Table Manners Social Story

Name the two steps that come before eating — washing hands and taking a seat to stay in

Keep to the mouth rules while eating: chewing with the mouth closed and waiting until it is empty before speaking

Use a knife and fork or a spoon, and ask an adult when it is unclear whether a food needs cutlery

Use the repair phrase "pardon me" after an unavoidable burp, and ask politely before getting down from the table

The pages follow a meal in sequence, so the story can be read on the way to the table and paused at whichever point is being worked on

One rule to a page means a single page can be lifted out as a reminder card for the specific behaviour a child is practising

One page offers a judgement rather than a rule — some foods can be eaten without a knife and fork — so it is worth pausing there to name the foods your setting actually serves

The burp page allows for the accident and scripts what to say afterwards, which helps a child who has become anxious about getting mealtimes wrong

Everything is written in the first person, so it reads as the child's own intentions rather than as instructions delivered by an adult

Mealtime routine sequencing — the pages follow a meal in order, from washing hands and finding a seat through to asking to leave the table.

Mouth-related table rules — chewing with the mouth closed, not talking with food in the mouth, and avoiding noisy slurping each occupy their own page.

Cutlery use and judgement — one page sets the expectation of a knife and fork or spoon, and the next allows for foods that need neither and tells the child to ask a grown-up when unsure.

Politeness scripts — the story supplies the exact words for two situations: "pardon me" after a burp, and asking whether they are allowed to get down.

Understanding the reason behind a rule — an early page states that using manners shows kindness and respect, so the list is framed as considerate behaviour rather than as commands.