I recently had the opportunity to create and teach a manners and etiquette course to the Daisies and Brownies in my Girl Scout troop. It is something that parents ask for yet no one seems to have a program for. Determined to solve this problem, I decided to create a program to teach the girls myself. I headed to the local library remembering the manners classes I had taken when I was younger. I decided to look for a book about manners by Emily Post as I remembered liking her style. They had just what I was looking for, so I started reading, taking notes, and noting pages to make photocopies of for the girls to refer to later.
From this project, I found that the best way to teach kids about manners and etiquette where they actually understand and would be excited about it was in the process of creating and planning an event. The girls helped create a theme for the event and then came up with all of the details needed to create the invitation and a wishlist of food and decor items needed for the event.
In total we had 4 meetings, the first two were planning the event and teaching what was learned in the book to compliment the event. The last two meetings were used for prepping for the event and having the event itself. It was a big success that ended with parents telling me how appreciative they were and how their girls were setting the table at home and so proud of what they had learned. Going forward I would like to add to this program annually as there were a lot of other topics to be covered but time and the age of the girls hindered us from getting that in depth. If you want to create your own program feel free to use some of these tips or always feel free to Just Ask Jen.
*ENTERTAINMENT TIP* When planning activities for an event it is wise to plan around the theme. For example, the girls made placemats with their guests where they decorated a large piece of construction paper and then the Girl Scout drew out a place setting, we then attached the two and laminated it so that it became a reference placemat and keepsake for the future.
*ORGANIZATION TIP* Before your event it is wise to do some test runs with the group. First, have them set a place for themselves and their guest and then pretend to go through the event so that if anything is missing it is thought of at this point. This will teach them to plan ahead, a valuable life lesson.
*SHOPPING TIP* Plan everything out ahead of time. Make lists of everything you could possibly need. Doing this early on is beneficial as you can find better discounts and have more money for other things. Over time you can tweak the list if needed and then find all of the items for the event either at home, at an on-line store, or go shopping at a physical store. Have fun and enjoy the process.