Practical Tips to Teach Toddler Manners

It’s never too early to teach our little ones proper manners. It’s all about the golden rule!

Minding our p’s and q’s!

It’s never too late to start working on toddler manners with your little one. Manners are something that your toddler will forever use in their life. Whether it’s dinner time with the family, an outing with friends, or an everyday trip to the grocery store, there are some toddler manners you can teach your child to ensure they become a well-behaved member of society.

What are basic manners?

Before I get started with my practical tips to teach toddler manners, it’s important to know what basic manners are. You already know the importance of the basics like please and thank you, but did you know showing gratitude towards others is another basic manner? It’s true.

If you’re wondering what are some of the basic manners that your toddler should learn here’s a brief list of the toddler manners you can work on having your little one master:

• Always make eye contact with speaking to someone.
• Acknowledge someone by name when speaking to them.
• Show gratitude for family members and friends who do something kind, like sharing a special toy or giving a gift.
• Keep your elbows off the table during dinner time.
• Ask politely for food to be passed during mealtime.
• Answer when spoken to.
• Ask to be excused at the end of a meal.
• Shake hands with someone when being introduced.

How do you teach children manners?

The best way to start teaching your children manners is to be the best role model. Always say please and thank you whenever you’re speaking to someone outside or inside the home. Being the best role model for how to use manners will help encourage your little one to learn toddler manners.

Keep it Simple

Start implementing a new household rule that manners will be used within the home regularly. A household that puts a high standard on using manners in everyday life will be setting the standard for toddler manners. Your little one will start to naturally use their manners everywhere they go when they see manners being of high importance within the home.

Teach Polite Words Early

The next step to teaching toddler manners is to start teaching them polite words early on in life. I’ve seen this be a regular pattern for most parents where they teach their little one to say please and thank you during the youngest of years. From handing a toy to playtime and dinnertime at home, you can easily start sneaking in the education of polite words as soon as your little one can start speaking.

Use Reminders

It’s important to use reminders to help your toddler with manners. They may not understand why manners are important at this age, so it’s more about teaching them to be repetitive. If you’re in a situation where your toddler should say “please” or “thank you” then you must remind them to say each word when appropriate. Encourage this behaviour of using manners by using simple reminders each time your child has an opportunity to use their toddler manners.

When it comes to teaching toddler manners, you may start to feel frustrated when your little one doesn’t use their manners. Remember that your toddler is new to this world of speaking and using manners, it will take some time before they fully develop the skills of using their manners regularly. The key is to continue being a good role model and expecting your toddler to use their manners. When you place a high expectation on toddler manners, they’ll eventually master this skill of using their manners regularly.

How did you implement politeness with your little one? Did they go through the terrible twos? Let’s talk about it in the comments below!