How to Raise a Polite Child

18th July 2023 Family

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Politeness will be something your child will develop as they get older. The first step will be exploring what it means to be polite and how children can learn from you about how to be valued members of society. Here are some top tips from this Boys School in London.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Be their role model

Children often want to follow what their parents do, and will turn to you for guidance in more ways than you would think. It’s therefore important to give your child that opportunity to learn from you and discover who they are as people. If you are kind and supportive towards them, they’re much more likely to reciprocate these feelings back to you, friends and other members of the family.

Ensure your child is following all that you do. If you have a lot to show them about the world then lean into that and make every moment with them a learning experience.

Stomp out bad behaviour

Your child also won’t know everything at once – there will be times where your child misbehaves or makes a mistake and it’s time for you to step in and help them with that. It’s important to curb this kind of behaviour but avoid causing too much upset as well. Your child won’t learn if you shout – be firm and be honest. Show them a different way to communicate if they were rude towards someone they don’t know; find them something to work towards that will help them with their manners.

Be patient

With a lot of different influences across a child’s life – from school, outdoor experiences, talking to friends, teachers and more – there can be a lot of areas for growth. Your child should feel like they want to explore these areas of themselves over time, which will take a while for them to figure out. Be patient with the process and ensure there are many opportunities for them to be polite and kind.

So there are many ways you can help your child learn to be more polite. It’s important to give your child the time to learn what it means to be polite, but it also gives your child the chance to pick these skills up for themselves.