Teaching Your Child to Say “Thank You”
Don’t let the two little magic words lose their meaning.
Mighty Mommy
We all tell our kids to say “thank you” at the appropriate times, but do we remember to explain why? It’s helpful to remind kids frequently that it’s polite and important to be thankful for gifts, courtesies, and compliments. When you ask a child to hand you a toy, for example, you can show them your appreciation. You might overdo it a little when your child is young to make it more obvious.
Have you ever noticed that when a toddler brings you something and you smile and gush, “Oh, thank you!” at him, he’ll go find something else to bring you? This is because you’ve made him feel good with your reaction. When you don’t react the same way, the game stops being fun. Real life can be similar. It doesn’t feel good to do something nice for someone and have them refuse to acknowledge your kindness. Explain this to your children. Let them know that just like they want to be appreciated, other people do as well. Even parents need to know their kindness is appreciated, otherwise doing nice things just doesn’t feel as nice.
Thank You image courtesy of Shutterstock