The End of Summer Countdown Begins...

“Education is meaningless without manners.”
Benny Bellamacina

     Summer is winding down and the beginning of school is just around the corner for some children. My own daughter will be starting preschool later this month. Continue visiting the library, local bookstores and reading to your child daily. Now would also be an excellent time to teach and/or revisit etiquette and manners. One vexing task for teachers is classroom management, made more difficult by rude and unruly children. Help eliminate issues by making sure that your child knows the rules of etiquette and practices good manners. A fun way to teach etiquette and manners is through make-believe play (think tea party, store, restaurant etc.) where one needs to be polite and exhibit good manners and also through books. Titles to consider are Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur by Judy Sierra, Tea Rex by Molly Idle, Nobunny’s Perfect by Anna Dewdney, Manner’s Mash-up by Tedd Arnold, Usborne Books’ Miss Molly’s School of Manners by James Maclaine and the time-honored classics What Do You Do, Dear? and What Do You Say, Dear? by Sesyle Joslin. Another fun way to reinforce these ideas is with the Dover coloring book Mind Your Manners! A Kid’s Guide to Proper Etiquette.

     Etiquette is a set of rules that a society follows that allows people to get along and avoid conflict. The rules of etiquette are the guiding codes that enable us to practice manners with common sense and a generosity of spirit. A polite child becomes a well-liked child who gets noticed in a positive way.   

To raise a polite, kind, well-liked child, teach them to:

• Always say “please” when asking for something (also “yes please.”)
• Say “thank you” when receiving something or after visiting another home (also “no thank you.”)
• Say “bless you” after someone sneezes.
• Don’t interrupt when others are speaking.
• Don’t talk back or make excuses.
• Say “excuse me” to gain someone’s attention, to leave a group, to get around someone in their way and after a burp or a sneeze.
• Keep opinions to yourself. As the saying goes, “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
• Be respectful in word and deed. In other words, be kind to others through your actions and don’t use foul language.
• Always show respect for others. You don’t have to like everyone but you do have to respect them.
• No teasing or bullying EVER! Accept everyone for who they are, differences and all.
• Be patient and attentive, especially when someone else is speaking (listening to a teacher, at church, during a performance, etc.) Though they may be bored, teach them it is polite to feign interest so that when they are performing or speaking, others will be polite in turn.
  
• Hold the door for people behind you.
• Offer to help others and understand that “a good deed is its own reward” and that others need not always reciprocate.
  

     August, considered the Sunday of summer. Enjoy the last hurrah by continuing to bond with your children visiting parks, museums, nature centers and the beach. Look for opportunities where you can broaden their horizon and build background knowledge and remember that when you can’t take a trip, read a book to bring another world to life.  

This final month of summer we celebrate...

2nd: National Coloring Book Day - Break out the crayons, markers, colored pencils, paints or whatever coloring tool you prefer on this day. Find coloring pages that feature favorite characters or in some way apply to the stories you have read aloud recently.

9th: Book Lovers Day - Turn your child into a book lover by reading daily and offering a variety of titles.

10th: National S’mores Day - Celebrate this auspicious day by not only enjoying s’mores but by reading as well. A fun title to consider is The Marshmallow Incident by Judi Barrett.

25th:  National Park Service created in 1916 - Enjoy a walk through a park and take the time to appreciate nature. Bring along a guide such as Backpack Explorer: On the Nature Trail or Backpack Explorer: Beach Walk if you decide to go the lake or ocean.

               Author/Illustrator Lane Smith’s Birthday - Read one of Lane Smith’s many great titles to your child. Perhaps start with It’s a Little Book and then It’s a Book.

“Breathe in that sweetness that hovers in August.”
Denise Levertov

Happy reading and playing!

-Kate @ BTBL

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Author

We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 3) for Kate, a son (now 1) and another little boy expected this year for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children.