Welcome to the second week of Habits of Friendship! This week we will dive into our second social skill: Manners. In this friendship habit, we will language, table etiquette, respect, friendship, and The Golden Rule. Manners are the foundation for building new relationships and a positive environment.
What is Habits of Friendship?
Maybe you missed the firsts post that introduced The Habits of Friendship program. If so, head over here to read up on the program and get your free, printable progress tracker. You can also find the first week’s lessons here:
In short, after Habits of Learning took shape in my mind, I began to realize it was an incomplete program. Our lives are not just about learning, they are about more than that.
If you have been here for a while, you know I talk a lot about goal setting and balance. When I am talking about those things, I often quote one of my favorite Bible verses: Luke 2:52.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Luke 2:52, KJV
In this verse we see that as Jesus grew from child to man, he developed in four areas of his life:
- Wisdom: Learning and education
- Stature: Physical health and wellness
- Favour with God: Spiritual development
- Favour with man: Social and emotional development
Habits of Learning focuses on the “wisdom” part of that verse. Habits of Friendship will focus on “favour with man”. These are the two modules that will be taught, two times a year at A One-Room Schoolhouse.
Preparation
Once you have completed the progress monitoring circle listed in the introductory post, you are ready to dive into week one Habits of Friendship: Manners. Here is all you need to do to get ready for this week:
- Download the lesson plan (link below), print it if desired.
- Bookmark this blog post that includes live links to use for each lesson containing a video.
- Print off the resources included in at the end of this post (You will only need the first page and then pages three to ten for the lessons. The rest of the pages are included as enrichment materials)
- Make sure you have some blank paper and coloring supplies on hand.
Now you are ready to go!
Remember to Practice
The general instructions for the Habits of Friendship stay the same from week to week. This week (and from here on out) you will want to encourage your children to do the exploration activities from the previous week’s lesson.
This may be a copy sheet, hymn study, or memorization. Maybe they might like to read a book from the list or watch one of the video links. It does not matter which activity they do, what does matter is that they are still thinking about and learning about the previously studied habit.
Furthermore, make sure you are always looking for ways to praise your children as they progress in the previously studied habits. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO!
This focus on continual practice and praise will help further development and generalization. It reinforces the idea that we are always working to improve ourselves.
Special Elements
Below are some of the special elements that you might want to read about before completing the Habits of Friendship: Manners lessons.
Diversity and Manners
Often, the lessons we received about our own table etiquette come from our own cultural background. What is traditional in one culture is impractical or rude in another. It is important to teach children that there are many different ways to eat food that are worthy of respect and acknowledgement. Good manners can look different from culture to culture, even table to table.
Learning how to use a knife and fork is as important as learning how to handle a potsticker with chop sticks and scooping your curry with your right hand, not left.
The more time we spend eating diverse foods and dining with many people, the more we can teach our children the table manners that may be different from our own.
Ten Target Manners
With these ten target manners, you can get your students off to a great start in their manners journey.
1. Greet people with a smile, a “Hi”, and “How are you?”
2. Say “Thank you” when you receive something.
3. Open doors for others.
4. Look people in the eye when speaking.
5. Let others finish before you speak.
6. Put down your electronics when someone enters the room, when someone is speaking, or you are speaking.
7. Say “Please” when asking.
8. Say “Excuse me” or “Pardon me” when you bump someone or accidentally do something rude.
9. Shake hands firmly.
10. Use correct titles when talking to adults. (Examples: Sir, Ma’am, Mrs., Mr., Ms., Dr., Officer, or President)
Literature Tip: In the three-book series “What if Everybody” it playfully teaches manners, friendship, and universal thoughtfulness across cultures, time, and space. Read these books with your students and see if you can find the ten target manners.
An Acrostic Poem
An acrostic poem is a poem in which the first letter of each line spells out a word, message, or the alphabet. In lesson four of Habits of Learning: Manners, an acrostic poem is used to teach the manners of friendship.
Extend The Hand of Friendship
Friends
Respect each other
Include each other
Enjoy being together
Notice how others are feeling
Decide things together
Share
Help each other
Invite others to
Play
Grow Our Community
We are growing rapidly and we are so pleased with your support. Keep tagging your friends, using our hashtag (#habitsoffriendship), and sharing your Habits of Friendship journey.
Let’s keep the social media ball rolling and share this program with your friends! Take pictures and videos of your Habits of Friendship: Communication lessons. Post these on Facebook or Instagram. Use the hashtag #habitsoffrienship and tag @aoneroomshoolhouse. Follow the Schoolhouse and our hashtag to join other Habits of Learning users.
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