As educators, it’s important to help our students develop their social skills, especially during mealtimes. This blog post will introduce you to a concept called the Restaurant Rules, which can guide students on how to behave when eating with others. We will also share a no-prep activity, discussion questions, related skills, and next steps to help you incorporate the Restaurant Rules into your lessons.

Introduction

The Restaurant Rules are a set of guidelines that help students figure out how to act when they eat a meal with others. This could be eating with their family, going to a friend’s house for dinner, or visiting a restaurant. By following the Restaurant Rules, students can make others feel comfortable and enjoy their company. The rules include:

• Thinking about hygiene: Keeping clean by washing hands before sitting down, not touching other people’s food, and using napkins.
• Using a Self-Controller: Staying calm and patient while eating, which helps students take their time, slow their movements, and enjoy the company of others.
• Practicing manners: Using polite actions at the table, such as saying please and thank you, excusing oneself before leaving the table, and not talking with a full mouth.

No-Prep Activity

One way to introduce the Restaurant Rules to your students is through a role-playing activity. This activity requires no preparation or materials from the educator. Here’s how it works:

1. Divide students into small groups of 3-4.
2. Ask each group to come up with a scenario where they are eating a meal together. This could be at home, a friend’s house, or a restaurant.
3. Have the students take turns acting out their scenario while incorporating the Restaurant Rules. Encourage them to demonstrate both good and bad behavior, so they can see the difference.
4. After each group has finished their role-play, bring the class back together and discuss what they observed.

Discussion Questions

After completing the no-prep activity, use these discussion questions to stimulate further conversation about the Restaurant Rules:

1. Why is it important to follow the Restaurant Rules when eating with others?
2. How do you feel when someone doesn’t follow the Restaurant Rules during a meal? How does it affect the overall experience?
3. What other manners or polite actions could be included in the Restaurant Rules?
4. Can you think of a situation in which it might be difficult to follow the Restaurant Rules? How would you handle it?
5. Why is it important to practice good hygiene during mealtimes?

Related Skills

In addition to teaching the Restaurant Rules, it’s essential to help students develop other relevant social-emotional skills. Some of these skills include:

• Active Listening: Encourage students to listen carefully and show interest in what others are saying during mealtimes.
• Empathy: Help students understand and share the feelings of others, especially if someone feels uncomfortable due to someone not following the Restaurant Rules.
• Conflict Resolution: Teach students how to address conflicts or misunderstandings that may arise during mealtimes in a respectful and constructive manner.

Next Steps

Now that you’re familiar with the Restaurant Rules and how to incorporate them into your lessons, it’s time to take the next step. We encourage you to sign up for free samples of the Restaurant Rules and other social-emotional learning materials at Everyday Speech. These resources will help you enhance your students’ social skills and create a more inclusive and enjoyable dining experience for everyone.