🧒 Raising children (tarbiyah) · #87
How do I teach a young child table manners from early on without making it a burden?
Table manners are easiest to instil while a child is still small, through daily example rather than long lectures. Teach him to say bismillah before eating and alhamdulillah after, to eat with his right hand, and to take the food nearest to him. Start with just one or two manners so that he is not confused. Eat together as a family so that he sees the manners being practised, not just ordered. Praise his effort and overlook the messiness that is not yet perfect; skill comes with time. Do not turn the dinner table into a battleground of anger. With patience and repetition, these manners become second nature as he grows. See everyday adab.