10 Commandments of Good Manners Your Little One Must Follow

1. Four Words

Basic courtesy runs lifelong when imparted at the elementary stage of kids. As soon as your little one starts forming phrases or small lines, you must stress on the use of four words viz ‘May I’, ‘Please’, ‘Excuse Me’ and ‘Thank You’

2. Interrupt Politely (only if Necessary)

Guide your child to wait for the other person to complete his/her sentence and then speak. Ask him to be patient and politely say ‘Excuse Me’ before interrupting a conversation between two people.

3. Do Not Mock Others

You must follow this rule a little strictly with your child. Joking is fun but mocking is rude. Tell your child the difference between the two. Name calling others or mocking their appearance is extremely rude and absolutely unacceptable.

4. Sharing is Caring

You must develop generosity in your child, early on. Tell them that it’s absolutely ok to share toys with siblings and best friends. If another child is being too pushy, guide your child how to politely put his point forward and either refuse or share for a short while.

5. Coughing/Sneezing

Educate your child to always cover his mouth and nose with a handkerchief or with hands while coughing or sneezing. Tell your children to say ‘Excuse Me’ or ‘sorry’ when they sneeze and say ‘God Bless You’ when others do.

6. Eating Etiquettes

Well, using a full set of cutlery can be a daunting task in the Indian set-up, however, basic eating etiquettes like not rushing at the food table, keeping mouth closed while eating, using a napkin to wipe off fingers or mouth, asking politely for second servings, washing their hands before & after meals, etc will get things going in the right direction.

7. Public Gatherings

Once your child is around 4-5 years of age, tell him that it is not Ok to pick nose or burp loudly or fart publicly. Just telling the child to observe himself in public goes a long way in making them handle things in a more classy way.

8. Patience

Educate your child to develop patience. Whether it is a religious congregation, a parent-teacher meeting, guests at home or an old friend who met you at the mall, tell your child that it is ok to get bored at times.

9. Foul Words – A Big No No

Children hear derogatory words from TV, surroundings, from family members and various other sources. Ask your child to never use foul language or cuss words and keep their language as clean as their hands & heart!

10. Lead by Example

Before you expect your child to follow the above 9 rules, you must personify them in your day to day behavior and Lead by Example