An Age-by-Age Guide to Teaching Manners

Every child is capable of learning – it’s the manner in which we as adults approach the teaching that makes the critical difference. Teaching manners to your child is possible at every age in their lives. Here are some tips to guide you as your child grows up:

Age 1-2: Teaching “the magic words” at the dinner table

1. Use stuffed animals, dolls or puppets to play dinnertime or teatime to practice saying “May I,” “Please,” “Thank you,” and “You’re Welcome.”

2. Encourage your child to say “Excuse me” for burping or bumping into others and “I’m sorry” for being naughty. Don’t make a big deal (positive or negative) of burps and messes at the table when your child is little. They will learn good table manners over time.

Age 3-6: Playing Well with Others

Toys and games can help your child pick up the skills of sharing and taking turns. Work on these manners with your younger child:

1. Sharing toys, taking turns, and playing fair with other children. 

2. Keeping his or her hands to him or herself and never hitting or name-calling. 

3. Saying goodbye and thank you when leaving a friend’s house or party.

Ages 7-10: Being Gracious and Considerate

1. Reinforce saying thanks and let him or her practice letter-writing skills by working on thank-you cards for gifts received. Make a list of who came to your child’s birthday party, gave him or her a holiday gift, or did something nice for your child.  Then, sit down with them to write out thank you cards.

2. Children of all ages get curious. Make sure your child understands boundaries. Go over rules of privacy, ownership, and space in your household. Tell your child to ask for permission before touching or taking something that doesn’t belong to them. Ask your child to knock before entering a room if the door is closed.

Ages 11-13: Being a Good Guest.

1. Give your tween guidelines for good behavior when they are visiting others or when there are guests in the house. Let them know that they shouldn’t overstay their welcome, use proper table manners, speak and listen with respect, making full eye contact (not rolling the eyes), and cleaning up after themselves.

2. Make sure they understand that saying “Thank You” is the most appropriate mannerism for being a good guest.

Ages 14-18: Respecting You and Other Adults

1. Listen to your teenager and expect her/him to listen to you in return. Mutual respect is more important than ever during a child’s teen years.

2. Tell him or her that being on time for appointments and other plans is a sign of respect.

3. Encourage them to help older people when they need a hand. Volunteering is a great way to practice good manners and interacting with different kinds of people.

There are many more ideas to help teach your child at every age about good manners and appropriate social behaviors. Read more on Family Education

Do you know The History of Etiquette?

How it Began: As prehistoric people began to interact with one another, they learned to behave in ways that made life easier and more pleasant. Manners had a practical purpose. Then early civilizations developed rules for proper social conduct.

Yesterday’s Etiquette: Much of today's formal etiquette originated in the French royal court during the 1600-1700's. The nobles who lived at court did not work, and so they developed elaborate social customs mostly to avoid becoming bored. The nobles drew up a list of proper social behavior and called it an etiquette. This word came from an old French word meaning ticket. This code of behavior soon spread to other European courts and eventually was adopted by the upper classes throughout the Western world.

Etiquette Education: From the 1500's through the early 1900's, children learned etiquette at school. Children were advised on such points as:

 • the proper way of kneeling before their teachers,
 • the value of remaining silent until spoken to, and
 • using a dinner knife as a toothpick! 

Today’s Etiquette: Since the 1960's, manners have become much more relaxed than when the French started them centuries ago. Etiquette today is based on treating everyone with the same degree of kindness and consideration, and it consists mostly of common sense. It is helpful to know some rules about how to behave in certain situations-if only because this makes life more comfortable for you and makes you more self-confident in social situations.

A Summer Delight

	Ingredients - 1 commercial angel food cake - 1 quart lime sherbet, softened - 1 quart lemon sherbet, softened - 1 (16 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed in refrigerator
Method Sliced cake horizontally into 3 layers, place each later on a plate. Spread lime sherbet on 1 cake layer, and freeze. Spread lime sherbet on 1 cake layer and freeze. Place lemon layer on top of lime layer, and top with remaining cake layer. Spread whipped topping on top and sides of cake. Freeze. Once completely frozen, wrap tightly in aluminum foil until ready to serve. Slice to serve.

For more great, yummy recipes, visit the Wellsville website. We feature a monthly recipe, so you’ll want to check in often!