If parents begin teaching manners when their children are toddlers, by the time the kids are in kindergarten they will have mastered the basics. The following is a list of table manners that your child should have a good grasp of by age six.
• Wash their hands and face before sitting down to the table.
• Sit down in their proper seat and put their napkin in their lap.
• Wait to begin eating until everyone is seated and has been served. Many families wait until an adult gives permission to start eating.
• Stay seated in their seats without wiggling in their chairs, going under the table, or getting up and down.
• Say, “Excuse Me,” and ask permission to leave the table.
• Elbows do not belong on the table.
• Mouths should stay closed while chewing and pieces should be bite sized.
• “May I please” and “Thank you” should be used when children would like food and never reach across the table.
• Participate in the conversation during dinner and no interruptions when other people are talking.
• Slurping, burping, squealing, singing, humming are all sounds that are not to be made at the table.
• It is never kind or polite to make negative comments about what is being served for dinner.
• Before getting up at the end of the meal say, “May I please be excused?”
• Ask if adults would like them to clear their dinner plate.
• Thank the cook.
Manners Are the Way to Brighten Up Everyone’s Day
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