Vince Lombardi is quoted as saying, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” However, according to his son, what he really said is “Winning isn’t everything, trying to win is.” I personally like the second statement better. You can’t always win and that’s a difficult concept for children to learn. Participating in sports has many advantages but it’s important to understand “stages of competition” when teaching children a sport.
At age 4, children like to cooperate.
At ages 5 & 6, children learn competition.
At ages 7 & 8, children compare their abilities with others’.
At age 12, children start to associate losing with personal failure.
Source: Child Centered Coaching by Dr. Steven Bavolek
This is very true! But grandchildren’s personalities also play a large part in how they co-operate or compete. I have one grandson who has a very hard time losing. He will skip an activity if he thinks he has no chance of winning. Now he’s out of the really vulnerable age range–7 & 8–and he still has trouble when he loses.
True indeed. Something to consider when planning group activities with grands from every age group.
You’re right, personalities have to be considered, even with adults.