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Mind YOUR manners, continued ...Published: February, 2010

“I think it’s important just to start when they’re young and start out small,” Symington says.
    
This also applies to etiquette basics such as writing thank-you notes.
    
According to Swann, children who are too young to write words can still create thank-you notes by coloring a picture or taking a photo with the gift to send to the giver.
    
“It really teaches them how to be grateful,” Swann says, “and how to say thank you in writing.”

The process may seem slow and tedious, but moving step-by-step will give children a solid foundation of manners that they can continue to use throughout their lives. And starting that process at home, when interacting with fellow family members, will demonstrate for children the courtesy and respect they are
expected to use in the world.
    
“Keep at it,” Symington encourages. “Its not easy, but it doesn’t have to be a hard thing, either.”

Breanna Moore is an OC Family magazine intern.


FUN BLUNDERS: ETIQUETTE LESSONS
Learning the pleases and thank-yous of life may not be every child’s idea of fun, but adding some games to the experience can get kids excited about learning their manners.
    
“I don’t think that learning manners has to be boring,” explains etiquette expert, Aimee Symington.
    
Her board game, Blunders (game logo pictured above), features fun characters and wacky situations through which children can explore the world of manners. And playing scenario games like “What if?” can also help children discover manners, says etiquette expert Elaine Swann.
    
Questions such as “If someone asks you a question while you’re chewing, what would you do?” allow children to think through an appropriate reaction before they are encountered with the situation.
    
Other games, like Swann’s suggestion to create funny songs to remember where the silverware goes while setting the table, help children remember their manners without fuss or grievance. blundersmania.com