Are ‘non-competitive sports days’ really better for school children?
'It's not just winning, it's the taking part that matters'
According to a recent survey, 57% of parents with children at primary school say their sports day is “non-competitive”.
This means an event in which “everyone joins in via a team-focused event where individuals are not singled out”, says Families Online, which conducted the survey. In practice, this often results in schools dividing the children into groups that do compete, while parents yell encouragement from the sidelines. There are no school records to be broken and no tears on podiums.
The survey found that 86% of its responders do not approve. There will be no winners, no losers. There will simply be participants. Is this what we really want for our future generations?
What are your views? Is competition important for children? Is it essential in life to learn how to be a good loser? Should sports day just be about fun and taking part? Is the humiliation of losing going to switch children off sport at a young age? What was your school sports day like?
What are your views?
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Life is competitive, and that's from one without a competitive instinct! In every aspect of life there is competition. My family of Collies is ferociously competitive, especially the boys. At times its dog eat dog, until I intervene.
So why is the competitive instinct in our grand children being so heavily suppressed? What's wrong with learning to lose gracefully? We all lose at some point in our lives.
Ah, do I detect a PC motive here, an EU directive, one that's been at work subliminally for years? Yes, of course I do. The evidence is before us all.
We've had a referendum and a year later a General Election. Neither result went the way so very many young people wanted. So .. they cry, they protest, they get on Facebook and Youtube ... poor darlings ... something didn't go their way.
Life sucks at times. Live with it, get over it. Losing is a big part of life. For some it is the bigger part of life.
Just ask any Silver Surfers member, they'll tell you.
Right?
Thank you.
Children today are praised for doing well academically but not much else. Those that aren't as gifted in the classroom should be given their opportunity to shine and for some sports day is their only time to be the best at something. Let them have their moment!