Teaching manners to your child requires a good deal of patience and determination. Check out tips on how to teach good manners to your child.

How To Teach Your Child Manners

The most difficult period of raising a child is when you have to teach him good manners and behavior. No child is born with manners. It is the responsibility of the parents and teachers to teach a child the basic manners. You need to have a lot of patience and broadmindedness, to make sure you don’t end up losing your temper and making a mess out of it. Though it is impossible to train toddlers, you need to slowly start telling your kid what is good and what is bad, when he/she starts growing old, which is the best time to teach them. Some manners such as to say ‘sorry’ when they do something wrong should be taught at an early age, because as children grow up they are likely to pick undesirable habits if not taught at a young age. Teaching manners will not only make child a responsible adult in future, but will also ensure that you, as a parent, are successful in the upbringing of your kid. Teaching manners to your child also includes teaching him how to respect others. Here are a few tips for teaching manners to your child.
 
Tips For Teaching Good Manners To Your Child
 
  • Your children will look at you as their role model. Unless you are at your best behavior, you cannot expect the child to be at his/her best behavior. So, set a good example for your children and portray a behavior that you would want them to follow.
  • It is not possible to teach the child everything in one go. It is only as and when the child matures that he will be able to understand things the way they are.
  • Teach basic manners and train the child when he is around 3 years old; then move on to instilling etiquettes and politeness. Don’t expect a two year old to stop chewing with his mouth open because you said so.
  • If you want your child to talk politely, do that yourself. Use words like ‘thank you’, ‘sorry’, etc. yourself. When you do that, you are encouraging the child to do that too. Take care of what language you use, since children tend to imitate how adults speak.
  • Teach your child to talk to others with respect. Ask them to call your friends by adding Mr. or Ms. before their name. Teach the kid how to shake hands and smile and answer when asked something. Also, train the kid how to behave when in public or at someone else’s home.
  • If your child behaves in a bad way, do not ignore it. Take the child to a corner and talk about it then and there. Address bad behavior as soon as it is exhibited. If the child breaks a rule, don’t reprimand him/her, but do address the issue in a firm manner. Never ever reprimand or scold the child in front of others.
  • Don’t keep advising your child about good behavior. If he does exhibit it, appreciate him and acknowledge the behavior. This will encourage the child to take you even more seriously and be at his best behavior always.
  • Your child needs to be told not to interrupt when two adults are speaking. Unless there is an emergency, a child should not barge in. They must be taught to wait until the discussion is over.
  • We knock before entering into someone’s house. This is a basic manner to be taught to your child. You should tell them to respect other people’s privacy. In fact, you should teach your child to knock before entering your bedroom as well.
  • Another vital thing is to teach your children how to talk over the phone. They should be told to introduce themselves first and then ask if they can speak with the concerned person.
  • Teasing is common habit which invariably, every child is bound to do. But to tease or make fun of anything or someone else is bad. Tell your child that teasing shows others he/she is weak and also that he/she is cruel. This will reduce your child’s teasing habit and in the run long run, it will come to an end.
If your child is rude, he/she is not doing that intentionally. Most kids, unless taught, will not realize it's impolite to interrupt or pick their nose. Most new-age parents remain busy with their professional or social life and hardly have any time to focus on the etiquettes of children. However, if you follow the above ground rules/instructions, you are sure to raise a polite and well-mannered child. 

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