Lighten the Load: Mannerly Songs for the Children in your Life
Looking for fun and effective ways, with sparkle, to teach your little ones about manners? Don’t forget to sing together. The right kind of music lifts the soul and fills the heart with gladness. Good stuff for all of us!
While many realize this, I see some very tired adults lately, struggling valiantly to educate their children and I don’t want manners training to be rejected because the instructional load seems too heavy. It shouldn’t be burdensome, but joyful. So here’s some encouragment for you, and its bound to ease the load while pointing your kids in the right directions.
The link below has a great selection of catchy songs in rhyme about manners, set to easy well known tunes. Like my parents, and grandparents before me, singing together was a frequent past time….especially in the kitchen, the car and before bed. And, now with my grandchildren, we sing upbeat songs with good messages–from folk songs, hymns, to favorite pop tunes–not always on key, or with perfect pitch, but always with much gusto and joy. Some of these little tunes from the link below will be added to our list….
….Such a merry way to help our toddlers, preschoolers, and younger children learn and remember what to do at the table, on the play field, when they spill something, burp, and more. I have several favorites from this link’s list, but “Manners”, to the tune of “I’m a little teapot”, and “Friends” sung to “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” are ringing in my glad ears today.
smile_face_music_j0437992 click on: Songs about manners for children
Don’t let the rigors of instructional duties wear you out. Keep your sense of joy. Employ good cheer as your servant by singing and teaching uplifting songs to your children. Music adds joyful sparkle to your important instructional endeavors. A merry heart does good, like a medicine. Our children love singing happy songs and learning about protocol matters!
homeschooling and manners
written by Kelly , December 07, 2009
Hi Mrs. Boswell,
It’s been some time since I wrote to you – but I did one other time a couple of years ago. You gave me such great help and resources, I’m writing again! 🙂 Another homeschooling mother and I have decided to try to implement an etiquette curriculum for our children. Our husbands want to be very involved because we want to emphasize the man’s headship in our homes. We have been researching sites and books about etiquette to try to figure out something that would work for us. We have read your book and love it and also have material you emailed me when I contacted you before. Because we haven’t been able to find a curriculum that exists currently, we have decided to flesh one out ourselves, using the information we have obtained.
Here is a rough plan – we are thinking we could have a lesson plan that includes 2 table manners and 1 other – like social interaction, per week. Working in our homes throughout the week with our own children, we can put some of the table manners to a jingle, or chant, and role play the social interaction example. For instance, we have this so far for table manners,
“Take small bites,
keep your mouth closed,
don’t talk with food in your mouth!
Sit up straight! Use your napkin!
Sit up straight! Use your napkin!”
It is to a chant that I made up – very rhythmic – which works well with our children. More examples can be added easily into the chant.
So our idea is that our husbands can “test” the children each evening when they are home at dinner, and by giving them an opportunity to practice something like “look adults in the eyes when you are talking to them” for the social interaction. Then, on the Lord’s Day, when we are at church, our children could go to each others’ fathers, and the fathers “test” them. This would give them practice in an environment that is more “real life” than what it is at home. We also thought it might work to have some other adults aware of we what are doing so they can give the children even more opportunities.
What feedback do you have for me – including suggestions that you feel would be important to the curriculum? At this point, we are simply desiring to start out with the basics, and then to add more as we get farther along.
Thank you so much for your time!
In Him,
Kelly Orr
homeschoolers and manners
Hello and greetings…Always nice to hear from homeschooling parents! I appreciate knowing our previous “chat” was indeed helpful. What an admirable and worthwhile plan you have in the works.
Your children will surely thank you in the years ahead for what you are doing. You, your friends, and husbands obviously get it—you understand that a social education is among one of the most significant things we can do for our youngsters.
I’m out of state at the moment and will be able to respond more in depth when I return home. In the meantime, how are the children responding to your efforts and what are their ages, if you don’t mind my asking?
Blessings on your labors and to your family.
Sandra
written by Kelly Orr , December 16, 2009
Hello Mrs. Boswell,
I hope you are enjoying yourself and have a safe return trip home.
The children are pleased and happy about learning protocol. A couple of years ago – a friend gave me a book called, “Polite Moments”. It has scripture references for each “polite” manner/rule taught per day. It covers a nice broad range, but is very brief each day. We have been through the book 3 times over the past 2-3 years, alternating it with the information you sent me before. So we have actually been learning etiquette for a little while- they are used to it now. 🙂 But, my husband and I really desire for it to go beyond just reading about it and talking about it and doing it in our home – to practicing it more frequently away from home, and in an environment where the children can receive interaction and encouragement with their efforts. A couple of years ago, we instructed our two boys (ages 13 and 8 now) how to seat their sisters (ages 12, 10, 6 &6, and 3) and me at dinnertime. Now, they are usually able to do this without prompting. Our hope is for them to be comfortable with good manners no matter where they are, to bless others and to keep themselves from unnecessary embarrassment. Of course, there is still so much we are teaching them here regarding protocol – we feel we are just on the tip of the iceberg. But it seems that if we are working with others from our church body – and I do feel others would join our friends and us – it would benefit all the children, and the parents.
Because they are homeschooled, we are afraid there is a tendency to overlook manners because it is just us here most of the time. 🙂 But my husband and I really feel strongly that considerate behavior should be first shown to those we live with – and love most – and then extended beyond our home. In a private school setting, they would be receiving reinforcement from teachers and other classmates who are older, or farther along the good manners road. We want them to have the benefit of that encouragement and support, even though we are homeschooling. So – church seems like a wonderful environment for that! We thought if we could be working on protocol together with other like-minded families, we could all benefit.
So back to my original question! 🙂 How to do it!? As I said before, we have a few ideas, but we would greatly appreciate any advice or suggestions you can give that would help us to keep it simple, yet effective.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you for your time.
In Him,
Kelly
Thank you for your patience with my answers to your great comments and questions while I was out of state. Because I prepare PM’s responses and am my own secretary, I fell behind while gone. My apologies.
So, now I’ve returned! Always nice to touch home ground and just in time for the holidays. Thanks, too, for your good wishes.
On a side note, please know that we are well enough acquainted now for you to call me Sandra, and I’m happy for you to do so.
I enjoyed reading about your family and their protocol training. My answer is too long for the comment section so I’ll enter my comments as a post on this day, January 2, 2010.
In the meantime, Happy New Year!
LOL she is giving him the death stare! Anyway livnig in and growing up in NYC you see this all the time. People do not get up from their seat at all i think it has to do with the Me culture that has been flowing about. Which makes chivalry something you read in books. Its a sad state of affairs people have forgotten to care for one another. But not all of us are like that, i know for me when i see someone who needs to sit an elderly person or a woman carrying a baby i would most definitely give up my chair. Unfortunately here in NY you do not really see that anymore. This is the reason why decided to leave NY and i never looked back. At times i wonder why people want to come here so bad when its not a place to live. Its expensive, not a place to raise kids, noisy and cramped.I would much rather be down South and stretch my legs!! And i’m a native NY’er