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| | Rooting Out Piggy Manners |
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By Shelly Radic
Saying hello: Have your child pretend to be a guest arriving for the party. Greet your “guest” by name, share that you are happy to see him, and then escort him to the party area. Change roles so that you are the arriving guest, allowing your child to greet and escort you to the party area.
Taking turns: Unless there’s a family tradition of letting the birthday child take the first turn, explain how the host takes the last turn, allowing guests to play first. Help your child arrange some stuffed animals in a line for a beanbag toss. Let you child help each animal friend toss the beanbag before taking his own turn.
Opening gifts: With your child’s assistance, wrap four playthings, two that your child loves, and two that are not favorites. Open one of the favorite gifts and model saying a simple thank you such as, “I like playing with horses. Thanks, Tommy for this cute horse.” Let your child open the other favorite gift and share a thank you. Next open one of the unpopular playthings and offer a simple thank you such as, “This is a nice game. Thanks, Christi for the new game.” Finally, let your child open the last unpopular gift and practice saying thank you. Teach him the importance of saying thank you for every gift and saving complaints until after guests have gone home.
Enjoying party food: At the dinner table, let your preschooler help serve each family member, making sure each person has some food before enjoying her own meal. Practice using a napkin, chewing with mouth closed, and saying "May I be excused?" when finished.
Saying goodbye: Model saying goodbye to your child with words like, “Thank you for coming to my party, Scott. It was fun to play with you.” Then, with you as the guest, let your child walk you to the door and thank you for coming.
Sending thank you notes: After the party, arrange the gifts on the table and ask your child to dictate a thank you message for each gift while you write. Encourage preschoolers to “sign” the note with a picture, initial, or just a scribble. Together, put the thank you notes in envelopes, add stamps, and place in the mailbox.
With party manners down pat, your little “piggie” will act as cute as he looks.
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