Our Favourite Ways of Teaching Children Good Manners

Most parents appreciate a child with manners, in fact everyone appreciates manners. Who wouldn't like to know that their child is polite and helpful when they aren't around!

With so many external influences around, it's even more important to make sure the manners you deem important are instilled in your child from an early age, whether it's saying please and thank you or clearing their plates from the table; consistency, repetition, and role modelling are key.

Teaching manners - three key areas

Consistency and repetition

Like every learned behaviour, your expectations need to be consistent. If you want your child to say hello when someone walks into a room, or thank you when they are given a gift, you have to make sure it happens every time - even if you have to ask them to do it. We know this can feel embarrassing, but it's important. Other parents will understand and eventually it will become second nature.

Set expectations

Children are learning and testing boundaries so you can't expect them to read minds. You need to set expectations before something happens. For example if you know you have company coming and they want to play on your tablet, explain that this is fine, as long as they'll put it away as soon as the doorbell rings. If they complain you're well within your rights to turn off the device mid-game and issue consequences.

Role modelling

Children learn by example. If you or your partner leave the table without clearing your plate or don't say thank you when someone does something nice, why should they? Anyone helping to raise your children needs to be on the same page. If grandma doesn't expect a thank you and you do, this is confusing.

If you give up your seat on the train or hold doors for others, your child will be more likely to see these actions as normal and mimic your behaviour.