Children’s Etiquette. Proper Etiquette to Teach our Children

All parents want to give the best to their children and raise a decent little man. Children’s etiquette plays an important role in the upbringing of the child. Knowing the basic rules of etiquette would be very helpful wherever you are: visiting, walking, at the table, communicating with adults and peers.

But how to teach your child the rules of etiquette?

First of all, by own example, communicating with the child. We all know that the kid absorbs everything like a sponge. And if he will hear from day to day that the parents say “please”, “thank you”, “bless you” this is a good sign for kid. After all, he has a living example before his eyes.

At what age should a child be taught etiquette?

You can explain typical rules of etiquette to the child above year and a half. It is age that the child begins to actively communicate on the playground with peers, eats on his own and understands everything.
At this age, you can make a note to the kid, if he starts to throw food during dinner, smear it on the table, eat porridge by hands instead of using a spoon. After the remark, tell the child how to properly behave at the table.
If on a walk with a baby you meet someone from friends or come to visit you, remind the child that you need to say “hello” and say “bye”. On the playground also explain to the child the rules of communication with other children, that you can not fight, take away other people’s toys, throw sand.

The rules of etiquette for children at the table:
The rules of etiquette during meals are reduced to the general behavior of the baby at the table:
• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before eating;
• During meals you must eat carefully, so as not to stain yourself and a person sitting next to you;
• You can not talk with full mouth;
• It is forbidden to play with food, smear it on furniture, indulge in a table;
• You can not use other people's cutlery during dinner or eat from someone else’s dish;
• You can not put your elbows on a table or swing on a chair;
• If the child gets dirty during meals, explain that you do not need to wipe your hands on a tablecloth or your clothes, explain that he\she need to use a napkin;
• cake and cakes are eaten with a spoon, not with hands.
• After eating you need to wipe your lips with a napkin or go to wash;
• after eating it is necessary to thank the one who cooked for you.

Rules of etiquette for children at a party
The child needs to explain that there is a guest etiquette, which, like the others, should be observed:
• Before you go on a visit, you need to warn the person about your visit (preferably in advance);
• Do not go on a visit empty-handed, so it’s advisable to go to the nearest store along the way and buy something delicious for tea, or grab a sweet or small gift from home;
• when the owner of the apartment opens the door, you need to greet him. When you’re ready to go home, you need to thank for hospitality and say goodbye;
On a visit you should behave calmly, you can not run, scream and climb on cabinets and boxes that belong to the owners of the house.
Etiquette for communication
A child from an early age must be taught to culturally communicate with the people around him. It is necessary to instill respect for the elders, to train them to say hello, to say goodbye and not to get into conversation when adults communicate with each other.
• The younger should be the first to greet the elders at the meeting, and when the time has come to leave, it is necessary to say goodbye, saying “goodbye”,”bye”;
• In transport, it is necessary to give way to older, elderly and pregnant women;
• use words such as: “sorry”, “thank you” and “please”.
• waking up in the morning, it is customary to greet everyone with the words “good morning”, and before going to bed, wish everyone a “good night”;
• If someone sneezes, you should wish “bless you”;
• To be uncultured, complain, offend and call to other children;
• on the playground, it is common to share your toys with friends;
• if you liked a toy that belongs to another child, you should politely ask her to play for a while.

If you teach your child the rules of etiquette from a young age, he will grow up to be a polite person, who will understand how to behave in different situations. Do not forget to praise the baby when he follows the rules of etiquette, this will encourage him to continue to act in the same direction.

 

 

Autor: Tatiana- Jestem absolwentką Poltava National V.G. Korolenko Pedagogical University in Poltava ze stopniem magistra filologii angielskiej i literatury światowej. Ukończyłam również licencjat na Uniwersytecie Marii Skłodowskiej Curie w Lublinie na kierunku: Stosunki międzynarodowe ; specjalizacja- stosunki międzynarodowe  we wschodnio-centralnej Europie.