A Parent's Guide to Manners for Kids: Lessons, Games, and Activities for Home, School, and Beyond

by Elise McVeigh

Manners and etiquette for the modern age—a parent’s manual for teaching their kids

Getting a compliment about your well-mannered child is one of the best feelings you can have as a parent—but it doesn’t come easy. Teaching manners to young children can be tough. Let the fun lessons, games, and activities inside A Parent’s Guide to Manners for Kids help make learning proper etiquette a pleasure instead of a chore.

You’ll first understand the best ways to teach manners, and why they make happy children into successful adults. Then, dive into chapters that address all the situations where manners matter most—from the “magic words” to everyday scenarios like getting on an elevator or going out to eat. Look forward to watching your child flourish with excellent communication skills—and get prepared for even more compliments and invitations.

Inside A Parent’s Guide to Manners for Kids, you’ll

But why?—A section at the end of each chapter helps answer some of the most common questions your young ones might ask. All levels of nice—There are easy, moderate, and challenging activities to help teach children of any age or skill level. Netiquette—Rules for navigating the complex and ever-changing world of technology, social media, and online manners. Find out how fun and rewarding it can be to teach manners and etiquette in an engaging way.

Genres: Parenting

158 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 21, 2020

Reviews

[Conny Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The goal of this book is to bring those lessons to children in other ways that better fit today’s family,” Elise McVeigh explains in the introduction of her children’s book, A Parent’s Guide to Manners for Kids: Lessons, Games, and Activities for Home, School, and Beyond.

~ What ~
This one-hundred-and-fifty-eight-page paperback states online it targets parents with children one to five years old who need to learn good manners (but it should be geared for elementary ages). After an introduction and directions, there are six chapters covering the topic and ending with a conclusion, resources, reference, index, acknowledgments, and the author’s biography.

In this book, etiquette is promoted in the six chapters that cover teaching manners, everyday situations, good impressions, eating meals, playing with others, and when using technology. Each chapter is color tabbed for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels involving lessons, activities, and games. While some of the lessons are in paragraph format, most games and activities have items need listed on the left side of the page with numbered instructions on the right side. A “But Why” section ends each chapter.

~ Why ~
Having three grandchildren under age six, it is imperative they learn good manners at an early age so they become natural and second nature to them. In showing the activity of making a Good Manners Box to our six-year-old granddaughter on a video call, she was thrilled to design and use a box for her three-year-old sister.

Some lessons include using doors and elevators, leaving a party, listening, inviting friends over, visiting museums, writing thank you notes, sharing, having sportsmanship, cheating, and safely using the internet and social media.

A few game examples involve gratitude, bad impressions, good appearance, respect, table setting, restaurants, and technology.

Random activities are etiquette charts, collages, calendars, songs, conversations, comic books, acrostics, videos, poems, napkin rings, tea parties, placemats, fancy dinners, dioramas, YouTube clips, posters, game days, and podcasts

~ Why Not ~
Some parents will be confused when they get this book as online it states it is for one to five-year-old children, but it should be for elementary-age kids who can do online blogging, YouTube, and texting, which is clearly not for the very young age bracket.

~ Wish ~
Although I like the concept of the book, I wish its age range would be corrected online as I doubt those five years old and under could do many of the lessons, games, and activities. It would be thoughtful to provide a list at the beginning of each chapter so one can quickly find it.

~ Want ~
If you are looking for a way to teach your kids about good manners, this book covers the gambit from toddlers to pre-teens and would be a viable source of information.

Thanks to Callisto Publisher’s Club and the author for this complimentary book that I am under no obligation to review.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives fun games, activities, and lessons to teach children ages 6-13 about how to have good manners. There are chapters about "Everyday Etiquette, Good Impressions, Eating with Manners, Playing Nice, and Technology Etiquette."

The lessons include basic things like opening the door for someone, receiving and giving gifts, getting into a car with a friend's family, and observing elevator etiquette to not push all the buttons. The all-important thank you note is, of course, included!

There are sections about being a host or guest at a party, being a good listener, how to send a mannerly email, how to order food at a restaurant, and how to be a gracious loser.
The games include things like crafts, puppet shows, making a diorama or cardboard robot, playing go fish or bingo, freeze tag, and even drawing a comic book. These activities look really fun!

There are instructions for the parents on how to teach their children these lessons, how to do the activities together, and how to be an example of good manners for their kids. I love how this involved both sides, parents and children, in having more kindness and compassion through their manners towards others.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book serves as a practical guide for parents on how to teach their children good manners in a polite and effective way. While it is primarily aimed at parents, it also offers valuable insights for any adult looking to understand and foster good manners in children.

Many adults aspire to raise well-mannered children but often struggle to do so without resorting to raising their voices or becoming frustrated. This book acknowledges that while some adults may believe that sternness or loudness can be effective, these approaches often lead to resistance and defiance in children.

The book addresses common challenges faced by parents, such as the difficulty of setting a good example when children ask, "Why do you correct my manners but not other adults?" It provides strategies for navigating these tricky situations, ensuring that the process of teaching manners is both respectful and effective.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Parent's Guide to Manners for Kids is appropriate for ages toddlers thru middle school. It covers a wide range of topics and offers a nice selection of activities geared to reinforce each lesson.

This book will:
- help you teach your child good manners,
- help them learn and practiced social skills,
- give them the tools to feel prepared, comfortable and confident in a wide variety of social situations.

Many seem to think that good manners don't matter anymore, but they do. This book will help give your child a polish that will serve them well all their life.

Many thanks to Calisto Media who gave me a copy of this book hoping for an unbiased review, though no review was required. All opinions stated here are my own.

[Amy Navarre · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Callisto Publisher's Club and Rockridge Press for this free book. The following review contains my honest opinions.
I feel the topics covered are comprehensive, but broad.
Although, I can see why the book is organized the way it is, I felt it created a disjointed flow. I would have liked to have seen a part 1 containing all the lessons in one place, then a part 2 with the activities divided by level.
As a parent, I appreciate the "But why" section as it provides parents with good answers to the common questions from children regarding etiquette rules.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Parent’s Guide to Manners for Kids is a good resource for parents who want to teach their children all different forms of manners. Everything from birthday parties, play dates, elevators, technology, and dinner etiquette is covered in this book with a mix of lessons, activities and crafts that help instill manners in school aged children.
Thanks to Callisto publishers for a free copy of this book.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy.

I think the book is a great resource and depending on the skill level of the child or age this can be super helpful. Most humans need to know the manners included so its a good refresher as well.