Have you ever let your child win a game because it was just easier than letting them lose? The world loves a winner and why wouldn’t we want our child to feel like a winner? Actually, there is a reason: this is real life and our child won’t always be a winner. It is important that your child learn how to win and lose with grace. Nobody likes a sore loser.
When kids are sore losers, or rude winners, other children don’t like playing with them. One of our parenting jobs is allowing our kids to lose and learn that they can get through it. Here are 3 tips to make that happen:
- Plan the end of the game before you start playing. Before you start that game of checkers, have the following conversation: “At the end of this game, someone is going to win and someone is going to lose. The last time you lost, there was lots of screaming. What will you say this time when you feel sad? What will you say if you win?”
- About 2 minutes before the end of the game, review the plan. Practice what will be said: “If you win, you are going to say ‘Great game mom, thanks for playing!’ If you lose, you will say ‘I wish that I had won, thanks for the game of checkers.’ If you feel like you need to, you can do 5 jumping jacks to get your mad out.
- Start a new habit. Make the game more about playing than winning or losing. At the end of the game, begin a tradition of everyone saying, “Thanks for playing with me!” You might all shake hands, have a group hug, or just high five. Show your child that all players, win or lose, can enjoy playing the game.
Tagged under: games,sore losers,tantrums,kids' tantrums,losing gracefully,bad winners,smug winners,kids playing nicely
