How to Teach Your Child to be Respectful

Young children aren’t generally experts at exhibiting respectful behavior. It may seem like their whole purpose in life is to test their boundaries, no matter what they’ve been told to not do. Luckily, this is very normal behavior and not overly concerning, just a little bit annoying. Our experts have a great deal of experience with helping children learn how to be respectful beings both to peers and to adults, so we’ve pulled together our best tips for helping parents encourage respectful behavior from their preschoolers.

Tip #1 – (Definitely the most important!) Demonstrate Respectful Behavior

Most parents do not give their children the same level of respect that they demand from them. Simple things like listening, looking your child in the eye when they are talking, showing interest in what they are saying, and being empathetic to their ideas and opinions is a great way to encourage them to respond that way when someone is talking to them. It’s important not to equate respect with fear, though. You don’t want your child to only respect you because they fear punishment or being harshly reprimanded. This won’t carry respectful behavior over into other daily interactions.

Tip #2 – Teach Your Child the Importance of Polite Responses

Good manners start with using “please” and “thank you” on a regular basis. Explain to your little one that you’d rather help them when they are polite to you instead of when they order you around. By using these polite phrases when asking your child to do something, such as clean up before dinner or help you with something they don’t usually do, can teach your child that these phrase are part of normal communication, both within your home and out in public.

Tip #3 – Don’t Overreact

Many young children will do things or say things to provoke a reaction just to get a rise out of you. Try not to overreact. A good tactic to deal with this behavior is to get face to face with your preschooler and firmly say “this is not how we act” then let them know what they SHOULD HAVE done instead. It’s important to show them how to get what they want respectfully instead of ignoring this type of behavior all together.

Tip #4 – Use Respectful Discipline

One of the best ways to model respect is to be both kind and firm in all of your discipline. Being kind shows respect for your child, and being firm shows respect for what needs to be done. If your child is throwing a temper tantrum, the best thing to do is remove them from the situation without causing more of a scene. If you are shopping at the grocery store, leave your cart where it is and take them out to the car until they calm down. Allowing your child to collect themselves in private may be all that is needed to enjoyably continue the rest of your shopping trip.

Here at our Orlando area preschool program, our Kids ‘R’ Kids educators work hard to foster a great learning environment for both academic and social skills, and that includes learning how to be respectful. If you have questions or concerns on how your child can benefit from a preschool program, contact us today. We’d love to show you our beautiful campus and how our award winning curriculum and teach styles can help your child grow in both knowledge and social skills.