One of the many benefits of youth sports is the way it helps kids learn good sportsmanship. But just joining a team won't turn your child into a good sport. Parents need to provide some coaching.
Teach Your Kids About Winning and Losing in Sports
Erica Greis
Here's how to tailor your teachings to your child's age and personality, and how to find a coach that makes good sportsmanship a priority for players. At home and on the playing field, aim to teach kids in a language they understand, apply some positive peer pressure, and have some consequences in your back pocket too.
10 Basics of Sportsmanship for Kids
These principles of fair play and respect ("say thank you," "own your mistakes," and more) give your child a good start. Ask kids to follow these guidelines—and parents, speak up if adults are exhibiting unsportsmanlike conduct too.Teach Sportsmanship with Books
Albert Whitman & Company
These picture books and beginning chapter books share important lessons about good sportsmanship without being overly moralistic. They include a contemporary retelling of an Aesop fable (pictured), a poetry collection, some familiar friends, and a series especially for soccer players and fans.
Great Sports Books for Teens and Tweens
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Slip one of these titles to your athlete (or reluctant reader). Prominent writers, including Walter Dean Myers and John Feinstein, use sports as a vehicle for wrestling with tough topics kids face every day, like changing friendships, fairness and shifting loyalties.
Playing Games with Kids: Should You Let Them Win?
This is a hard question for many parents to answer. You feel bad beating a kid at a game, and you understandably want to avoid the tantrums that easily result when kids are angry about losing. But if your child doesn't learn to lose at home, will she be able to learn this life lesson on the playing field?Video: Tips for Involving Kids in Team Sports
In this brief video, Heather Tyler packs in plenty of suggestions about how to help kids enjoy playing sports and learn teamwork and sportsmanship. It all starts with playing together at home.Life Lessons During the Olympic Games
Photo and Co
Every two years, the Olympic Games light up our TV sets and laptop screens with exciting feats of athleticism—and often, moving displays of commitment, dedication, sportsmanship, and patriotism. Watch together and discuss what you see, good and bad.
