Thursday, October 13, 2011

A Twist on Teaching Table Manners

 Here's a "teach it simple" sample for you in case you haven't made it over to check out my new digs quite yet...


To curb the "yuck"s, constant interrupting, and feet…I mean, elbows on the table, I started a reward incentive called Mind Your Marbles to motivate my kids to mind their manners.  The kids can each earn marbles by staying in their seats, saying “please” and “thank you”, and – my personal favorite – taking their plates to the sink. The marbles are dropped into their special glasses lined with a decorated index card. Once they fill it half way, they get to choose a yummy dessert. When the glass is filled to the brim, they can choose the entire meal (plus dessert) for the family – or pick a favorite restaurant!  This incentive has worked wonders. My kids are excited to “mind their marbles” and have even asked to help set the table to earn extras - gotta love that!

*What works at your dinner table?

3 comments:

Emmy said...

That is genius! And I love that rewards directly correlate with what behaviors you are working on too. Very smart. We did a similar marble jar thing but it was just for overall behaviors, I like yours very specific and easy for the kids to understand.

Claremont First Ward said...

Looks like a reward system I need to adopt. Thanks for sharing!

Run DMT said...

What a great idea! This would be a huge HIT at our house. My girls are all about the dessert. They want dessert every night, but with this incentive, they could a special dessert, like sundaes. Oooooo the wheels are spinning... lol

I can't stand when I make a new dish for dinner and my girls turn their noses up at it. This would encourage (or bribe them in a good way) to at least try it without complaining. Plus, we also have issues with not sitting properly at the table. Yep, this idea is a winner! Totally pinning it. Thank you for sharing it! :-)