Small children are inherently charming, but they're not always endowed with the best table manners.
One of the easiest ways to teach them is to hold tea parties.
Tea parties are inherently fun for almost all young children. They get to dress up, act grown-up, play with people they love and have tasty food. What could be better? They are also a perfect time to pass on table manners.
Here's how.
Announce the upcoming tea party, and let the kids know that they get to help decorate and prepare.
Encourage them to dress up however they like. They can wear anything from pirate costumes to paper crowns to princess gowns to silly hats.
Allow them to help plan refreshments. Some fun treats include homemade cookies, finger sandwiches (simple sandwiches cut into tiny shapes) and crackers. Drinks can be classic tea with milk and sugar, iced tea, lemonade or simply water.
If your children have tea party sets, go ahead and use those. Alternately, pull out your own tea cups and pots. We collect miniature tea pots, cups, saucers, collector plates and spoons, and other sweet tea party props from thrift stores (such as MRCI and the Salvation Army in Mankato) and keep them in a basket.
The first few times you have tea parties, limit guests to dolls, stuffed animals, family and close friends. These are practice.
Make a big deal out of your manners, but never in a preachy way. Sit up straight, politely ask if they'd like some tea, hold out your pinky finger and be a bit over the top and dignified.
As you have the tea party, model proper table manners. If your child breaks some sort of code of ettiquette, then role play a reaction to teach a better way in a fun manner. For instance, if your daughter talks with her mouth full, fling a gloved hand to your mouth in shock and exclaim something about it with a twinkle in your eye. You can also simply point out the proper way to behave. As long as it's done in a spirit of teaching something fun, most kids are happy to learn.
Practice tea parties regularly. Keep it fun, with tasty snacks and silly time together. Each time, model the proper way to act at the table, such as placing your napkin in your lap and thanking the host for the delicious food.
You'll start to notice that children will automatically pick up their tea party manners all the time. For special occasions like holidays with family, remind them ahead of time to use tea party manners.
Have fun!
Comments