Manners are big in my house. Early on my kids learned to say “please and thank-you;” to hold the door for others and proper table manners. Besides having a command of the English language, knowing appropriate etiquette and how to behave in any situation can go a long way when becoming a successful person. (Okay, I’ll get off my high horse!). Seriously, everyone should know which fork to use, not to talk with your mouth full and to place their napkin on their lap while eating.

*Here’s a napkin trivia question for you: If you leave the table temporarily during dinner, what do you do with your napkin? 

If you want the kids to use napkins, make sure they’re accessible. I started with a plain old wood napkin stand from Goodwill for $.99.

I gave it a couple coats of navy paint to cover the wood stain.

Writing a message with a paint brush or makers is an option, but I chose to use glittery decals to spell out “eat.” Now there is no excuse for messy eaters!

*Trivia answer: Place the napkin on your chair if you intend to return to the table and continue eating. When you’re finished, loosely fold it and place it on the table on either side of the plate. Ta-da!