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Politeness: educate your child
Watching you do that your child learns the most. This is called the phenomenon of imitation. His politeness will therefore develop upon your contact. So don’t hesitate to show him a good example. Say “Hello” to him when he wakes up, “Goodbye and have a good day”, leaving him at the nursery, at his nanny’s or at school, or “Thank you, that’s nice” as soon as he helps you. At first, focus on the actions and words that are particularly important to you. For example, putting your hand in front of your mouth when coughing or yawning, saying “Hello”, “Thank you” and “Please”, or closing your mouth when eating. Repeat these rules over and over again.
Small games to teach your child politeness
Teach him how to play “What do we say when?” “. Put him in a situation and make him guess “What do you say when I give you something?” Thank you. And “What do you say when someone leaves?” Bye. Can you have fun at the table, for example, by passing him the salt shaker, his glass of water? You will be surprised to see that he knows all of these little words for hearing them in your mouth more than once. You can also impersonate “rude mom”. For a few minutes, show him what it is to be very rude, forgetting all kind of politeness. He will not find that normal and will quickly want to find his polite mother.
Praise your child for being polite
Above all, do not hesitate to compliment your child regularly, as soon as he has indicated a sign of politeness: “That’s good, my darling”. Around 2-3 years old and over, children love to be valued by their loved ones and will therefore tend to want to start over.
Respect its codes
Not wanting to kiss someone they just met when you ask them nicely doesn’t necessarily mean your child is being rude. It is his right. He believes that this mark of tenderness is mainly aimed at people he knows and with whom he will not hesitate to show affection. It is even desirable that he does not accept all the gestures that he does not like. In this case, advise him to make contact in another way: a smile or a small wave of the hand is sufficient. It can also mean a simple “Hello”.
Don’t make it a fixture
Good manners and decorum are notions that are not very important to your child. All this must therefore keep a playful and joyful side. You have to be very patient. In the midst of a phase of affirmation and / or opposition, he may seek to test your limits and therefore risks going on strike with the magic word. If he forgets to say thank you, for example, kindly point it out. If you see that he is turning a deaf ear, don’t insist or get angry, that will only extinguish his urge to be minimally polite. Besides, if he doesn’t want to say goodbye when he leaves his grandmother’s house, he might just be tired. Do not be worried, the reflex of polite formulas comes around the age of 4-5 years. Do not hesitate to explain to him the stakes of this savoir-vivre: respect for others in particular.