We had the privilege of having Maria Doll from Leadership Matters join us this month for Junior Chef program to talk to our parents and kids about early sharing habits and mealtime table manners. The kids had the fun of decorating Christmas trees made of sugar cones upside down with icing and candies.
Maria shared with our moms and dads the importance of starting around the age of 3 proper table manners.
- Hand washing and sitting politely in the chair are good starting points.
- The family table is the best place to model these behaviors. So frequent meals together are good to start implementing.
The basics to teach table manners are:
1. Wash hands & face
2. Stay seated...don't be a squirmy worm (remain seated while eating the meal, then they can ask to be excused until dessert)
3. Use a napkin
4. We all start eating together (seat your preschooler just prior to the meal)
5. Remember the magic words "please", "thank you", "excuse me"
6. Use utensils...not the fingers. (The food comes to the mouth instead of the mouth coming to the food!!)
Circle time was loads of fun using creative play to teach the kids about sharing and general great behaviors - while using some fake teeth Maria shared the importance of keeping hands out of their mouths! This was such a hit with the kids.
Leadership Matters offer a wide variety of class to teach young children about manners right up to adults! A great class to start with kids ages 5-7 is 'Good Manners Rock!" . Full details can be found on her website.
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