How to teach your child to lose well.

Because every child needs to learn how to accept defeat and celebrate the achievements of others.

Getting kids involved in sport is a fantastic way to boost their self-esteem and teach them the values of participation, socialisation and a healthy lifestyle.

But it’s also the best possible platform to teach your kids how to lose.

That sounds strange I know, but it’s true.

There is nothing worse than witnessing a child who hasn’t developed the ability to lose. To accept that on that one particular day, there was someone who did that little bit more, dug that little bit deeper and deserved to come out on top.

You’ll know what I mean if you’ve ever seen a child throw a tantrum on the side of a court or field. The sour face and disgusting attitude gives it away every time. It’s really horrible to watch because the day is then ruined for everyone.

Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by Nestlé. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words. 

Every child deserves the chance to be the winner, be it in sport, artistic ability, singing or whatever.

But every child also needs to learn how to accept defeat and celebrate the achievements of others.

Being involved in sport allows that to happen in a fun way. If you get your kids involved in sport from an early age, it’s just par for the course.When I was younger, I played netball.

The first team I ever played for had a policy that if we won, we all got to go out for pizza.

Obviously the initiative was to get kids to try hard and put in effort. Which was great, except for when we lost, because everyone felt deflated and that they were being punished for not winning. Not really the message you want to send to a group of eight-year-old girls.

I moved teams shortly after that because I didn't like the club’s mentality (you can probably understand why).

We still tried hard, but all the kids learnt that you don’t always get to come out on top and if you don’t, that’s still ok. The point is that you had a go.

My kids haven’t yet reached an age where they can get involved in formal sports, although my eldest does do a preschoolers athletics class and a soccer skills workshop.

Even now, I try and encourage him to congratulate other players on achievements and give teammates a high five in the hopes that on the days he doesn’t win, he can still walk away with a smile on his face and enjoy the activity for what it is - not just if he wins.

What sport did you play as a child?

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