Teaching Children Etiquette and Good Manners

It's a great idea to begin teaching manners to small children at a young age and modelling them yourself. Once your child's senses have fully developed and they are able to notice you and their surroundings, get their attention and start teaching them little but crucial manners. With these five tips, you can teach and model good manners for your children.

In social situations and even when you're trying to teach something, your child should be able to maintain eye contact, as I described in my book, For Mums: Golden Guidelines for Raising Excellent Kids. Teach your child to make eye contact when they say hello, goodbye, please, thank you, or "I love you," or when they ask for something, respond to a question, or engage a person in a conversation.

When your child requests a toy or food item from you, wait until they say "please" before giving it to them. Once you have given the child the item, be on the lookout for a thank-you. If the child doesn’t say it. Prompt him.

Remember to remind your child to say "Excuse me" when he wants to speak, as well as to politely interrupt others when he has something urgent to say that can't wait, catch your attention, cough, belch, or request that someone repeat something.

When your child is not in a gathering where he or she is required to bow or kneel, remind them to shake hands like a grownup by lightly touching their shoulder. Also, don't forget to teach your child to greet adults appropriately when they must kneel or bow.

Show your child how to be clean. Children frequently overlook the need to care for themselves. Your youngster should change out of dirty clothes as soon as possible before they get smelly and wash them. Encourage your child to change his clothes as soon as they become soiled with sweat and filthy to avoid wearing stinky clothes and upsetting other people.

Encourage a positive attitude at the table. Avoid doing everything for the children or delegating everything to the domestic staff while the children laze about the house. Teach children good table manners, including how to clear the table after meals and serve others and themselves.

Being a parent involves doing your best to instil good manners in your children. You can teach your children appropriate manners and help them practice the expected behaviour in everyday situations by being kind, encouraging, patient, and consistent. Even though modelling specific behaviours for children might be challenging, practice makes perfect. Your child can successfully navigate embarrassment, depression, heartbreaks, and difficulty in numerous situations, make friends at school, and succeed in various situations throughout life with the help of good manners, etiquette, and other fundamental life skills. Don't put off building your child's character until it is too late. 

To happier parenting!

Your friend and Coach,

Damilola Ogunremi.