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HOW TO TEACH YOUR CHILD TO WIN AND LOSE WITH A GOOD ATTITUDE

Teaching your child to win and lose with a good attitude can be a tough lesson to teach.

Many children struggle to keep a positive attitude when they lose their favorite game.  Some children struggle with their attitude when they WIN a game.

Getting angry at the winner, quitting when they are behind, making fun of players on the other team, hooting and hollering extra loud and wild when they win are all signs of a sore loser and winner.

Being a sore loser isn’t going to help your child in anyway. No one wants to play with the child that makes up excuses or cheats when they don’t win.  And no one wants to play against a player or team that doesn’t know how to win with a good attitude.

Teaching your child to win and lose with a good attitude can be a difficult lesson to teach.

If your little one tends to react to winning or losing in a negative way, there are steps that can be taken to model better sportsmanship and teach your child to win and lose with a good attitude.

TIPS TO TEACH YOUR CHILD TO WIN AND LOSE WITH A GOOD ATTITUDE

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PRAISE EFFORTS REGARDLESS OF OUTCOME

Praising your child is important. If you praise your child for things like getting the best mark on a project or scoring the winning goal in their Hockey game, this will fuel their competitive nature.

It is important that you also praise your child no matter what the outcome is.

Encourage your child by emphasizing the importance of treating others with respect and showing good sportsmanship.

BE A ROLE MODEL

If you are the parent in the arena at your children’s sports games, screaming at referees from the sidelines and doing a victory dance every time you beat the competition, your child is likely to adopt your bad habits.

It is important that you show your child what good sportsmanship looks like.

Behave in a kind, respectful manner, no matter who wins.

DECODE FEELINGS

If children have an awareness of their feelings and can identify them, they are less likely to act them out.

Spend some time educating your children about emotions and feelings, and how to deal with them.

Doing this will give your children healthier ways to cope with their emotions.

How to teach your child to win and lose with a good attitude.

NEVER “LET YOUR KIDS WIN”

Preventing a meltdown by throwing the game on purpose, really isn’t doing your little one any favors.   Losing on purpose will only plant the seed deeper that your kids always need to win.

DON’T BE A SORE WINNER

Losing isn’t the only thing that can trigger a negative reaction.

Be humble when you win a game.  Show your child that respect and kindness go a long way. If you win, end the game by thanking your child for playing with you and congratulate them on a good game.

If you have a younger child that maybe doesn’t quite understand this concept, why not try reading the book WIN OR LOSE, I LOVE YOU.  This book will help your children understand that their value is tied to who they are, not whether they win or lose.

Playing with a sore loser or gloating winner isn’t much fun. Teach your child good sportsmanship, kindness and respect when winning or losing and you will be facilitating a positive environment for your children and anyone that plays with them.

You may also like this post on 4 WAYS TO RAISE RESPECTFUL CHILDREN:

HOW TO RAISE RESPECTFUL CHILDREN

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Tara Gauthier

Thursday 5th of April 2018

My daughter has a hard time losing games at times so we are looking for ways to get her past that. Thanks for the great article with ideas.