Manners Can Be Fun!

There is a great book called "Manners Can be Fun" by Munro Leaf.
https://www.amazon.com/Manners-Can-Fun-Munro-Leaf/dp/0789310619/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479584363&sr=8-1&keywords=manners+can+be+fun

This is a simple, but fun, book about various kinds of manners, including: being a guest, sharing, treating others' possessions with respect, and more.

It does not have a lot in it on table manners, but is a good primer to talk about manners in general. Manners are treating other people in a civil way. Manners help us get along with others.

In the Faith in God booklet, under Serving Others there is a requirement that says: Learn about and practice good manners and courtesy.

So our activity was fairly simple (and delicious!)

First we had a short, interactive conversation about how manners are different in different places. In America, burping at the table is considered rude. In China it is polite! In America we shake hands to say hello, or greet a new person. In Japan or China you might bow. In Argentina you might give a kiss on the cheek or a hug. If you kissed a new acquaintance in Japan you would be considered very impolite, while in Argentina this would be expected.

Good manners include accepting that not everyone always displays good manners. We MODEL good manners, and parents and teachers TEACH good manners.

I read the Munro Leaf book to the girls, and we talked briefly about a few of the ideas in the book.

Then we got to the hands on part of the activity:

I brought apple slices, crispy m&ms (because they are round and roll), a plate of chips and a cup of salsa, and a plate of cookies.

We practiced some practical, every day table manners/sharing food manners.

The apple slices provided an excellent way to practice knife and fork skills. I demonstrated proper knife and fork skills, explaining as I went, then let the girls try it. They speared the apple with the fork, sliced off a bite sized portion, laid down the knife, switched their fork to the other hand and ate their bite sized piece. They got to practice this several times.

We used the Crispy m&ms to practice NOT using our fingers to put things on our forks, but instead using our utensils properly to capture challenging foods.

The chips and dip were used to discuss two different things:
1. How many people are sharing a certain food? Adjust the portion you take to make sure there is enough for everyone. If you grab a HUGE handful of chips there might not be enough for others to get even ONE chip. It is better to go back for seconds than take to big of a first portion.

2. Food sharing to be careful of germs.

• Take the chips you touch. Be careful not to touch a lot of chips!
• Either put a small portion of dip on your plate, or ONLY dip your chip in the dip ONE time. No double dipping!

The girls really enjoyed practicing (and eating) good manners!

I also used this printable that I found on Pinterest, and made one for each of the girls:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/458241330816095772/