Global Table Manners for Children: What Pre-K and Elementary Teachers Can Learn from French Kids Eat Everything
Teaching Table Manners in the Classroom: A Global Perspective
Imagine a classroom where lunchtime is more than a break—it’s a lesson in patience, conversation, and respect. This is the norm in French schools, as beautifully captured in Karen Le Billon’s book, French Kids Eat Everything.
For Pre-K and elementary teachers, this book is a masterclass in how to use mealtime as a springboard for teaching essential social skills. From table manners to emotional regulation, it’s packed with actionable insights that are both inspiring and practical.
Why Table Manners Matter in Schools
French schools prioritize teaching children the value of food and the art of polite dining. Here’s how:
One Meal, One Choice: French children eat what they are served, a practice that encourages trying new foods and appreciating variety.
Structured Mealtime Rules: No snacking in class. No packed lunches. Just a shared, balanced meal that fosters community and respect.
Etiquette as a Core Skill: Children learn table manners, proper conduct, and how to engage in meaningful conversation during meals.
These lessons extend beyond the table, helping students develop patience, self-control, and empathy—skills that are essential in and out of the classroom.
Encourage Trying New Foods: Create a “taste challenge” activity where children sample small portions of unfamiliar foods in a fun, supportive setting.
Teach the Value of Patience: Use mealtime as an opportunity to practice waiting, taking turns, and showing gratitude.
Model Table Manners: Show students how to hold utensils properly, chew politely, and engage in conversation without interrupting.
Integrate Emotional Intelligence: Teach children how to manage frustration or impatience when trying new foods or waiting for a meal.
How Table Manners Enhance Social Skills
Globally, teaching table manners in schools is recognized as a way to nurture well-rounded, socially adept children. When teachers incorporate table manners into their classrooms, they’re also fostering:
Confidence: Children feel empowered knowing how to conduct themselves at the table.
Respect: Mealtime becomes a shared experience that values every participant.
Community: Eating together strengthens bonds and builds a sense of belonging.
Bring These Lessons to Your Classroom
French Kids Eat Everything isn’t just a book for parents—it’s a treasure trove of ideas for teachers who want to create meaningful learning moments around food. By weaving table manners and mealtime etiquette into your daily routine, you can:
Help Picky Eaters Thrive: Use small, consistent steps to encourage trying new foods.
Create a Turnkey Program: Develop simple, effective activities that make table manners a fun part of your curriculum.
Make Mealtime Meaningful: Transform lunchtime into a daily lesson in respect, patience, and gratitude.
Your Next Steps
Add French Kids Eat Everything to your professional reading list. Then, start small:
Discuss with colleagues how to integrate mealtime etiquette into your school culture.
Share the book with parents to create a collaborative approach to teaching these skills.
Table manners aren’t just about eating—they’re about building the foundation for a child’s success. Globally, schools are proving that mealtime can be an invaluable teaching moment. Why not bring this transformative idea into your classroom?
Inspire, Empower, Transform—start teaching table manners today and make a lasting impact on your students’ lives!
“Oli and Basil” is a beautifully illustrated book that tells a story of teamwork and collaboration, making it a great resource for teaching manners, social skills, and character in an elementary classroom.
Here’s How an Elementary Teacher Might Use This Book to Teach Manners and Etiquette in the Classroom
1. Introduce the Story:
Read-Aloud Session: The illustrations in this book is one of the highlights. Gather your students for story time and share the artwork as you read. Encourage students to observe the illustrations and discuss the emotions and actions of the characters.
Discussion: After reading, ask open-ended questions about the story. For example, “How did Oli and Basil work together?” or “What challenges did they face, and how did they overcome them?”
Group Activities: Organize activities where students must work together to complete a task, reinforcing the importance of collaboration and good social behavior.
Manners Chart: Create a classroom chart that lists positive behaviors demonstrated by the characters in the book. Each time a student exhibits one of these behaviors, they can add a sticker to the chart.
3. Character Education:
Character Traits: Identify key character traits in the story, such as kindness, responsibility, and perseverance. Discuss how these traits were important to the characters’ success.
Character Journals: Encourage students to keep a journal where they write about a time they displayed a positive character trait, linking it back to examples from the book.
4. Classroom Projects:
Collaborative Projects: Assign group projects that require teamwork, much like Oli and Basil’s collaboration. This could be anything from creating a class mural to working on a science experiment.
Art and Writing Activities: Have students draw scenes from the book or write a short story about a time they worked with someone else to solve a problem.
5. Reinforce Lessons with Visuals:
Bulletin Board Display: Create a bulletin board that features the characters and key lessons from the book. This visual reminder can help reinforce the importance of teamwork and good manners throughout the school year.
6. Extension Activities:
Home Connection: Send a note home with students encouraging parents to discuss the themes of the book and how they can apply them at home.
Follow-Up Books: Introduce other books that emphasize similar themes of cooperation, kindness, and good manners, creating a series of lessons that build on each other.
Using “Oli and Basil” in these ways can help an elementary teacher create a classroom environment where teamwork, collaboration, and positive social interactions are highly valued.
Start Teaching Manners and Social Skills in Your Classroom
My heart goes out to children. I often wonder what is happening to their ability to connect. Teaching manners in the classroom has never been more important.
What is it like for them to build relationships with their friends at the moment? How about with other adults outside of their parents?
Many children have dealt with this for years as we have become so accustomed to our lives orbiting around digital devices.
What is in store for this generation? What is it like for them to make a human connection? Do they know how? Do they have the confidence to start and carry on a conversation?
Over the years as I have worked with parents, I often hear the comment “they will listen to you more than me”- meaning, when teaching manners, children listen to a third party. For some reason, this is the way of the world.
Finding moments or dedicated time to teach manners in your classroom is actually very easy. Most likely you are using good social skills all day every day in the classroom.
Teach Manners and Life Skills Such As:
Eye contact: When using eye contact, point out what you are doing. As students use good eye contact, let them know you noticed.
Respect: Point out respectful behaviors as you see certain actions (helping others, expressing gratitude, holding the door, saying “good morning”)
Conversation skills: We have multiple conversations a day. Recognize students when they engage with each other. Conversation skills are becoming a lost art. This skill is the cornerstone of building friendships.
There has been a focus at the school level in many states to focus on the whole child.
Teachers love using our lesson plans to teach manners in their classrooms. The lesson plan objective along with suggested dialogues and handouts are included.
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What Are Good Manners in the Elementary School Classroom and Why They Are Needed
Do elementary school students need to learn good manners?Is it still useful for students to learn good social skills?Are you the one that needs to teach this?Do you even have the time?
These might be the questions you are asking yourself about now.
Trust me, your students need you to show them how to not be socially awkward or uncomfortable.
Pride in showing their parents that they know how to use their good manners
Better manners in everyday life outside the classroom
Happier and healthy
Friendlier
Activities to Teach Manners in Elementary School
Today, I am sharing an activity/lesson plan that you can easily easily teach in your classroom. In fact, if you click on the image below, you can download the specific manners lesson plan.
I believe when we set a goals or intention we need to understand our “why” behind it. This lesson plan will help your students understand the “why” we use our good manners everyday – in public, at at home, with others and especially in your classroom.
This is a fun activity and one that can take only five minutes – or more. You choose.
Your students can engage in a conversation, answer as a group or write down their answers independently.
How do you teach your students to have a conversation? Isn’t it special to have someone be fully present with you? To have a conversation with anyone, an adult or a child is something to behold these days…a conversation without distraction.
My most popular topic when teaching business etiquette in the workplace is The Art of the Human Connection. The art of having a conversation, is a lost “art”. We are so consumed with social media that often we are so buried in it we miss out on so many opportunities. Often, it is the first request I have from a human resource director to discuss the basic skills of conversation to their team.
Take the time to teach your students how to converse! Life is fuller when you have this life skill. You actually become interesting. A children and teens learn so much about life when they hear others conversing.
Eye contact: This is a social skill that is so very important. By making eye contact, it shows someone that you are interested. It sends a message that you are confident. Point this out to your students. Explain why this is important. Take the opportunity to talk about confidence and how it feels. If your students are six or younger, get on their level. Literally! Get down on your knees if necessary and make eye contact with them.
Teach them to listen to others: Another important social skill is to listen. Tell them it is alright for there to be silence when having a conversation. This is the time to practice sharing-sharing the space to tell ideas and experiences.
Ask questions: By asking questions, you show others that you are interested in their experiences. Ask a student questions. Explain to them that you are having a conversation.
Phone skills: The Wall Street Journal had an article about answering the phone. Remember when we were growing up and we took messages for our parents? With smart phones, this most likely is not happening. This was a great way to teach conversation skills. It is still important for children to know how to answer a phone and converse.
Read a story. After reading a story, talk about it with your students. Did they like the story? What was their favorite part?
Would you like your children or students to have better manners in public?
Have you ever gone to the movies and someone near you kept talking during the film? How about the annoyance of having someone kicking your seat from behind on an airplane?
1.Say “good morning” or “thank you”. Greetings are always nice to give and receive. Teach your students or children to make eye contact and say “hello” when meeting someone. When you are out and about during your daily activities, make it a practice to say “thank you” often. When someone holds the door or elevator for you, say ‘thank you”. As a parent or teacher you can show children what to to do by being the example. Remember, children are watching you. You can also point out why you expressed gratitude and how it feels to offer appreciation.
2. Excuse me: If you bump into someone, say “excuse me or I’m sorry”. Make eye contact so the other person know you are sincere.
3.Talk to your friends about the movie after its over, not during the film. When at the movies, throw away your snack containers as you leave the theater. Do not leave them behind. Don’t kick the chair in front of you.
4.Don’t cut in front of others while standing in line. Wait for your turn.
5.Don’t chew gum with your mouth open, and don’t make the popping noise. Only blow bubbles in private. Practicing proper etiquette in public places shows others that you are considerate. It also reinforces your own integrity for choosing to use the good manners you were taught.
6. When out for a day of shopping, put things back the way they were found. Refold the t-shirt you picked up. If you drop a pair of jeans, refold them and put the item back where you found it.
Children learn from the actions of others. Make it common practice in your home or classroom to show consideration for each family member, so that when they’re in public, it will seem natural.
Lisa Richey provides etiquette programs to businesses, schools, and individuals.
