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Teaching your children how to behave in public is not easy. For many parents it requires a lifetime worth of work. You’re constantly on the lookout for behavior that you don’t deem appropriate or nice. And you need to let them know when you don’t approve of their behavior.
The best things you can do is to set strict rules about behavior. Let your children know how they’re supposed to behave. If you see them behaving in a way that you don’t approve of, set limits. Be sure to say “no” immediately after you witness the bad behavior, and have fun with it.
You don’t want to come across as a “meany,” or your children may not respond as favorably. If they feel as if they’ve been completely scolded, they’ll be depressed and may not learn as well from the situation. You need to make it seem like good behavior is fun. Make a game out of good behavior and be playful about learning how they’re supposed to act.
Children have a natural unwillingness to share. This can be one of the most difficult character traits to teach a child. You want to begin teaching your child to share at an early age. Encourage your child to share whenever she’s playing with a sibling, with you, or with another child. Anytime it’s playtime, make it share time, as well. If your child is used to playing not just in the room with other children, but also WITH other children, that will make it easier to learn sharing.
Another good way to teach good behavior and social skills to organize events to play with other children. One of the best ways to do this is to play board games. Playing board games encourage children to ask for help on understanding rules, to wait her turn, and to ask other children politely in order to get permission to do things.
Above all, children learn proper behavior from their parents and from other adults. Surround your children with other parents and yourself, who of course are always on their best behavior in order to encourage proper manners.
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