Activities That Can Improve Manners
Good social etiquette includes appropriate manners at social functions and at home. Children learn appropriate manner by observing adults and practicing what they see. Manners may differ from one culture to another, and adults may find themselves needing to learn new social rules when moving between cultures or social groups. Practice provides the best vehicle for learning to act appropriately in any given situation.
Other People Are Reading
-
Tea Parties
-
Throw a tea party and let your darling children practice their manners with peers, or even with dolls and stuffed animals. The key element is to get plenty of practice. Offer cookies or crackers and lemonade for young children and serve a real tea party with cloth napkins and serving utensils for older children. Plan a mom and daughter or father and son outing for afternoon tea where the main purposes include practicing manners and spending quality time together.
Social Dining
-
Eat meals at home practicing good manners and then take those newfound skills out and show them off. Start with something low-key and low-stress, like the hamburger shop or the ice cream store. Graduate to a middling restaurant and do your final exam at some place very nice. Practice the skills in between with family dinners, and invite a few friends over so you can exercise the skills with a minimum of negative consequences if you or your child picks up the wrong fork or drops a bite in a lap.
-
Modeling Considerate Behavior
-
Demonstrate good manners to those around you. Remember to say “please” and “thank you” or to apologize for an error. Display common courtesies like holding doors for others or waiting your turn in line. Remember that children watch you and will notice if you require something of them that you don’t follow through with yourself.
Speak kindly to everyone and smile like you mean it. Call the waitress by name or acknowledge the checkout clerk at the grocery store. Model respect for everyone regardless of their job or position in society. Point out good manners in others, including characters on television shows and in movies. Discuss improper behaviors and what should have happened. Praise right answers and appropriate behaviors.
Etiquette Class
-
Consider taking an etiquette class. Learn how to walk with confidence and meet the world with your head up and your feet firmly planted. In a class like this, freely ask questions about proper behavior or which fork to use and learn together. Celebrate graduation with a classy meal and drawing room manners anyone would be proud to display.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
