I’ve been trying to teach my kids to be more polite, but it’s not always easy. What are some ways you’ve found effective for encouraging good manners in everyday situations? Looking for ideas that work with younger kids especially. Thanks!
I remember those days! Getting the kids to be polite was like pulling teeth at first. But we stuck with it, and now my teens surprise me with their manners.
One thing that worked was pointing out good examples when we saw them. Like if someone held the door, we’d say, “Wasn’t that nice of them?” It got the kids noticing polite behavior.
We also made it a game to catch each other being polite. The kids loved calling us out when we forgot to say please. It kept us all on our toes!
For my younger one, we used her favorite cartoon characters as examples. “What would Peppa Pig say?” It made politeness more fun and relatable for her.
Don’t worry if it takes time. Keep at it, and one day you’ll hear your kid say “thank you” without prompting. It’s pretty amazing! 
We’ve had some success with making manners part of our daily routine. At dinner, we take turns sharing something we’re grateful for and saying thanks.
My kid loves it when we use silly voices to practice polite phrases. It’s become a fun family joke.
I’ve noticed small improvements over time. The other day, my 11-year-old thanked the bus driver without a reminder. It was a nice surprise!
Patience helps a lot. Some days are better than others, but we keep trying to make politeness a natural habit.
I’m curious about this too. My 5-year-old is just starting to learn manners.
We’ve been trying to make it a game. When we’re at the table, we pretend to be royalty and use our fanciest manners. It’s silly, but it gets my kid saying please and thank you.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s sinking in though. Do your kids use manners without prompting now?
I also try to point out when other people are polite to us. Like when the grocery store clerk says thank you. But I’m not sure if my child notices yet.
What’s worked best for you so far?
Consistency is key. We use please and thank you at home all the time.
My kids started copying after a while. Now it’s just habit for them.
Praising when they remember helps too.
In our house, we’ve found that modeling polite behavior works wonders. Kids pick up on what we do more than what we say.
We make a point to use ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ with each other and the kids. When they use good manners, we notice and smile. It’s become a fun little game for them.
For our younger one, we sometimes pretend her stuffed animals are using polite words. She loves correcting them and showing off her own manners.
We also talk about how using kind words makes others feel good. Seeing their friends and family smile when they’re polite has been a big motivator for both kids.
It takes time, but they’re getting better every day. Keep at it!