Table Manners Cards {Review}

Table Manners Cards {Review}

One of the simple pleasures I remember feeling like I had to “give up” when I started having children was going out to eat. It was one thing to hit a fast food place or a restaurant with a play area, but anything nicer than those and I didn’t think my young family would survive a dinner outside of the house. I wish I had a set of these Table Manners Cards back then.

 

Today’s families are super busy and sitting down together for meals tends to be an exception rather than a rule.  When you do have this opportunity you want it to be an enjoyable experience, not a time when you are criticizing your children or nagging them over their manners.

What to do?  Forgo teaching manners?  Absolutely not!  Bring out the Table Manners Cards.  This fun mealtime game encourages your little diners to compete for thumbs-up cards while avoiding thumbs-down cards in an effort to win a coveted Ready-to-Dine-Out award. Once introduced, kids will want them at every meal!

So we’ve been “that family” when we go out to eat, where the kids make a lot of noise, spill drinks, snatch plates off the table, etc. I remember one meal in particular where, after cleaning up the bulk of the mess, I left my husband and son at the table to finish paying the check and meet me in the car.

Needless to say, we learned how important it was to incorporate table manners into our meal routines. We already worked on manners for talking to other people or being respectful, etc. But meals at home were always a little chaotic.

But with the Table Manners Cards from Golly Gee-pers!, a family can make learning these skills more like a game. They cover the basics like not talking with your mouth full, putting your napkin in your lap, and even a few blank ones for family specific rules.

These cards are more like fun and gentle reminders, instead of “nagging” and arguing with your kid(s) about what to and not to do at the table.

Once they are consistently earning the “thumbs up” cards, you can award the Ready-to-Dine-Out award card, meaning they are behaving like you’d expect them to when eating out at a restaurant. The illustrations are basic, so I think they’d work for even young age children who aren’t reading yet. And they are even fun to let the kids use them on their parents for extra practice.

Whether you are interested in buying a set for your own family, or giving a few away as gifts, learn more about the deck of Table Manners Cards from Golly-Gee-pers! at their website. You can also connect with them through Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a sponsored post. The company who sponsored it compensated me with some form of payment or service. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”