There isn’t a single parent in the world who doesn’t want kids they can be proud of. We all see our children as immaculate little angels who can do no wrong, and that’s exactly the kind of image we project of them to the rest of the world.

However, an ill mannered teen is the exact opposite of this image and can in fact cause a lot of embarrassment for the parents in public, because they are a reflection of your parenting skills. So what can you do to redeem yourself and your parenting skills? Teach your kids some basic manners of course and the most important of all manners is the simple act of saying “Thank You”, “Please “and “Sorry”.

Remember that manners are the true reflection of anyone’s character. According to psychologist, John Rosemond manners and respect go hand in hand; teens who haven’t learnt to respect themselves will never learn to respect others. Following are some activities to teach manners to your kids:

Role play

This activity can be carried out with young kids in an easy manner, whereas, with teens one would have to be a bit firm to make them understand the importance of good manners. Teach your kid a new manner and then have them act it out in different situations like a mini-scene, so that they know how to implement it in different situations. Have them play out both the correct and incorrect way of what you taught them and then make everyone identify which is the right manner and which is wrong.

Story telling

Tell the kid about a particular manner and then make them create abstract situations of how it can be implemented in their own lives. Each teen will tell a story which will help them in understanding the concept much more clearly and retain the information for longer.

Blunders game

Blunders is a game that teaches kids about table manners, making introductions, welcoming guest, not gossiping , showing respect in general and telephone manners. A lot of schools have also added such fun activities to their school curricula for character building.

Mr Manners says

Is basically a variation of “Simon Says”. In this game you designate someone to play Mr Manners, who then states one polite or impolite statement, along with the relative action. Children are asked to copy this action is they think it was polite and ignore it if it was not. A teen who mistakenly participates in an impolite action sits out of it for a few rounds and then rejoins.

These are just a few of the ways you can help your kids learn manners without everyone drawing their swords or just refusing to play along. Remember, to teach them while they are still young, by the time they become teens, their habits have become so set that teaching them manners now could be a seriously uphill task.