How to teach your child to say thank you and be polite when receiving gifts

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All eyes are on the child as he focuses on the birthday presents. Your child may open a present, wince, and complain, "I've got this." Knowing how to say thank you politely is an important lesson parents need to teach their children from an early age.

1. When can teach children to say thank you when receiving gifts?

The best time to teach children to politely say thank you when receiving gifts is before the holidays. This is one of the important lessons about manners that parents need to teach their children from an early age.
During the child's birthday, all eyes are on the child as he receives the gifts. Children may open a gift, then wince and complain that they already have the item.
To avoid this, prepare a little in advance of the party. Have them sit down and tell them, "You'll get presents. People will want to see you open their presents and it's great when you say 'Thank you!' even if you don't like the gift."
Even so, it's hard to expect a child under 4 to understand a sincere thank you. If you are concerned about whether your child will be polite, you can wait to open the gift after the guest has left. Or you can defuse any bad comments with your own thanks: "Thank you, for the doll!". Then, explain to your child that making a rude comment about the gift hurts everyone's feelings because everyone was trying to choose a gift to make them happy. That's why "thank you" is the only acceptable thing to say about a gift your child doesn't like.
However, simply saying "thank you" is not enough. Children's experts stress that a thank-you note is better, especially for gifts sent in the mail.
While this may seem too formal for close family and friends, think of it this way: No one will criticize when the child does it, but they may feel unhappy if the child do not do it.
Author of the book Easy Eloquence: Simple Thank You Notes and Sympathy Cards, Sharon Paskoff says: “It doesn't have to be fancy. Your child can draw a picture if he can't write yet and you can write a few lines of how he likes the gift.

Paskoff suggests buying your child their own personalized stationery. Children who can write can prepare their own thank-you notes, but parents may want to sit with them to help. For example, you can prompt your child to specifically mention the gift or explain what the money will be used for and thank the giver. Be prepared to reinforce this habit until the child is fully grown.
By age 4, many children can:
Say "thank you" for a gift received in person. Know how to help parents write thank you letters. By age 8, many children can:
Avoid rude comments about gifts. Know how to say "thank you" politely for gifts received in person. Know how to write a thank you letter with a reminder from you.

2. How to teach children to say thank you when receiving gifts

Here are some ideas to teach your child to be grateful to others for giving them gifts. Teach your children the habit of saying thank you from the moment they can speak. This will help the child form one of the rules of good behavior that he will need later in life.

2.1. Explain to your child what "thank you" means Explain to your child what "thank you" really means. Experts in children's education say a more effective strategy is to help children understand the meaning behind expressions of gratitude.
Explain to children that to thank someone shows their appreciation for the time they spent thinking about them or doing something for them. No matter what the gift is, the child's thank you will be sincere.

2.2. Let your children know how to thank you in words and actions when receiving gifts Thank you words are very important in life, so parents should teach children the rules of saying thank you and showing actions when receiving them. gift.
You can introduce the lesson on how to receive gifts by saying, “I want to show you what to do when you receive a gift.”. Show actions with appropriate thanks. Tell your child that “I never asked someone to give me a gift. Parents also never ask, "Where's my present?". Ask your child to give you a gift that you have prepared for practice. You'll show appropriate speech and behavior when you receive a gift, you look your child in the eye, or whatever you expect your child to do when you receive a gift. For example, you could smile and say, “Thank you.” Then open the gift and continue to say "Thank you". If it's something you already have, you shouldn't say, "I already have this." Give an example of something nice you can say to guide your child. If you want your child to hug or kiss a relative or friend, you should also show that when your child gives you a gift. Finally, tell your child: “In the future, I will write a thank you letter to the person who gave me a gift.”

2.3. Give children the opportunity to practice saying thank you when receiving gifts. Repeatedly is essential for young children to learn good manners such as teaching children to be grateful, teaching children to be polite. You should give your child as many hands-on opportunities as possible before he or she is actually given the gift. You can create opportunities such as:
You can have a gift bag or box with a lid that can be used over and over again. You can put different toys, clothes or books that your child already has in a bag or gift box and role-play giving the gift to the child. The gift will be a surprise, and the child will have to come up with something beautiful to say about the gift. You can give small gifts to your child to practice saying thank you during the holiday season. Some parents have small gifts every day, especially during December, to focus on teaching their kids to say thank you. You can act as a gift giver with a pretend gift. If you have more than one child, you can have the kids take turns giving and receiving real or fake gifts. After the child has had many role-playing opportunities, you can discuss with the child about “What should I do when I receive a gift?”.
2.4. Praise and encourage when your child knows how to say thank you to others When you see your child saying thank you to others, give praise to your child to make him happy and try for the following:
Did you know that I felt so happy when I saw the way you smiled at me, hugged me and said “Thank you!”. Do you know how happy I was that you were able to say what you liked about the gift you received. Did you know that I was delighted when you cleaned up the wrapping paper. 2.5. If your child does not yet know how to say thank you when receiving gifts as you have taught them, you should not criticize nor embarrass them in front of many people. You need to stay calm and keep the following in mind:
Remember that young children need a lot of practice before they can master it. After teaching the child, you need to repeat the lesson so that the child can remember it. Give your child more opportunities to practice.

Teaching children to say thank you is an extremely necessary thing in life, but because of that, you do not impose and show disappointment when children have not done what they want. Because the important thing parents need to do is to let their children understand the value of actions and nurture good feelings in their children.
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Reference source: babycenter.com - livingmontessorinow.com