Teaching Kids It’s OK to Lose

We all want our kids to succeed in everything they embark upon, and hopefully they do well in their efforts. Winning is often times considered the goal when it comes to sports, competitions, getting the best grades in school, and so on.

That said, it is pretty rare that any person knocks it out of the park 100% of the time. There will be people who are more athletic, more talented, more prepared, or just have a lucky day. We will all fail, make mistakes, or not to our very best from time to time. While this notion may be upsetting or frustrating, particularly for children, we must teach them that it is OK to lose sometimes. As long as they tried hard, had fun, and learned something in the process, they are still a winner.

Winning all the time might not even be so great anyhow. If your kid is always #1, he may not have the incentive to try harder to better himself. This could lead to slacking off, slowing down, or becoming complacent with the status quo. Even the best kid on the baseball team can train harder to excel even further. The spelling bee champ always has new words to learn. The straight-A student can still expand his mind to learn new things. The dance recital soloist must always stay strong and in shape in order to continue dancing with grace and fine form.

Remind your child that the point of their activities is to become a well-rounded individual. Play sports for the exercise, teamwork, and fun. Do well in school to learn and grow, not to beat the other kids’ grades.

When kids realize winning happens when they feel proud of their accomplishments and had an enjoyable time doing so, they will never feel as though they have lost. Losing only happens when they don’t try or focus on the prize rather than the fun and experience.

How do you teach your kid it’s OK to lose?

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By: Melissa A. Kay