Dinning Out With The Kids? 5 Table Manners They Must Know

It’s sweet to see a well behaved child, especially one seated at a table with fine dining manners. Every parent will be happy to identify with such a child. Don’t wait until you are dining at a fine restaurant, with friends or at places where a show of good etiquette is necessary to start showing your child how he should behave at the table.

Some parents themselves don’t even know what it entails, so, I’m going to share Momastic’s Jamie Richardson’s 5 Must-Know Table Manners For Kids: A Crash Course For The Holiday Table with you.

1. As soon as you sit down, place the napkin on your lap. This will help any food that spills land on something other than your nice pants.

2. “Excuse me, please pass the rolls.” If you have to stand up to reach something, or you have to reach across your neighbor’s plate to get something, it’s too far. Ask the person nearest the thing you want to please pass it to you.

3. Break your bread. Speaking of rolls, instead of cutting the roll open and slathering it with butter, the polite thing to do is cut a pat of butter, put it on your plate, and then, as you want a bite of the roll, you tear off a bite size piece, butter it, and place the whole piece in your mouth. Easy peasy.

4. No brainers. Your kids may already have these down, but mine tend to need reminders.

Please and thank you.
Keep elbows off the table.
Chew with your mouth closed.
Bring the food to your mouth, not your face to the plate.
Real interfacing. In other words, no electronic devices.

READ ALSO:Ten Etiquette Rules for Children

5. Compliment the cook. Pick your favorite food on the plate, and tell the hostess, or whoever made it, how wonderful it is. Then tell the hostess how lovely the meal is.

What manners do you like to teach your kids?