How do you teach a 3 year old....

Kingston54

Two things I'm having trouble with:

1. How do I teach my 3 year old to be grateful?  For example - we were shopping today and bought him two die cast Cars 2 cars at the Disney Store.  We came home and he threw one of them and told my DH he wanted the ones that change colors.  (They didn't sell these, we can't find them anywhere! - Not the point).  So how do we teach him he should be grateful he got any cars, especially since it was for no special occasion, just because.

2. Less important - How do I teach him to chew with his mouth closed?  Or is he too young for this?

These are the two things I'm struggling with now.  Any thoughts or advice are much appreciated!

Thank you!

stever

1. IDK how to teach that. I always remind DS to say thank you. If he did what your DS did then I'd take it and explain why doing what he did was hurtful/ungrateful.

2. I think it's too young. I go through phases of bugging DS about it but I think he's too young to get it.

AmericanInOz

1. getting him to say thank you when you buy it, and not buying (or giving) him everything he wants at home or the store, etc so they don't have an expectation that they get everything 2. GL with that - when I tell dd not to do something like that she does it more (like she started fake burping after each sip of drink - picked up that gem from daycare - I've just started saying that's gross, then ignoring it)

rjeller32

On the first, I would take it away. I have done this before, maybe for an hour or so, and it has improved DD's gratefulness. She is almost 2.5

The second might just take time?

pitterpatter129

rjeller32:

On the first, I would take it away. I have done this before, maybe for an hour or so, and it has improved DD's gratefulness. She is almost 2.5

The second might just take time?

This would be my reaction too.  If you don't appreciate the toy, it can just go away.  If I hand my students (elem school) an object and they don't say thank you, I take it back.   For my 2 yr old, I make him echo thank you when given something and take away abused toys.

The second I would think time and parent modeling of good table manners.