The gentle sounds of a harp play in the background. Elegant goblets, delicate china and linen table cloths line the table s. A group of four- and five-year-olds sit quietly with their napkins placed neatly on their laps.
The West Virginia University Child Development Laboratory, or Nursery School, will hold its annual etiquette luncheon for 20 nursery school children Friday, April 5, at 1 p.m. at the Jean Benson Lounge in the Evansdale Residential Complex.
Project Coordinator Bobbie Warash began the project as a response to reoccurring parental concerns for politeness and good behavior. According to Dr. Warash, the most commonly asked question by nursery school parents is,”Does my child behave?”
A U .S. News and World Report poll revealed that 90 percent of Americans felt that incivility is a serious problem and 78 percent said the problem has worsened in the last 10 years as a result of a”profound social breakdown”in society. Eight-five percent of respondents thought,”incivility erodes healthy values such as respect for others.”
Students at the WVU nursery school, a project of the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences, are learning simple manners like saying”please”and”thank you,”placing napkins on their laps and asking to be excused from the table . The students and their parents are encouraged to practice manners at home to better prepare the students for the formal luncheon.
“We wanted this unit to harmonize with our nursery school philosophy of giving children an environment rich in print and hands-on activities,”said Warash, professor of child development and family studies in the Davis College and director of the school.
Students play a direct role in choosing their etiquette activities. Each child is given a pictorial contract of activities they can choose to do each day. The child then chooses one activity twice a week. Teachers then conduct the activities with small groups of children so each child has the opportunity to participate.
“We teach young children all kinds of academics, but having social skills is a lifelong skill,”Warash said.”Children need to be able to make good decisions and communicate with others.”
