How to teach good sportsmanship

I guess the number one factor in how to effectively teach sportsmanship is through example. We cannot expect kids to follow what we teach them if we only teach everything based on theories/words. They can most likely understand if they see it and feel it at the same time. As parents, they look up to us and they will surely think that everything we say and do is the right way how to deal with situations.

My son is very active in sports. When he was younger, he often feels bad whenever their team loses in a game or if he misses a shot. We talked to him before and after each and every game and explain to him that win or lose, the important thing is you do your best and you play fair. It took several games before he actually absorbed everything. Now, even though he feels bad about losing, he can easily shrug it off after a while. He learned to accept defeat but he still wished he did better, which I think is the normal reaction he should be feeling.

As a parent, I really encourage my son to do his best and win. I used to tell him that winning is a must. But, after some time, I realized that I am adding much pressure on my child as well, thus, he is developing a bad kind of attitude when it comes to sportsmanship. I believe that our reactions as parents are being mirrored by our kids. So, If we want them to develop the right kind of attitude, we should initiate by showing them how to be a better person in times of winning and losing.

Role modelling is the most powerful and effective way of teaching good sportsman ship. Your child will learn by watching those around them. It is also important that from a young age you play with your child and provide opportunities where they can practice losing with it not being a big deal. If the emphasis is always on winning - your child will naturally find it harder to lose, but with practice, they can learn to be both a graceful winner and a graceful loser. This is best done by playing with your child a lot. Sports games, board games, any kind of games really. Plus - the added bonus is that by doing this with your child you are also bonding and strengthening the parent/child relationships.

Role modelling is the most powerful and effective way of teaching good sportsman ship. Your child will learn by watching those around them. It is also important that from a young age you play with your child and provide opportunities where they can practice losing with it not being a big deal. If the emphasis is always on winning - your child will naturally find it harder to lose, but with practice, they can learn to be both a graceful winner and a graceful loser. This is best done by playing with your child a lot. Sports games, board games, any kind of games really. Plus - the added bonus is that by doing this with your child you are also bonding and strengthening the parent/child relationships.

This is a great question. Young people can often take their lead in attitude about sportsmanship from adults around them. Whether this is the coach, other parents or peers, it is important to assist kids to understand that it is ok to lose and to win. Part of developing this understanding is developing empathy for others and helping kids develop values of respect and fairness and applying these during competitive sports.
We can help young people do this by actively telling peers "good job" when they have scored goals, clapping for other the team when they score and when others lose the game, to develop empathy by talking through the perspectives of the others that didn't win. Over time, this can help develop our young people into good sports and good citizens.

We use teachable moments regularly to train our children in good sportsmanship.

When they throw the bat or sulk, we pull them aside and speak to them about how they are acting and discuss better ways to handle their issue at the moment.

We also remind them to cheer for their teammates and not to brag. So far, this technique is working quite well as they navigate through different sports.

This year, we are pleased that the coaches seem to be using the same approach for our oldest grandson in baseball. We rarely need to step in and make any suggestions as the coaches are excellent at addressing team sportsmanship on the spot.

Now, if only all of the parents would model good sportsmanship on a regular basis, the games would be a better experience all around.