Tadpole Dreams Course Outline

Our tried and true program contains more than 50 games, activities and role playing exercises that emphasize the importance of good manners.  Created by a middle school teacher, there are also dozens of worksheets that you can copy for your students.  Boys and girls have a great time while they play games and find creative solutions to every day social situations where good manners WILL make a difference!  This program is just the thing to build a child’s self esteem, confidence and leadership skills!

Section One: Good Manners

Teachers, girl and Boy Scout leaders, day care providers, those who provide enrichment activities to schools, parents and grandparents will love this introductory section. This section explains how using good manners will benefit your child or student.  You will receive specific examples of good behavior and many engaging games to play, activities for students and worksheets to copy.  Assessments are included.

Section Two: Polite Conversation

This section focuses on social skills that your students will use for the rest of their lives to their great advantage.   The many engaging activities include a puppet show that teachers students the proper way to introduce each other.  The lessons and games also illustrate appropriate (and inappropriate) conversation topics, the art of polite conversation, standing and shaking hands.  There are assessments included to measure what your students have learned.

Section Three: Table Manners & Section Four: Table Manners - Part Two
Nice manners say “nice child!”

Good table manners say a lot about the entire family!  Tadpole Dreams has dedicated two sections of its program to table etiquette.  Girls and boys will have dozens of activities and games to teach them how to set the table, plan a dinner party, and of course, the nuts and bolts of appropriate behavior during mealtime.  From the most basic rules of thumb to the more obscure practices, these two sections will instruct for a lifetime.  More than a dozen crafts, activities and games accompany these sections for children of all ages.  Assessments are included in this section to measure what the children have learned.

Section Five: Telephone Skills

The entire world is connected and the telephone is essential in all of our lives.  This section concentrates on the proper way to receive phone calls and take messages.  Many games and activities teach the polite ways to make a phone call and the appropriate and polite use of cell phones.  Ideas for interactive skits and group activities make this section especially entertaining!  Assessments are included in this section.

Section Six: Thank You Cards      

Thank you notes should not be an option.  We offer activities and crafts in this section that make writing thank you notes fun and easy.  Teach your children that thank you notes mean a lot to people who have given them a gift or have gone out of their way to be helpful!

This section also contains material on how to accept compliments graciously and some informative information on correct behavior in restaurants.  Assessments are included in this section.

Section Seven: Speaking in Public

One of our most popular sections, teachers will find many activities and games to teach children how to be more comfortable and successful in their day-to-day relationships with teaches, parents and other authority figures.  This section contains tips and strategies on eye contact, tone of voice and other behaviors that will encourage positive outcomes when your students interact with adults.

Section Eight: Interviews

What better way to prepare your child for the real world than to teach the benefits of good interview skills.  Whether they are interviewing for schools or an internship or job, these activities in this section will give them an edge in real life interview situations.  This section also includes an activity on good behavior during school assemblies.  Assessments are included to measure that students have learned.

Section Nine: Host and Guest Skills

Everyone wants to be invited to parties and sleepovers.  Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to behave, and as a result, may not get a second invitation.  How embarrassing!  This critical section gives children specific instructions on how to behave when they are a guests in someone else’s home and when they have guests at your house.  We include many interactive and helpful activity sheets and games that include role playing.  Guaranteed to get them thinking!  Assessments are included.

Section Ten: Celebration - Party!
“Go Forth and Be Charming!”

A truly wonderful array of games and ideas to celebrate the many valuable things learned in this program.  A certificate is included in this section for you to copy and give to your students as a “diploma!”  Assessments of the entire program are included in this section.

There are two books that accompany this program: 

One is a student handbook that students can use as a resource while they are in the program. 

The other is a student Activity/Workbook.  This workbook places special emphasis on good behavior in the school community as well as table manners, proper school demeanor, thank you notes, host and guest skills and lessons on speaking to adults with respect. It also offers a one of a kind "Reflections and Problem Solving" chapter, where each student is given a creative outlet to reflect on the consequences of unmannerly behavior.