Manners can be fun. Students love learning about them. In fact, these activities make is so fun, they will not even realize they are learning basic social skills.
At Manners To Go, we believe you need to start with the “why”. Whether you are an adult or a child, when you think about your why, it motivates and inspires us.
This especially works when you have a goal to meet – more about that later.
Let’s get to the manners activities that you can teach teach starting today.
These are basic and for every grade level. You can adjust them accordingly.
Opening Dialogue:
Remember to start with the “why”. I suggest asking your students why they think learning good manners is important.
Engage with them and let them call out their answers.
This is one of the most requested lesson plans within Manners To Go. Conversation skills are so very important for us all – especially for children. This how they get to know others and build friendships.
You can have questions prepared ahead of time or you can create them in the moment. You want to make sure they are open-ended questions. You do not want your students to answer with a “yes” or “no”.
Place two chairs in the front of your classroom. Ask for volunteers.
You may need to get the two students started by prompting them.
Remind them a conversation is like playing tennis. One hits the ball and the other returns it. Having a conversation is a back and forth situation.
Examples of questions:
Student # 1
What is your favorite movie?
Why?
Student # 2
This student can ask the same question or create another one.
Other examples
What is your favorite sport?
What are you reading right now for fun?
What is your favorite breakfast?
If you were an animal, what would you be? Why?
Manners Activity # 2
Practice Ordering in a Restaurant
This activity offers many teachable moments.
You can set a table up in your classroom. Ask for 3-4 children to volunteer.
Take them through the steps. One student can play the role of the server. The other two can play the role of the diners.
Have them practice:
Patience
Eye Contact
Being kind
Listening first
Kindly asking questions
Placing their order
Encourage them to have a conversation with the others sitting at the table
You can make this exercise simple or go all in – prep menus, place salt and pepper shakers, condiments, napkins etc. on the table.
Manners Activity # 3
Writing Thank You Notes
Pass around paper or you can actually have thank you note cards.
The important step here is to have them write or draw (depending on age) the thank you note.
This is an activity that you can do weekly.
Feeling and experiencing gratitude is so uplifting for both the writer and receiver.
Choose other teachers, librarians, school counselors, custodians and principals to receive the notes.
Your students can send notes of thanks for certain actions.
For example, maybe the librarian assisted a student by finding a book for them. They can send a thank you to the custodian staff for keeping your school tidy and clean.
Thank you note writing is a very important step in learning good manners.
How do you teach your students to have a conversation? Isn’t it special to have someone be fully present with you? To have a conversation with anyone, an adult or a child is something to behold these days…a conversation without distraction.
My most popular topic when teaching business etiquette in the workplace is The Art of the Human Connection. The art of having a conversation, is a lost “art”. We are so consumed with social media that often we are so buried in it we miss out on so many opportunities. Often, it is the first request I have from a human resource director to discuss the basic skills of conversation to their team.
Take the time to teach your students how to converse! Life is fuller when you have this life skill. You actually become interesting. A children and teens learn so much about life when they hear others conversing.
Eye contact: This is a social skill that is so very important. By making eye contact, it shows someone that you are interested. It sends a message that you are confident. Point this out to your students. Explain why this is important. Take the opportunity to talk about confidence and how it feels. If your students are six or younger, get on their level. Literally! Get down on your knees if necessary and make eye contact with them.
Teach them to listen to others: Another important social skill is to listen. Tell them it is alright for there to be silence when having a conversation. This is the time to practice sharing-sharing the space to tell ideas and experiences.
Ask questions: By asking questions, you show others that you are interested in their experiences. Ask a student questions. Explain to them that you are having a conversation.
Phone skills: The Wall Street Journal had an article about answering the phone. Remember when we were growing up and we took messages for our parents? With smart phones, this most likely is not happening. This was a great way to teach conversation skills. It is still important for children to know how to answer a phone and converse.
Read a story. After reading a story, talk about it with your students. Did they like the story? What was their favorite part?
Our work is featured in the New York Times, Parents Magazine, The Huffington Post, Fox News Channel, and the Today Show website. We develop curricula for all grade levels.
We are here to help you make a meaningful mark on today’s youth.
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Etiquette Tips: Getting Children Ready for “Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day”
Social Emotional Learning | Character Education | Life Skills
The “Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day” program is a national organization that partners with companies to host our children in the workplace. The program offers children the chance to see what happens in an office environment. Many observe their parents at work.
This year the event is Thursday, April 27, 2023.
Are your students taking the day off to be with their parents? If you are a parent, are your children heading to work with you on Thursday?
Etiquette Tips on How to Guide Students to a Successful and Fun Day at the Office
Practice eye contact, a good handshake, and standing up for introductions. Explain to your students the importance of getting along with others.
Conversation starters: They will be meeting new children and co-workers. To include others and be included is very important. Popular questions: Where do you go to school? Do you play sports? How many pets do you have? What is your favorite movie?
Keep in mind the office dress code. Remember first impressions are very important. A conservative outfit is the best choice in this situation.
Table manners: Chew with your mouth closed. The napkin belongs in the lap and elbows off the table.
Have your students/child write thank you notes: to the personnel that was involved in making it a special day.
Would you like to learn more about teaching manners and etiquette in your classroom?
We are here to help you make a meaningful mark on today’s youth.
About Manners To Go
Most likely we already share something in common. We believe teaching children manners is very important.
Manners To Go™ is a full-service company for those choosing to teach manners to children. You can make a difference. All children and teenagers deserve to feel what it is like to be confident and use good manners out in the world.
Manners To Go™ is taught in public, private, and charter schools around the world. The New York Times, Parents Magazine and Fox News have all featured Manners To Go and the many benefits of teaching social skills to children.
Whether you are an educator who wants to teach it in the classroom or someone who is looking to become trained and certified, we provide all the solutions.
My name is Lisa Richey, and I am the founder of Manners To Go™. This brand has given me the honor of teaching manners to thousands of people around the world. The journey has taken me from Portland, Oregon to the Middle East. I believe that manners are not about judgment or rules. Manners are about self-interest. It really is about how using good manners makes you feel on the inside.
Helping You Make a Meaningful Mark on Today’s Youth
Social Emotional Learning | Character Education | Social Skills
Your job as an elementary teacher is important.I know because my mother taught second grade for over 36 years.
She worked all the time.I even remember going to the store for teachers to buy supplies.
A great deal falls on your shoulders.
Test scores, parent conferences, not to mention your own family.
That is why today, we would like to share tips on how to teach eye contact and empathy in your classroom.
Yes, the two lesson plans can be combined.
Here is how to teach both eye contact and empathy in your classroom.
I was working in the classroom with elementary teachers.One specifically asked for a lesson plan on saying “Excuse me”.She went on to tell me that her students will say it and keep moving.She pointed out the importance of having the student make eye contact while saying “excuse me”.
I have been teaching it this way ever since.It was a teachable moment for me.
Whether you are saying “excuse me” because you need to interrupt or because you have stepped on a toe or need someone to move, it is so important to look them in the eye…..make eye contact.Here is why:so the other person knows you mean it.Yes, it is that simple.It is a gesture that makes a difference.
Tip: Teacher to Teacher
Teaching eye contact and empathy at the same time is easy to set up as a role-playing activity. Eye contact and empathy are everyday gestures. It needs to be pointed out to your students when they do it….naturally during their daily activities and interaction with other students. You can also point this out when you make the gesture of eye contact and express empathy.
As an educator, you know how important social skills are for a child’s success.
Children who are polite, well-spoken, and attentive to others find it easier to get along with their peers and make a positive impression on the adults in their lives. As a result, more opportunities come their way, laying the foundation for future success in life.
Yet too many children are not being taught proper manners or other valuable social skills at home. This means it’s up to us as educators to equip them with these important life tools – and help them grow up to be responsible, caring, successful global citizens.
We want to help you. It takes time to research. Our lesson plans are accurate and comprehensive, provide scripted dialogue, and of course, include all the handouts needed. 21st Century Skills are on each lesson plan.
Manners To Go™ is a full-service company for those choosing to teach manners to children. You can make a difference. All children and teenagers deserve to feel what it is like to be confident and use good manners out in the world.
Manners To Go™ is taught in public, private, and charter schools around the world. The New York Times, Parents Magazine and Fox News have all featured Manners To Go and the many benefits of teaching social skills to children.
Whether you are an educator who wants to teach it in the classroom or someone who is looking to become trained and certified, we provide all the solutions.
My name is Lisa Richey, and I am the founder of Manners To Go™. This brand has given me the honor of teaching manners to thousands of people around the world. The journey has taken me from Portland, Oregon to the Middle East. I believe that manners are not about judgment or rules. Manners are about self-interest. It really is about how using good manners makes you feel on the inside.
Manners Curriculum: Available for All Grade Levels
Ideas and Lesson Plans To Teach Manners in Your Classroom
Ideas and lesson plans to teach manners in your classroom: Self-confidence can be a learned social skill and it starts with awareness. At Manners To Go, time and time again we receive phone calls from teachers and parents asking for help with shyness and low self-esteem issues with their students. We want our children and teenagers to move through life with ease, boundless opportunities, good friends, and adventure.
Eye contact is the basis of a self-confident child. There are many things you can do to assure a child has endless amounts of self-confidence. Let’s start with eye contact. Here is how you can incorporate this in your classroom or after-school program.
When you have the time, be fully present with your student. What a gift it is when you give a child (or anyone) your undivided attention.
Make eye contact. Explain eye contact and how to make it.This sounds so simple, but it works. Look at your student and point out what you are doing and why. Of all the topics and modules in our curriculum, teaching eye contact is the most gratifying experience because you can see a child light up and understand what it feels like to be confident. The child gets it….immediately. As a teacher, you see a marked difference by the end of class. Parents also notice the change. I remember the first time a parent called our office to let us know their child’s teacher mentioned the change in the student. The teacher asked what the parent was doing. Of course, the parent said they were intentionally teaching eye contact. It works! We promise.
Over the years we have noticed when you bring awareness to what confidence is and how it feels inside to have eye contact, the child makes a radical change, instantaneously. Remember, your students are watching you.
Our curriculum is available to use in your classroom. The lesson plans are easy to use and may be customized to fit into your timeframe. Teachers use this in 10-minute segments or some devote an entire semester. Of course, there are enough modules for an extended after-school program. Role-playing actives are included. In fact, that is what we are known for….our curriculum is modern and relevant. Children and teens love attending a Manners To Go program.
Lisa Richey provides etiquette programs to businesses, schools, and individuals.
