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Politeness goes a long way in helping a child know their place in the world and how it can help them make new friends, develop their understanding of what it means to be respectful, and more.
It is important to prioritise teaching your child about how to speak with others that will help them learn to be kind towards others and know how they can support everyone around them. Here are some top tips in helping your child learn to be polite.
Value what your child has to say
Politeness is taught by the things going on around you and how that can be improved over time. It is therefore important to help your child become more open and accepting of different areas. They need to be shown how to talk to other people with ease, through the platform that you provide for them. It’s a lot for children to understand at first, so give them the opportunity to speak their mind to figure out where they will need support.
Role model politeness in the home
Your child won’t be able to learn from you if you are not polite or supportive to your child back – they need to have a platform to learn from which you should be providing. Role model how to be polite at home by being polite back to your child. Ask them to help you with certain tasks to help them with their learning, such as chores, cooking together and tidying up toys and areas in certain rooms. Talk to them as if you were talking to anyone – with respect, stature and support.
Show your child there is more to being kind than basic manners
We all teach our kids how to say polite words, like “please” and “thank you” and “may I?”. They are very common in our level of speech and are used on a regular basis. But there are other areas to consider in teaching your child about manners. This private school in Gloucestershire recommends exploring physical ways of showing politeness as well, which includes opening doors for others, helping out another person, or asking if someone needs help. These can all help your child learn that there’s more than just talking to someone politely to get what they want – they can earn people’s trust in other ways as well.
There is a lot to learn in being polite, but children have immense skills and talent to learn from their parents and from teachers in school. These environments will lend themselves to giving your child the best understanding of what politeness can look like.
