5 Simple Etiquette Tips Every Child Needs To Know

First impressions are important. As a parent you need to teach your child how to make a good impression. The key is etiquette for children. Here are 5 simple etiquette tips a child needs to know:

Greetings
A proper greeting shows confidence and maturity. Teach your child to address people they meet by their title and name. Making eye contact is an important etiquette too. You can teach your child how to greet people by giving yourself a name and pretending to meet your child. Have your child practice saying, "Hello, Mr. Hansen," and looking you in the eye. Remind them that they need to use Mr., Mrs., or Ms. and not an adult's first name unless requested to use it.

Handshakes
In our society handshakes are used unlike the kisses that dominate European society. So it is an important etiquette for children to learn how to shake hands. Typically a person extends their right hand the one they use most often. For left-hander children, it is harder to remember that people shake with their right. Practice with your child so that they don't grip too hard (it's not a contest) or too soft (there should be some actual gripping) but right in between.

Please and Thank You
These two phrases are still valuable today and their use shows a person has manners more than anything else. In order to teach these words as a parent you must use them yourself (and remind your kids about a million times). Talk to your child about why please and thank you are important. Everyone likes to be appreciated and according to Emily Post saying, "'Please' can turn a demand into a request and indicates an option it can turn an unpopular request into a more palatable one."

Excuse Me
This is a valuable phrase that is used too little. Besides saying "excuse me" after public bodily functions there are many other times when "excuse me" should be used. Such as when a person walks through a crowded room, bumps into someone, walks in front of someone, needs to leave a group, or needs to ask a question. Practice role-playing situations in which your child could use "excuse me."

Not Interrupting
Nothing shows bad manners more than a child who runs up to his parent in mid conversation and begins speaking. Teach your child that when you or anyone else is talking that they must wait until a break in the conversation before interrupting. Teach your child the right etiquette using a signal, such as raising one finger, to show that you acknowledge them and will listen in a moment. Then be sure to stop and listen to your child. Emily Post reminds parents that "the mother who invariably stops and says, 'What is it, dear?' when her daughter interrupts is helping her to establish a habit that will do her a disservice all her life."