How to Nurture Sportsmanship in Children?

Sportsmanship as a term is used extensively not just on playgrounds but also as a vital part of life. Essentially, sportsmanship deals with fair and generous display of actions and words towards fellow team members. It is safe to state that individuals who imbibe and put forth this trait are sure to be at an advantage in multiple ways.

Owing to the same, we at the Excelsior American School, positioned among the best schools in Gurgaon, encourage students to display the highest level of sportsmanship in the interest of self and that of others. And today, in this article below, let us look at some of the simplest ways to introduce and nurture sportsmanship among children. Read on.

  • Owing up to failures:

If you want your child to operate in synergy with the principle of sportsmanship, it is important that you make them understand that it is okay to fail. Children need to know that success and failure are both a part of life.

Just as they celebrate success, it is important that they accept failure and not look for excuses to cover up their limitations. At the Excelsior American School, we remind our students that failure is nothing but a lesson learned and a futuristic opportunity unveiled.

  • Not getting consumed by success:

Success does not come easy, which means whenever it comes, you are bound to celebrate hard. There is no harm in bringing in your achievements. The only reminder here is to avoid going overboard with your display of success.

Do not be consumed by wins and achievements because when the air starts getting to your head, you don’t just lose the spirit of sportsmanship but also start seeing far more failures than wins.

  • Valuing efforts over outcomes:

If you are trying to sow the seeds of sportsmanship in your children, make sure that you begin by introducing them to the difference between efforts and outcomes. Children need to understand that while the outcome isn’t in their control, what they can truly regulate and manage are the efforts they put in.

We at the Excelsior American School, one of the best schools in Gurgaon, help children understand that efforts bring with them a different level of satisfaction, which can further motivate them to put their best foot forward and detach themselves from the outcomes.

  • Display of team spirit:

Be it with a sport you play or in life in general; you cannot really function in isolation. To optimize results and get the most out of the activity at hand, it helps to work in unison and display the highest level of team spirit.

An important perspective of sportsmanship is to move ahead as a team while not forgetting to recognize the efforts put in by every team member. Likewise, in case of failure too, the entire team needs to take responsibility and avoid blaming just one or two people on the team.

  • Respect is a game changer:

When trying to introduce children to sportsmanship, it is important that they first understand that respect and sportsmanship go hand-in-hand. Speaking about respect, it is crucial that children learn to respect the activity at hand along with every individual on the team who is invested in the said activity.

It is a sense of respect that helps keep the teams well connected and makes achieving even the most challenging goals way easier. With respect, everything sees completion; without respect, there is nothing. In some cases, even the team might cease to exist.

Final Thoughts:

We understand that as a parent, one of your primary goals must be to shape your children’s personality and outlook in a manner that your child comes out to be a well-groomed and responsible individual. To that end, introducing children to the concept of sportsmanship is one of the vital steps in achieving the above goal.

We, at the Excelsior American School, regarded as the best school in Gurgaon, understand that it might get a little confusing and challenging for you as a parent to figure out the way ahead, which is why we are always forthcoming to assist parents, not just in this regard, but with all the other concerns that may arise time and again. Even though many believe that sportsmanship is a difficult concept to introduce to children, this is not completely true. We are firm that with a little effort on the part of the school, teachers, and parents and with a few timely reminders, we can very well succeed in inculcating the spirit of sportsmanship among our children.