Manner Jar

Table Manners at our house have been raggy round the edges at best. We have a bunch of squirmy worms, who regularly wriggle in their seats, talk with their mouth full, complain about the food and jump down (without permission) while everyone else is still eating.

I am thinking, I'd better do something about this before I launch these hogs into the world.

And then I remembered Rebecca's great idea of The Manner Jar. Rebecca wrote about this years ago (on her old blog),when my little piggies were still in nappies. Back then they were too young to try it out on them, but by golly they aren't now!

The idea is that you write down lots of different Table Manners on slips of paper, put them in a jar and at each meal, you draw one out and practise it at that meal. When everyone in the family is regularly displaying great table manners you are then fit to go out in public and have a special meal somewhere like a restaurant. We have made a start and so far it seems to be helping improve things.

Here's our list of manners:

• Say “Please” and “Thank you”
• Stay at the table until everyone has finished
• Say nice things to the cook
• Don’t talk with your mouth full
• Sit nicely in your chair
• Eat nicely without making a mess
• Eat all your dinner without making a fuss
• Ask “Can I leave the table” when you have finished

I let the two big kids pick out one manner each, so we get to practise two manners each dinner.

Dash reads them out (great reading practise). The kids love it. I love it. So much easier than nagging and growling. I'm all for that.

So watch out - we could soon be appearing at a Restaurant near you!