Proper etiquette for children is very important. It allows them to develop good social skills and manners. Polite children tend to get ahead in life. They grow to be polite adults.

It is the job of the adults in children’s lives to teach proper etiquette. Children need to learn when and where to use the phrases: Thank you, Please and You’re Welcome. Children who respect others get respect in return.

It is not proper behavior to kick the front chair in a theater or on a plane; it is not proper to run and throw food in a restaurant. Children must learn proper etiquette. The earlier they learn the better.

Children without proper etiquette at home do the same in school. The children who yell and talk back at their parents do the same to their teacher. They need proper etiquette to perform well in a group setting. Children who underperform in school tend to not graduate. The ones who do graduate tend to continue using their poor manners in the workplace. This can result in job dismissal.

No matter the age of the children, it is never too late to teach proper etiquette. It is an important duty of parents and guardians to teach them. Do not fend your responsibilities onto others. The parents who do not teach their children proper etiquette are hindering them.

Take time to teach children proper etiquette. Children must learn it is improper to eat with their mouths open. Teach them to talk after swallowing their food. Teach that it is improper to eat food with their fingers. These things are good to know at home and away.

Children love to help their parents. Show them how to correctly set a table. Give them plastic plates or the everyday dishes and silverware. Praise them when they accomplish the task. This builds their self-confidence and teaches proper etiquette at the same time.

A good book for parents to help with this important task is Emily Post’s The Gift of Good Manners: A Parents Guide to Raising Respectful, Kind Considerate Children. Whoopi’s Big Book of Manners is a picture book for parents and children. The latter book uses humor and bright pictures to capture children’s interest. No No Yes Yes is a good board book for infants and toddlers.