Teaching manners to preschoolers can be quite the daunting task as a parent. These tips for teaching manners to preschoolers will have your little one saying “please” and “thank you” in no time!
Tips for Teaching Manners to Preschoolers
Being Polite is a Learned Behavior- Encourage Manners through Rewards
Lately we’ve been battling with Little Man forgetting his manners. Some of his first words were “please” and “thank you”– I started early on teaching him to use his “magic” words. But lately he’s become very smart mouthed and not using his “magic” words like he should.
I think it’s the age really. He’s about to be 5 and is exerting his independence and trying to figure out where he fits in the world. Every other parent of a 5 year old that I’ve talked to seems to be having the same issue. The kids are talking back, demanding things instead of asking, and seem to have forgotten their manners all together.
Well, this mama isn’t having it!
But, I wasn’t sure where to start with getting his manners back. We tried time-outs, we tried taking away toys, we tried no TV, we tried sending him to his room….nothing was working.
The Star Chart
Until a few weeks ago when I had a revelation. Instead of taking something away and escalating his bad behavior I started what we call a “Star Chart”. It’s a wonderful little thing that I sort of copied from his teachers….but put a little twist.
Our “Star Chart” is separate from our Chore Chart….the Star Chart is all about behaving like a shining star. When we shine brightly we fill others with happiness and that’s what I talk to Little Man about in regards to his behavior. We talk about how his words, tone of voice, and actions have the power to brighten someone’s day and our goal is to be a shining star every single day to every one we meet and come in contact with.
Download your own Star Chart for free here.
The Rewards
The Star Chart reflects these polite behaviors and each time Little Man remembers to do one of the behaviors without being told he is given a star for the chart. If he reaches bedtime with at least 3 stars then he gets 30 minutes of playtime on his tablet before bed.
Being almost 5 has brought us into the world of online games…which can be quite intimidating for a mom just entering this world of online games. Seriously, I’m a blogger and definitely not a gamer. So navigating this world is a bit intimidating to me because I don’t know where to even begin. Luckily, I found out about Amazon Underground.
The “Actually Free” Apps
If you haven’t heard about Amazon Underground then you’re totally missing out! It’s THE best thing ever when you have kids! They have over 300+ “Actually Free” educational apps, free reading apps, completely free games, and even stuff for parents too! No more worrying about the kids downloading apps and charging up a storm!
Little Man judges apps based on the pictures so he likes to download an app play it for 5 minutes and move on to the next one…which, if you’re paying for them, adds up quickly! With Amazon Underground I can give him the tablet and he can download any of the “Actually Free” apps and I no longer worry about the costs. Plus the games are fantastic….I must admit I have found myself playing Inside Out Thought Bubbles and Nemos Reef pretty much every day in the preschool pick up line!
Bonus: Amazon Underground and Boingo Wireless are running a promotion until 12/31/16 – any customer that downloads the “Actually Free” version of the Boingo Wi-Finder App on their Android smartphone gets 6-months of FREE Wi-Fi for up to 2 devices (up to a $60 value) – learn more
The Results
So far, using the Star Chart and giving Little Man a reward of tablet time has really helped with him remembering his manners. Sometimes he acts so grown up that I forget he’s still in the learning stages when it comes to manners and navigating his feelings and behaviors. Teaching manners to preschoolers takes time, repetition, and constant reinforcement. By taking the reward approach we have cut down on the tantrums in the house and there are many more “pleases” and “thank yous” happening!
He’s even sharing his reward with his sister!
More About Amazon Underground
Seriously, go check out Amazon Underground! We’ve been using it for several months now and really truly love it. All of the apps are FREE and they have something for everyone! I use many of the productivity and organization apps while Hubs plays all sorts of different games. It’s nice because you can just play the game unlike other apps where you have to wait so long before you can play the next part or pay for mini upgrades or invite friends to play. These are truly free apps….no strings attached! Seriously, go learn more about Amazon Underground.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
