Manner Games for Kids
- Games can help children learn good manners.playing image by Lisa Eastman from Fotolia.com
Being courteous, having good manners and showing proper etiquette involve showing others that we respect them. Although some past etiquette rules may seem outdated now, teaching and encouraging children to respect themselves and other people remains important. Many children learn manners by watching people interact and by adults telling them the proper way to behave or the polite words to say. Some children attend etiquette classes or tea parties or read books to learn good manners. Since many children learn by playing, using games to reinforce manners makes sense. - After having reviewed the proper responses to certain situations, children will enjoy practicing the proper time to use good manners. To practice, children can sit in a circle. An adult gives them a ball or object to pass around the circle while music plays. When the music stops, you should quickly give the person holding the ball a scenario in which good manners would have to be used. For example, you might say, "Tell me what you say before getting up from the table while people are still eating?" If the child gives the correct answer, she gets a point. If the child gives the wrong answer, she can give the object to another person in the circle, who receives an opportunity to answer the question and win a point.
- For this game, an adult should write out scenarios for partners to act out. Without speaking, the partners can choose to act out the scenario to demonstrate good or bad manners. The other participants must guess which manner or concept is being demonstrated. Whoever guesses the right answer gets to do the next demonstration with a partner.
- After having gone over various etiquette rules, you can challenge kids to review their lessons by playing a manners game show. You will need to come up with at least 25 questions and five categories. On a bare wall, set up your game by taping up category titles such as "Table Manners," "Introductions," "Visiting Friends," "School" and "Phone Etiquette." Then you'll need to hang up five sheets of paper with individual point values (5 to 25) on them under each category.
Children choose which category and point value they want. For example, a player would say, "I'd like 'Phone Etiquette for 25 points, please." The game show host reads the question from a master list, and if the child answers correctly, the sheet of paper is removed and given to the person. After all the questions are answered, the person or team with the most points wins.
