April 2011-Parent Tip on Sportsmanship
Teaching Children Good Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship is a learned skill, it is not innate. Children need to learn this from you as the parent. In this society, children look up to professional athletes and cheer for their favorite teams or players. The emphasis is often on winning. I have even experienced students at the school arguing about their favorite Superbowl contender and putting down the other team which will sometimes lead to putting the person down as well. Although competition is healthy, it is also important to not foster a "winning is everything" attitude. Many families hesitate to see their child lose so they will "throw" a board game or give them unrealistic expectations of what they are entitled to. Help your child by not losing on purpose but by encouraging them to bounce back after a loss. If your child tends to be a poor sport, ask them to name at least three people they know who are good sports. What qualities do they have in common? Use a checklist such as the one in the book The Unwritten Rules of Friendship by Natalie Elman and Eileen Kennedy-Moore. You can go through this checklist (or make one up on your own) and see how many good sport qualities your child has (taking a loss well, congratulating the other team, or not pouting when there is a loss) and how many qualities they need to work on (saying "do over" when they are it, saying they are not "out" or cheating to win). It is important to model this behavior as well and show them the words to say and actions to do when there is a loss or win.
As with every skill, it takes practice but the hope is that they will find having a good sport attitude will draw more friendships and they will have more fun than if they have poor sportsmanship.
Thanks!
Jennifer Moyer-Taylor, MSW, LICSW
School Counselor
As with every skill, it takes practice but the hope is that they will find having a good sport attitude will draw more friendships and they will have more fun than if they have poor sportsmanship.
Thanks!
Jennifer Moyer-Taylor, MSW, LICSW
School Counselor