Role-play telephone conversations with your child. Use a household phone that is unplugged or a toy phone to pretend-call your child. Practice holding short conversations about different topics so your child learns to behave politely in a number of different situations. For example, pretend you are a caller asking to speak with a parent. Explain to your child how he should respond in such an instance. You can also call and pretend to be your child's grandmother, in which case your child can behave casually.
Discuss the importance of understanding what topics are acceptable to discuss on the phone. For example, explain to your child that while talking about potty-training is OK at home, he should not offer this information to callers. Also talk about phone safety and not sharing information, such as your home address or the name of your child's school.
Talk to your child about when it is OK to call another person. Explain that it is important not to call too early in the day or late at night, as this could disrupt his friend's sleep. Also remind your child that if his friend attends religious services, your child should avoid making a phone call during that time.
Practice phone calls with your child. Allow your child to answer the phone while you supervise him. Help him if he gets stuck and forgets whether to take a message, ask who is calling or pass the phone to you.