Greetings, Hoo-dee-Hoo enthusiasts! When Meredith asked me to share a few of my favorite manners with you for Tuesday’s Top Five I jumped at the opportunity!

As moms, one of the best things about summer is having our children home with us, and one of the most trying things about summer is having our children home with us. The playground is the perfect retreat to let off some steam and enjoy the sunshine during lagging summer afternoons. Here are my top five playground manners for summer 2009! Enjoy…
1. Plan: Pack a bag with all of your park essentials. Don’t forget to toss in some water and a little snack too. Our children will appreciate the fact that we thought of them, especially when they aren’t victims of sunburns and cottonmouth!
2. Proactively communicate: Take a pre-park moment to go over playground safety as well as interpersonal skills. Discuss manners such as introducing yourself, remembering names, engaging in conversation with others, and including people even if you don’t want to. These are manners they will use for the rest of their lives and the playground is the perfect place to practice!
3. Pop Quiz: Quiz your children on the proactive communication! Don’t forget to make it fun… go nuts when they get the answers correct and easy on them when they don’t.
4. Participate: Engage with your children. Use the park as a teaching ground to help them develop and hone their interpersonal skills. Step in when they look lost or if they aren’t being inclusive. We don’t have to narrate their conversations; we just provide watchful suggestions.
5. Prepare: Prepare your children to leave the park. I’ve made the mistake of not preparing my children a time or two, and it took everything in me to not crawl under the jungle gym and hide…fearful that other park goers would know the two hysterical children belonged to me. Preparing our children to leave with plenty notice is not only helpful when it comes time for departure, but respectful of our children’s feelings and time.

Feel free to give your own tips or post questions about playground manners below! Happy summer to you!

For more on summertime manners subscribe to June’s issue of www.ManneroftheMonth.com where we break down summertime manners from swimming pools to swings.