If you want your children to make you proud when you go out dining to a fancy restaurant or at a wedding or other fancy event it couldn't hurt to teach them proper manners some days before. Here are some tips for parents to help kids cultivate dining manners.
Think thoroughly about the age of the child/children and how much do you want to get from them - it depends on their age and motor skills. Children under six will be a handful and you should think seriously if you want to teach a child under four as they won't pick up on things so easily and will forget more easily. Although with patience, you can teach dining manners even to a toddler.
Present this as a positive thing. You should be modeling this behavior as much as possible; children absorb the attitudes and behaviors of the adults around them. Before starting the actual teaching, sit down with the child/ren and tell them you are about to teach them proper dining manners for the next meal. Approach the matter positively (this is easier towards young girls as they see pretty women - i.e. princesses - eating with fine china and tall glasses) and tell them what is supposed to be the outcome. Maybe you can start by taking them on an outing with you and your spouse or perhaps this is directed towards a particular event. Tell them. If they get excited about the prospect of going, they'll most likely pay attention and behave.
Have your practice meal. You can even serve play food if you want. Use this meal as a first practical approach and quiz the children. When they do wrong, give a feedback sandwich and when they do right be sure to greet, and reward accordingly to their age. As the meal progresses revise the different contents, that is, when the "fish" is served, have all the children pick up their fish utensils and pretend to eat the fish. This is a good time to revise if their way of picking up, holding the utensil and actually having the food is polite and polished. Adjust your teachings accordingly.
The best teachers for kids are parents. Parents should also notice dining manners so that can set good example for their kids.
