Practicing Etiquette at Home - Lesson One
Message to the Parents
Please encourage your children to practice their newly acquired social etiquette skills through the following activities:
1. Techniques to Remember Everybody’s Name in the Room
Activity: Name Association Storytelling
When meeting new people, encourage your child to associate their names with something fun.
Example: "Emma loves elephants" or "Jake likes jumping."
At the end of the day, ask them to recall who they met using the associations.
Activity: Name Detective
Before a playdate or event, give your child a "detective mission" to remember 3-5 new names.
At the end of the gathering, ask them to recall the names and share something interesting about each person.
2. Proper Introductions and Voice Levels in Public Places
Activity: Restaurant Whisper Challenge
Go to a café or restaurant and practice using an "inside voice."
Give your child fun challenges like ordering in a calm, clear voice.
Role-play different scenarios (e.g., how to ask for a menu politely).
Activity: Public Voice Game
Practice different voice levels by labeling them:
1 (whisper) – Library voice
2 (normal talking) – Classroom voice
3 (slightly louder) – Outdoor voice
4 (shouting) – Playground voice
Give different scenarios (e.g., “You're at the store—what voice should you use?”).
3. Eye Contact and Body Language During the Introduction
Activity: The Eye Contact Challenge
Play a fun game where you and your child see who can hold eye contact the longest while smiling.
Teach them to look at the bridge of the nose if direct eye contact feels too intense.
Activity: Mirror Me
Stand in front of a mirror with your child and practice different body language postures.
Show them a confident stance (standing tall, head up) vs. a shy stance (slouching, looking down).
Let them correct their posture and practice a friendly handshake with you.
Activity: Role-Play Greetings
Pretend to be different people your child might meet (teacher, friend’s parent, coach).
Have them practice making eye contact, smiling, and giving a confident greeting.
4. Teach children to politely get someone’s attention first and engage in small talk before making a request.
Please encourage them to PAUSE before saying the rest of the phrase. : “Hi, Mom, PAUSE, May I please have some juice?”
Role-Play Different Situations
Parents can act out real-life scenarios with their child to reinforce polite conversation:
At home: Before asking for a snack, the child should first ask about the parent's day.
At the store: Before asking for a toy, they can greet the cashier with a “Hello, how are you?”
With a teacher: Before asking for help, they should say, “Good morning! How are you today?”
5. “Listening Detective” activity
Have your child practice active listening by repeating key points from what you said.
Example:
Parent: “I really enjoyed my coffee this morning because it was extra hot.”
Child: “You liked your coffee because it was hot!”
Supplemental Materials for Parents: