Table Manners And Etiquettes For Kids

Teaching good table manners to your children is a very important social skill that stays with them for life. With good manners one can win the hearts of many a people. Success in every aspect of life depends upon social skills. From playground to school, school to work place, work place to party place, social skills help you to make your mark everywhere with ease.

No one inherits the knowledge of good manners. It is parents who teach children to behave properly. Dining table is a very good place to teach social manners in today’s busy life. If your child knows table manners, he will feel confident and comfortable at his friend’s house, in a restaurant or at any public gathering. Table manners exhibit the family background of the child too. A child with good table manners is considered dignified and gracious.

The knowledge of table manners becomes very important because of formalness of relations in today’s world and they are important for adults as well as for children. Sometimes you feel very bad and embarrassed when your child eats in an unhealthy way. You have to teach good table manners to your child to avoid such discomfited situations.

Parents are the role models for children. They learn a lot by observing their parents. If you eat properly and use the words thank you, please, etc. to the person who is serving food to you, if you do prayer before eating meals to thank God, your child will automatically learn the same. You can arrange some formal dinners at home occasionally and use good tableware, table clothes and napkins to train your child.

You can appreciate your child when he eats his dinner in an appropriate way. Recognize all the good manners by praising your child. Tell your child to clean his hands before and after eating food. Inspire him to use cutlery for eating. If he eats food with fingers, snub him immediately because it looks very dirty. You should also teach him to put a little quantity of food in mouth and chew it properly and not make noise while eating.

You should accustom your child to the use of napkins and cutlery. Educate him to use sticks, spoon or fork for putting food in mouth and napkin should be kept on his lap all the while. Knife is only used to cut food in small pieces. Fork should be in the left hand and spoon or knife should be in the right hand. After eating, don’t leave table without asking the host.

We all know that children are innocent and moody. They don’t care what other people think about them. It is very probable that a child throws food, spills his drink or starts eating food with fingers without any sound reason. This is called child tantrum. As a parent it is up to you to motivate him to show manners. You can reward him when he shows good manners and discipline him when he behaves in an inappropriate way.