restaurant before. I believe you can start at any age if you need to and your points are wonderful for helping people out! Thanks so much!