Activated Kids: Manners and Courtesy

Building Character

Featuring: Manners and Courtesy

In this issue: NOTE TO PARENTS

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The Little Gentleman A lesson on courtesy

10 Danny’s Little Lesson We show respect by paying attention

16 King Freddy

Good table manners are important

ILLUSTRATIONS: Danielle Adair, Jacques Elan, Etienne Morel, Kie Poole, Agnes Lemaire COLOR: Doug Calder, Sabine Rane, Kie Poole, Danielle Adair DESIGN: Danielle Adair

In this issue of Activated Kids, we’ll focus on manners and courtesy. No matter what our age, place of birth, or mother tongue, in every culture we find that manners and courtesy are highly valued attributes.

People who show courtesy and have good manners and proper etiquette have a distinct advantage over those who do not; they are respected and welcomed into others’ lives with ease. Practicing good manners goes past social “dos and don’ts.” At the heart of it is the belief that everyone is important and should be treated with love, courtesy, and kindness.

Parents have the responsibility to not only teach their children to have good manners and show courtesy, but to also set an example that will motivate their children to manifest these attributes in their lives. Through the stories and fun activities in this Activated Kids magazine, we hope to portray the positive effects of having good manners and being courteous.

While Activated Kids is primarily directed toward children between the ages of 4 and 8, older or younger children can benefit from the content as well. You might even enjoy reading some of these stories along with your children.

We hope this and other magazines in the Activated Kids series prove helpful to your family.

Shannon Richards For your Activated family

A-EN-MG-BC-002-X Copyright © 2008 by Aurora Production AG, Switzerland.

All rights reserved. Printed in Taiwan by Chanyi Printing Co., Ltd. www.auroraproduction.com 2

The Little Gentleman

By Barbara Meinel, adapted by Danielle Adair

Robert ran into the living room and plopped down on the couch. He stretched out his legs and laid back to watch TV. After a few minutes his mother came in carrying his baby sister.

“Robert, do you think you could make room for baby Annie and me to sit too?” she asked.

Robert moaned, “Aw, Mom, I’m so comfortable here! Why can’t you and Annie sit on a kitchen chair?”

“Now Robert, if you want to be a gentleman, you would make space for Annie and me,” she said.

“A gentleman?” Robert asked. “Mom, what exactly is a gentleman?”

“A gentleman is someone who is kind and courteous, has good manners,

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and prefers others before himself. Let me tell you a story, and afterwards, you can tell me who you think the gentleman in the story is.” ☼☼☼

Once upon a time there was a great

castle and in it lived a very kind king.

In his kingdom there were many brave knights. Two of them were Nicolas and Tristan. One day the king decided he wanted to see which of these two knights was a true gentleman.

He told them that he wanted them to both go to a nearby town to buy a horse for him.

The king also told them that there was something special about this mission, so they were to do the best they could.

Nicolas was a kind and well-mannered knight, but Tristan only thought of himself and what would make him happy.

Aha! thought Tristan. I am sure the king wants to know which of us is the best, and I will show him that I can find the best horse.

“You are to leave right away, as I want the horse before sundown,” the king said.

“Yes, my Lord, we will do as you wish,” replied the two knights.

With that, Tristan and Nicolas got on their horses and galloped away to find a horse for the king. ☼☼☼ On their way, they came upon an old woman on the road who was carrying a heavy load.

“Out of the way!” shouted Tristan.

“I’m on a mission for the king!”

The old lady quickly stumbled to the side of the road, as Tristan galloped by, leaving a cloud of dust behind him and the poor old woman coughing.

“Whoa!” called Nicolas to his horse as he pulled to a halt.

“Good day!” Nicolas called out.

“Where are you going with that heavy load?” he asked kindly.

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“You there! I am on a mission for the king. Tell me where I can find the man who sells horses in this town.”

“Over there, by the blacksmith,” came the quick answer from the startled baker.

“Thank you, kind man!” said Nicolas.

“That bread smells mighty good!”

“Here, have some,” said the baker with a smile as he handed a warm bun to each of the knights.

“Thank you very much!” replied Nicolas. Tristan took the bread and walked away without even turning to say thank you. ☼☼☼

“I am going to the town up ahead,” said the old woman.

“Here, let me help you. I will take you to the town on my horse.”

“Thank you very much, kind knight!” said the old woman with a smile.

Nicolas arrived at the town a while after Tristan had. “Where were you?”

Tristan demanded to know. “What took you so long?”

“I was helping an old woman with a heavy load,” said Nicolas.

“We’re wasting time! Let’s ask someone where we can buy a horse,” said Tristan.

A baker was setting out some fresh bread when Tristan shouted at him,

After looking at all the horses, they found one they were sure the king would like.

“I want that big white one over there,” said Tristan. “I am sure the king will like that one.”

“Oh, but we like that one too,” said a little voice from behind the knights.

Nicolas and Tristan turned around to see a young girl and her little brother who said they were there to buy a horse for their family’s farm.

“Well, too bad,” Tristan said gruffly.

“We saw it first so it’s ours!”

The little boy let out a sob. “But sir,” said the young girl, “we’ve been saving up for a long time to buy this horse, and we really need it at the farm.”

“Well, the king also needs it,” said Tristan.

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“Tristan,” Nicolas said, “I think the king would prefer that these people have it, and I am sure we can find another one that the king will like just as much.”

“What?” Tristan asked in surprise.

“But this is the one I wanted—why should I have to let them have it?”

At that moment the king himself arrived on the scene.

“Because that is what I would like you to do.”

“My Lord!” exclaimed Tristan and Nicolas, as they bowed.

“We didn’t know you were here.”

“I followed you, as I wanted to see who was a true gentleman.”

“You are both very brave knights, but it’s not just bravery that makes you a knight. It is your kindness and gentle manners toward others that make you knightly.”

“I am very thankful for your loyalty to me and to my kingdom, but it’s very important that you are also gentlemen and care about my people and have good manners. As my knights you represent me, and if you are unkind, the people will think that that is how I am too.” ☼☼☼ “I’m sorry, Mom! Nicolas was a good gentleman and I want to be like that too. What do I have to do to be a gentleman?” asked Robert.

“To be a gentleman you would be kind and think about others instead of only thinking about yourself. For example, if someone is carrying something big or heavy and you can see they need help, you could hold the door open for them. You could offer to help carry in the shopping. When a girl enters the room, if there is no place for her to sit, you could stand up and offer her your seat. You could offer someone else the biggest piece of cake.

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“You could say ‘excuse me’ if you bump into someone. Those are just a few examples.

“A gentleman is always courteous to everyone,” explained Mom. “I think I’d like to try that!” said Robert.

“Do you think we could start over?”

Mom walked out of the room with baby Annie. She waited a few minutes in the kitchen before entering the living room. As she walked into the room, Robert stood up with a sweeping bow

and said, “Good afternoon, Mother.

Would you like a seat?”

“Now that’s what I call a real gentleman!”

Let’s be kind and courteous to everyone!

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Fill in the vowels to find Mr. Owl’s good advice on being courteous and well mannered.

“T_ b_ p_l_t_ _s t_ d_ _nd s_y th_ k_nd_st th_ng _n th_ k_nd_st w_y.”

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Draw a line to match the blue cards to the red cards to show what would be the courteous thing to do in each case.

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Danny’s Little Lesson

By Barbara Meinel, adapted by Danielle Adair

It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning.

“Hi, Danny!” said Dad as he passed

by Danny in the hallway. “Would you like to come with me on a short trip to the hardware store?”

Danny didn’t answer his dad. He just kept walking. He walked all the way down the hall and out the front door to play.

Danny walked down a few blocks toward the park, and as Danny turned the corner he saw Jenny and Frank playing in the park. When Frank saw Danny he called out, “Hey, Danny, do you want to come and play with us?” Danny looked

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up and walked on by without answering.

He didn’t want to play with them.

Danny played alone in the park for a while, but it wasn’t so fun playing alone, and he soon got bored, and decided to head back home.

On his way back home, Danny passed his grandma’s house.

“Danny, would you like to come in? I could really use your help to move my couch into a better spot. I made some cookies too. Would you like to have some?” asked Grandma.

Danny looked at her a moment and walked on past without answering.

Danny’s grandma just shook her head.

The thought of cookies made Danny a bit hungry. I’ll have a snack when I get home, he thought.

As Danny turned the corner, he saw his dad driving by in the car.

“Hey, Dad! Can you give me a ride home?” called out Danny.

But Danny’s dad didn’t stop. He drove on home. Danny ran a few blocks down the sidewalk calling to his dad. At last he ran up the path to the garage.

“Dad, why didn’t you stop when I called you?” asked Danny as his dad was getting out of the car.

“Well, Danny, tell me something. How did that make you feel?”

“It made me feel sad. Like you don’t want to be with me.”

“Well, Danny, that’s how all of us feel when we ask you something and you don’t look at us and answer.”

“I’ll bet that if you went back over your morning, you’d see where you have left people feeling just like you did now when I didn’t respond. Maybe you should go back to the people you’ve been impolite to today by ignoring them, and try again to do things better.”

Danny ran back to the park hoping that Jenny and Frank would still be playing there. When Danny reached the park, he saw the kids playing in the playground.

“I’m sorry for ignoring you,” Danny said to Jenny and Frank. “Will you forgive me?” he asked.

“Yes!” said the children.

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“Great! I’m on my way to my grandma’s house to help her with something. Want to come with me?” Danny asked.

“Sure!” they said.

The children skipped down the sidewalk and up to the front door.

“Grandma, would you like our help to move your couch?” asked Danny.

“Why, yes, of course! Thank you so much!” exclaimed Grandma.

After they were done, Grandma set out milk and homemade cookies, and the three children sat down to enjoy the snack, while Grandma read them a story.

Moral: Let’s show kindness and respect others by paying them attention—by looking at them and answering them when they speak to us.

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Color the picture using the colors that correspond to each number

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maze Draw a picture of something you can do to show courtesy and good manners. Help the children find their way to your picture.

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5 Look across and down to find the words from the list below. thanks listen courteous help respect answer please manners kind polite

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King Freddy O

nce upon a time there lived a king called Freddy. King Freddy was a polite, kind, and considerate king. He had good table manners and before eating he always thanked the cooks for preparing such a delicious meal.

However, some of the people at his castle had very poor table manners.

They never washed their hands before eating and always grabbed the biggest slices of pie for themselves. They never said excuse me, but they just reached over others to get what they wanted.

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By Robert Fernandez

They didn’t thank the cooks or anyone else for the meal, and almost everyone grumbled about the food.

“Chicken again! Why can’t we have steak?” some would say.

“Pie for dessert? But I want pudding!” someone else would grumble.

This made King Freddy sad.

What can I do to show everybody how important it is to be thankful, considerate, and well mannered? King Freddy wondered.

Suddenly he had an idea.

He arranged for a grand feast. And in his invitation he asked everyone to dress nicely, wash their hands and faces, and comb their hair nicely before coming, as he wanted it to be a very special feast.

On that great day the banquet room was filled with very hungry people. But King Freddy was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is King Freddy?” the people grumbled.

“We want to start eating!” someone else said.

Suddenly a dirty, ragged man ran into the room, sat down in the king’s chair and began grabbing food with his hands.

He chewed with his mouth open and

knocked things over, and he slurped the soup and licked his fingers. A palace guard began to remove the messy man, but he pulled out a smudged and dirty invitation. Everyone was shocked.

Just then, the royal trumpets announced the arrival of the king. The messy man grabbed more food and scurried off.

When everyone was seated, King Freddy said, “I am sorry I kept you waiting. Did anyone notice someone with bad manners sitting in my chair?”

“Oh yes!” the people exclaimed. “It was disgusting! He had no manners at all.”

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“And he was so discourteous,” others commented. “He never said please or thank you.”

“I have seen many people with poor manners, but he was the worst,” King Freddy agreed, “and that’s why I invited him.”

“But why?” someone asked.

“To show everyone how awful bad manners are and why good manners are so important.

“We’ve all made some of the same mistakes that this man has made. But I hope no one will ever behave like that

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again. Let’s try to have better manners!”

King Freddy said with a smile.

“Yes!” everyone answered cheerfully.

“We’ll try to have good manners.”

This time when the cooks brought the food, the guests all thanked them kindly.

They were careful to mind their manners and be courteous throughout the feast by saying please and thank you.

The banquet was a success. And from that day forward, mealtimes throughout King Freddy’s kingdom were happy times for everyone.

The End

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TABLE MANNERS Fill in the missing words, then match the manners these knights and ladies are using to the correct sentence.

Sit up straight in your _ _ _ _ _.

Use a _ _ _ _ _ _ to wipe your mouth.

Chew with your mouth _ _ _ _ _ _.

Keep elbows _ _ _ the table.

Say _ _ _ _ _ _ and thank you.

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good table manners

Match the sentence in the box with the people who are saying it. Write the number in the bubble. You can also color the picture.

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“Can you please pass the salt?”

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“Would you like me to help you?”

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“Here, you can have the biggest piece of cake.”

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Find the seven differences in these two pictures.

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MAKE AND DO: GOOD MANNERS FLOWER You will need: paper

color pencils or crayons

paper fasteners

How to: Trace the petal on this page to make five petals; in each petal write one of the little manners and courtesy reminders below and color the petals.

Cut out the petals and fasten them as shown in the picture. Use this flower to remind you of the little things you can do to be courteous and have good manners. See how many you can do today.

Reminders: 1. Say please and thank you.

2. Prefer others before yourself.

3. Listen carefully and answer kindly.

4. Have good table manners.

5. Greet people cheerfully.

Put the paper fastener here

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and scissors

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ANSWERS TO THE ACTIVITY PAGES 1. Mr. Owl’s good advice

5. word search

“To be polite is to do and say the kindest thing in the kindest way.”

2. find the matching cards

6. table manners 1 Sit up straight in your chair

4. maze

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Use a napkin to wipe your mouth

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Chew with your mouth closed

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Keep elbows off the table

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Say “please” and “thank you” 7. good table manners

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8. find the differences 1

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Little Words for the Wise Good manners are COOL!

Showing good manners is treating others the way you want to

be treated. It’s doing and saying things that help people to feel special, showing that you appreciate them and care about their needs. When you have good manners, people want to be around you, they want to be friends with you, help you, and do things that make you happy.

There are lots of times each day that you can show good

manners. Here are a few:

☼ Use these polite words as often as you can:

☺Say

“please” when you ask for something, and people

☺Say

“thank you” when someone has done something

☺Say

“you’re welcome” when someone says “thank

☺Say

“excuse me” instead of interrupting someone

will enjoy answering your requests. for you or given you something. you” to you.

when they’re speaking. Then wait until they stop to let you talk.

☼ When you are introduced to someone, look at them, smile, and say hello.

☼ Be polite and show respect to your parents and teachers. ☼ Listen when other people are talking to you. ☼ Have good table manners.

☼ Speak softly, especially when you are playing inside the house, so you don’t disturb others.

☼ At school and at play be courteous to other children.