Teaching Children How to Greet Others

While you may not think twice about greeting friends and acquaintances with a friendly ̶0;hi̶1; or ̶0;hello,̶1; your child may not understand how or why to greet others. Provide your child with engaging and informative guidance to teach him how to reach out to or respond to others in a friendly and inviting way.

  1. Model Behavior

    • When you want your child to learn strong greeting skills and to feel comfortable interacting with others, your example is a powerful teaching tool, according to educator and speech pathologist Rynette R. Kjesbo, writing for the HandyHandouts website. By projecting a relaxed and friendly disposition as you meet and greet family, friends and acquaintances, your child will watch and learn from your positive example how to greet folks he knows.

    Talk About Greetings

    • Give your child some specific phrases to use as she greets others so she has some greetings to use as she needs them. She might choose from ̶0;Hi,̶1; ̶0;Hello,̶1; ̶0;Hey̶1; and ̶0;How̵7;s it going?̶1; Various goodbye phrases include, ̶0;Bye,̶1; ̶0;Goodbye̶1; and ̶0;See you!̶1; Encourage your child to use whatever phrases she likes so her greetings feel comfortable and natural.

    Role-Play to Practice

    • Practicing the exchange of greetings can help your little one feel more comfortable, advises the Sandbox Learning Educational Tools website. Take turns greeting each other and trying various phrases. You might also pretend to be both a peer and an adult to role-play with your child, to give him more practice. You could role-play mistakes as well ̵1; have your child say ̶0;hi̶1; to you and then respond with an inappropriate phrase such as, ̶0;Yeah, whatever,̶1; so your child can see how important a positive greeting is when talking to others.

    Body Language

    • Mention the importance of body language while greeting others. Establishing eye contact and smiling are important details that help someone appear friendly, according to clinical psychologist Dr. Wendy Mogel, writing for the Kveller website, a Jewish parenting resource. Handshakes generally are not necessary for children, unless an adult initiates it in a friendly way to connect with the youngster.

    Challenges

    • If your child battles shyness, it may be challenging for her to greet others comfortably. Your youngster may resist eye contact and may have a hard time smiling at others. Provide positive encouragement for your child to help her feel more relaxed in greeting situations. Role-playing can be effective, but opportunities to greet others in real-life situations are also helpful for overcoming shyness. Gradually, your child should feel more comfortable as she gets older.

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