How to Teach Table Settings
Teaching someone to set a table can be a simple and even enjoyable task. Teaching the basic placement of everything shouldn't take more than a few minutes, and then it is simply a matter of allowing your student to practice. This method can work with children or adults, although if you are working with children, you may need to provide more assistance.
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Things You'll Need
- Printable place mat or diagram
- Plate
- Bread plate
- Napkin
- Fork
- Knife
- Spoon
- Glass
Instructions
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Use visual aids. If you are teaching a child how to set the dinner table, you can use printable place mats for the child to use as a model until she is able to remember where each item belongs. If you are teaching an adult, you can use diagrams, such as the ones provided by the Emily Post Institute.
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Explain to your student that it is easiest to start with the plate, because it is the main component of the place setting, and the location of everything else is determined by the plate. The plate should be placed directly in front of each seat. If bread or rolls are being served, a separate bread plate should be placed above and to the left of the dinner plate.
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3
Instruct the person you are teaching to fold each napkin in half before placing it to the left of the plate. If the dinner is formal, the napkin can be placed vertically on the dinner plate, according to the Emily Post Institute.
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4
Add the silverware. The fork should be placed to the left of the plate on the napkin. The knife should be placed to the right of the plate with the blade facing in, and the spoon should be placed just outside the knife on the right side. Parent's magazine suggests that you explain to your student that the knife protects the spoon from the fork to help her remember that the knife goes before the spoon
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5
Add the glass. The glass should go above the knife and spoon to the right of the plate. The glass goes on the right because most people are right handed.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are teaching a child, set out all the dishes she needs on the counter, and then allow her to set the table.
Don't let a young child set the knives on the table. Even if you are right with her, she could get hurt.
