Why Teaching Kids to Say Please and Thank You Is Important

Wimbledon Day Nursery

The fundamentals of etiquette, such as saying please and thank you, must be consistently practised in order for youngsters to learn them as second nature. Teaching children to say please and thank you is crucial, in our opinion. It demonstrates respect for our teachers and fellow students. Demands are softened into pleas. It encourages kids to consider others' needs while focusing on their own. Here are some methods we employ with our youngest pupils.

Model It: We utilise these terms in our requests and regular encounters, first and foremost. We utilise our please and thank you with the kids while we exchange toys, sing songs on the rug, toss a ball on the playground, or do yoga poses. They take inspiration from and adopt this behaviour.

Babies can say please too: "Please" and "Thank You" are two of the sign language cues we utilise most frequently and consistently with our infants and young children. When young children are trying to communicate, we've found that sign language dramatically reduces frustration levels. When babies add the sign for "Please" after reaching for their milk or "Thank you" when receiving a toy, it shows how much they are aware of pre-verbal communication and social interactions. When young children play "thank you" games with their instructor or classmates, they frequently repeat the sign.

Try Again: We can all lose our manners when we are angry or aroused. We advise kids to try again using their polite phrases when they forget to say please or demand something from someone else. This prompt is frequently all that is required.

Be consistent: We develop habits out of the words and acts we use frequently. These phrases should be repeated to kids at home, in day-care or school, and on the playground. Children occasionally behave politely all the time, then "forget" when they reach a new developmental stage. The secret is to exercise patience and repeatedly reinforce the desired behaviour.

The Five-Minute timer: This is an idea I’ve read about and am thinking about using with my school age children. If no one arrives, set a timer for five minutes. After five minutes, the kids are free to ask for what they want once more. Toddlers would find this challenging (5 minutes is a LONG time for them). But for my 10-year-old, who is experimenting with limits, it might be just what we need.