How To Facilitate Healthy Competition
Parents may ask themselves, “Is competition right for my child?” At Nan’s School of Dance in Raleigh, we have seen that when parents learn how to facilitate healthy competition, their child can thrive and grow! We believe that healthy competition can have many benefits for kids and embrace our job to create a positive environment and provide guidance/support.
What does healthy competition look like?
The most important aspect of healthy competition is guidance and support from an adult. It is up to the adults in charge to set the tone for the competition. Without supervision, kids can develop bad social habits:
- Children may learn to be fearful in a competitive setting.
- They may feel more depressed or anxious.
- Children may throw tantrums when they don’t win (sore loser).
- They may gloat and show a lack of empathy after winning (sore winner).
Children learn from a young age what the terms “win” and “lose” mean, so it is extremely important for children to learn the appropriate way to win and lose.
How to talk to your child about competition
As a parent, you have the power to help your kids think positively about competition. It’s important for parents to be there to support their kids through challenges. You also need to regularly reinforce the message that it is okay to lose as long as they are working hard, putting in their best effort, and learning from the experience. Kids need to learn to believe in themselves and their abilities!
Setting Goals
Healthy competition allows children the opportunity to learn that it isn’t just about winning and losing. Make sure your child knows that competition is really about setting a goal and then accomplishing that goal through hard work and focus. In other words, instead of placing all the emphasis on winning, focus on what they have control over, such as the amount of time they are willing to invest in practicing for their solo and ensemble competition. At the end of the competition, it will matter less the overall outcome and instead whether or not he accomplished what they set out to do.
Learning from failure
It may sound strange, but allowing a child to fail is one of the most important aspects of competition. When a child is allowed to fail, they discover that they can recover from it, learn from it, and move on from it. Failing, or losing a competition, does not have to define them. Unfortunately, today many children are afraid of failure. Fear can prevent kids from trying things that are hard. When this happens, this can reduce their opportunities to grow as well as the opportunities for success.
Don’t forget to register!
From ballet to hip hop, we offer dance classes for ALL ages and skill levels in a variety of styles. We place students in classes that will challenge them while offering a fun atmosphere for learning and growth. We also offer Mommy & Me classes, (18 months – 2.5 years)
Register online or give us a call at 919-803-6044 to hold your spot!