Tips to Get Your Kids to Behave at a Friend’s or Relative’s Home

We all want our kids to be on their best behavior at all times, particularly when they are at someone else’s home. Unfortunately, kids don’t always act in a manner that puts a smile on our faces. Whether they intend to or not, there are times when your kids will be rude, impolite, cranky, mean, or behave in some other way that is simply not OK. Here are some useful tips to getting your kids on their very best behavior while they are at a friend’s or relative’s house. They can use these skills in school as well. Don’t be discouraged if your child slips up now and again – they are learning and will make mistakes. But after enough practice and development, your children will be pros at visiting the homes of others.

Practice at Home

If you want your child to behave appropriately at all times, he needs to practice at all times. Your child should be polite, courteous, and kind in your home as well as in the homes of others. If you allow your child to have poor manners, scream at his sister, or skip chores at home, for example, getting him to behave well at someone else’s house will be that much harder. Sure, things may be more relaxed in your own home, but that’s no reason to ever behave poorly. Practice makes perfect – or at least good enough – to make it through a visit with a friend or relative without any unfortunate episodes.

Model Appropriate Behavior

Sometimes, even adults exhibit inappropriate behavior when with family and friends. When the kids see that, they will think it’s OK to behave that way too. Kids pick up on the cues from adults, and as they get older, they will try to behave more and more like the role models around them. Be sure not to argue or curse in front of children. While dining, exhibit proper etiquette. Always treat everyone respectfully, even if you’re not their biggest fan. Your kids will see that it is important to behave positively and cordially at all times and will follow your lead.

Offer Rewards

Before heading to a friend’s or relative’s house, offer your child a reward for being on his best behavior the whole time. This doesn’t have to be something extravagant, but something that will entice him to maintain a satisfactory level of behavior while visiting. You could even make a point system or a gold star chart that adds up to a special privilege once he hits a certain number of well-behaved visits. On the other hand, you can take away privileges or toys if he misbehaves. Eventually, he will always behave well in order to receive his reward. He will also find that the positive feedback from others is a reward in itself.

How do you get your children to be on their best behavior while in others’ homes? We’d love to share your tips with the All My Children community. For more information like this, please visit All My Children.

By: Melissa A. Kay