Basic mannerism skills you should teach your child during kindergarten
Posted on: 29 April 2019
Kindergarten forms an important foundation for your child's future learning experiences. It is during these years that children polish up their politeness skills, their good manners and other essential behaviours. Teachers spend lots of time showing kids how to act properly while inside and outside the classroom.
However, you also play an important role as a parent. Your kids will be looking to practice what they learnt at school as soon as they get home, and you should be ready to guide them in developing proper manners. Here are a few pointers to help you get started.
Using polite words when making a request
Your child may have already been introduced to saying "please" and "thank you" while at school. However, you should provide more examples of situations where polite words should be used. Whenever your child requests for something at home, remind them to say "please" and "thank you" after the request is fulfilled. They should also learn how to understand when someone tells them no.
Explain some situations where a request may be unreasonable and how they should react when their request is denied (your child shouldn't pout or openly show dissatisfaction). This positive reinforcement will be key to how your child develops their manners while at school.
Not interrupting others while speaking
Interrupting others during a conversation is a weakness that many adults still have. By teaching your child how to wait their turn while speaking, they will come across as much more respectful and well behaved.
Remember that practice makes perfect. Do some role-playing situations where you interrupt your child while they're speaking and ask them how they feel. Also explain how they should actively listen to the other person, wait for them to finish and respond accordingly.
Remaining calm and seated while eating
Kids tend to get excited during meal time, which results in them standing and even running around as they eat. Teach your child how to remain calm and seated while eating. This will make it much easier for them to cope while at school. If they throw away food or play with it during mealtime, take the remaining meal away from them as a punishment.
Being respectful of adults
While at kindergarten, your child will interact with many different adults. Teach your child how to be respectful when communicating with teachers, janitors, security guards, cooks and other personnel.
Your child should be aware of the important roles that each person at school plays, and they should exercise respect to all staff members at their school. For example, if a cook tells them to stop playing with food, your child should take that warning as seriously as a teacher telling them to stop making noise in the classroom.
Reach out to kindergartens near you to learn more.
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