Etiquette for Kids: Mannerly Children at Dinner Time
Etiquette for kids doesn’t have to be complicated, and this tip is proof. Two words have made a dramatic improvement in our children’s table manners.
In fact, it’s created “wow” moments around several dinner tables.
And it’s really simple.
Do you want children who will wow their hosts with lovely manners and helpfulness?
Ok… mom magic—here we go.
As usual, magic starts at home 😊. When you’re done eating, you turn to your children and say, “I need you to do TWO THINGS” and as you say “TWO THINGS” hold up 2 fingers in a peace sign.
Turn to your children and say, “I need you to do TWO THINGS” as you make the peace sign.
What ARE the TWO THINGS?
1. Clear their place and
2. Thank the cook.
That’s it. Seriously.
But you’ll have to teach them…
What does clear your place mean?
When they’re very little it means carrying just the plate to the counter… or maybe if you have a plate dropper it means clearing just the napkin and fork. It means not banging your plates into the sink.
When they’re a little older it means putting their silverware on the plate, carrying the plate to the sink or counter, and coming back to the table for side plates, cups, napkin, etc. It means not balancing your plate so high that you can’t control it.
As our children get older, clearing their place also means scanning the table and removing the plate of an adult who’s done eating. It might mean starting to load the dishes into the dishwasher, or even on special holidays doing the dishes while the grownups linger at the table.
1. Clear your place!
What does thank the cook mean?
Walk over to the main cook, wait at his or her side politely until acknowledged or there’s a break in conversation, look in his or her eyes and say, “Thank you for cooking.” Why can’t they just say, “Thanks!” from across the table? Because your host has gone through a lot of time and effort to cook you a meal, and the very least you can do it give eye-to-eye thanks.
2. Thank the cook!
Practice this all the time at home – after all, your children should be clearing their place and thanking you!!! Always pair the words TWO THINGS with the 2 fingers (peace sign). Then, when you go to a friend’s or family member’s house, you can simply look at your children and say quietly, “two things” at the end of the meal, and they’ll know what you expect. Personally, I love not saying the words, just using the hand sign. Our children know exactly what I expect, and most of the time the other people at the table never know I gave some direction.