8 important manners you should teach your

little ones

We all want to raise our little ones to be polite and well behaved, and learning those lessons
starts at home. It's never too early to teach your little ones basic manners! Here are eight oI the
most important manners you should try to teach your little ones beIore they go to school. They
won't remember them all, or get them right every time, but patience and perseverance should get
you through:
Always say please and thank you
Whether they're activities as small as giving your little one a snack, or them asking iI they can
play in the garden, always reinIorce the importance oI saying please and thank you. No matter
how young your children are, you can't start enIorcing this rule too early!
Table manners
When your tiny tots are just learning to eat at the table, start teaching them the manners you'd
like them to have Ior the rest oI their lives! Rules like not eating with their mouths open, or not
putting their elbows on the table, are good liIe lessons Ior your children to learn as soon as
possible.
3 Play dates
When you're little ones go on play dates, or to birthday parties, remind them to thank their
Iriends parents Ior having them over. II you aren't going to be attending the play date or event
with your little one, ensure your little ones know they should treat their Iriends parents (and all
grown-ups) with the same respect they treat you.
4 Birthday party etiquette
It's oIten said that kids go wild at birthday parties - all the sweet snacks and Iun can make little
ones get excited, and sometimes Iorget their manners. But no matter how excited your little one
is on their birthday, there are some manners they shouldn't Iorget: to open their presents
thoughtIully (not ripping oII the paper, or tossing the present to one side as soon as they've seen
it) and to say thank you Ior every giIt, and to every attendee.
5 Mind the language
There will come a moment every parent dreads: the moment your little one swears. And then
Iinds it Iunny! The worst thing you can do in this scenario is laugh. Let them know that you
already know that word, you think it's unpleasant, not Iunny, and ask your little one not to use it
again!
Don't be mean
Kids tease each other, and they Iind it Iunny. But this can sometimes go a step too Iar and lead to
bullying. Make sure your little ones don't call others mean names, and don't make Iun oI anyone
Ior any reason. Ganging up on someone else is cruel, not clever.
7 Excuse me!
Once your little ones have mastered saying please and thank you, teach them to say excuse me.
It's the polite thing to say when you have to interrupt someone, or bump into somebody.
8 TMI!
There are some things that are too much inIormation, and that your little ones shouldn't talk
about in public! These include genitals, poo, nose picking, and all the other gory things that
amuse kids!