Tips to Cultivate Healthy Competition in Young Children
Add to it the parental pressure; kids tend to incline more towards a negative competition that makes them disregard everything to be the best. This makes them develop a negative sense of relationships. Everything then ends up being a competition and the need to be the best. Here’s what you can do as a parent to help your little one cultivate healthy competition drive.
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It’s not always about winning
Let her know that it is fun to win, but winning is not the only thing that’s fun. Whether it is a tournament, exam, or even a silly game, let her have fun while at it, without the pressure of the result.
Focus on the lessons learnt from failure
Help her look back at the lessons she learnt from the failure. It is important that she builds a positive attitude about failing and losing gracefully. Else the fear of failure might hold her back from many valuable experiences.
Don’t compare
Never compare your child with others. This puts her down and lowers her self-worth. Also when you compare, you indirectly nurture a sense of hatred for the opponent in her and this might linger even as she grows into an adult.
Don’t tie love to results
Don’t let her feel neglected or less loved if she doesn’t stand where you want her to. When you tie your love to results, you’re driving her away from the fun of the competition and putting her under the pressure to perform.
Focus on her interest areas
Every child has differently skills and it is important to identify what your little one is interested in. You cannot force a child who is interested in math to excel in football and vice-versa. While you could still encourage her to participate, you cannot get her to compete and be the best.
Have fun
Be it a fun tug of war at home or the race to finish alphabets soon, let her have fun. It is important that you teach her to cherish every moment rather than work towards the anticipated results and have no fun in the process.
Remember that your attitude towards competition and winning will unconsciously rub off on her, so watch your attitude and be positive around her.
