Skills to Practice this Month
- Praise your child for having good manners, using common expressions of courtesy, and cooperating with others.
- Upon entering kindergarten, your child should be able to interact with other children and adults in a cooperative and courteous manner.
Activities
Practice your P's and Q's! Create a game about courtesy by writing the words "please" and "thank you" on index cards. On other cards, write the names of the people in your home or that your child interacts with daily, like parents and siblings. On others, write down people with whom your child may only interact occasionally, such as a store clerk, a librarian, or another family member. Put the "people cards" in one pile and have your child choose one from the pile and tell how he has been courteous in the past or could be in the future with that person. For example, your child chooses "nurse at the doctor's office" from the people pile. He tells how he once asked the nurse for a sticker by saying please, or how he might tell the nurse thank you for being so nice the next time he goes to the doctor. This activity is a great way to build vocabulary and narrative skills as well.
Model good manners for your child by making sure you use good manners and expressions of courtesy yourself.
Create a Courtesy and Appreciation Box in your home by cutting a slit in the top of a shoebox. Each day, once a week, or as frequently as you decide, ask family members to write on slips of paper how other family members were polite, courteous, cooperative, and showed good manners. Once a week, read these aloud to share these examples of courtesy.
Talk to your child about what it means to cooperate with others. Discuss ways to get along with others.
Make a Donation
