Games on Good Manners for Daisy Scouts

Learning good manners is essential for entry-level Scouts.

Daisies represent grades kindergarten through first and comprise the lowest tier of the Girl Scout hierarchy. Learning about good manners is a critical component of the Daisy Scout curriculum, but it can be difficult to demonstrate these concepts in easy-to-grasp, attention-grabbing ways with such a young age bracket. Instead of spending the entire meeting giving a lecture, demonstrate important themes and ideas interactively with entertaining games.

Phone Etiquette

Practicing phone etiquette is an important part of developing good manners, so incorporate this into your game plan. For a silly warm-up, have the girls sit in a circle to play a game of Telephone; give a starting phrase and have each girl whisper it to the Scout beside her until it comes full-circle. Compare the original phrase with the end phrase, and then discuss the importance of using clear, audible language over the phone. You can also tie in a lesson about the consequences of whispering about others. Then, play a game of trivia to go over the proper techniques for answering the phone safely and politely.

Table Manners

To teach the girls proper behavior at the table, try playing a game of Simon Says as a warm-up. Choose a variety of polite actions that should be employed at the dinner table, like passing dishes, saying please and thank you, using a napkin and washing up. Seat the girls around a set table and have them pretend to do these actions when you say to. You can also play make-believe games where the girls pretend to be out at a restaurant or at a fancy tea party to drive home important concepts about politeness and good hygiene.

Playtime Etiquette

Nobody likes a sore loser, so demonstrate good playtime manners with a board game activity. Select any board game you like, and then have the girls practice good manners by taking turns, as well as winning and losing with grace. You can also have the girls each bring in a favorite toy for a sharing game. Allot several minutes for the girls to play with the items, and then have them pass the toys to a neighbor; girls must say please and thank you with each pass.

Giving and Receiving Gifts Graciously

Teach the girls to be polite when giving and receiving gifts by wrapping up a few different items from around the house. Wrap things like candies or entertaining toys to represent good gifts, and then wrap some less desirable items like a newspaper or laundry lint to represent a dud gift. The girls will each choose a gift and will sit in a circle to unwrap the packages one by one. This game will help the girls practice receiving whatever is inside the boxes with grace, whether it's a desirable gift or a bad one.

References

• Child Fun: Manners Activity Theme -- Manners Games and Activities
• Mommy Nature: Good Manners Theme