Losing gracefully is an art that many adults have not yet mastered. Children live in a competitive society, and losing is something that kids are going to face throughout their lives. When you teach children how to lose gracefully when they are starting preschool, you are equipping them with tools that they will need to battle everything from losing a board game to losing a promotion. These simple ways can help your kids become graceful losers, which really means they'll be winning at being a nice person.
Engage Kids in Empathy
Preschool-aged children often vie to be the first in line or the best at an activity. It's a natural part of development, but talk to your kids about how they feel when they are or aren't the best. Role playing in this way can help children grasp the concept of how winning isn't always the best thing, and it can also help them realize that losing isn't the worst thing that can happen, either.
Show How Cheaters Never Prosper
Young children may figure out that they can do little things to cheat when they want to be a winner. They may move extra pieces in a board game when they think that nobody is looking, or they may jump ahead in line when they were late. If you catch your child cheating, try not to overreact. Address the behavior immediately, though. Stop any activity when your child is cheating. Either start over again or move on to a different activity.
Address the cheating behaviors calming by reminding children that winning isn't the important part of the activity. Also discuss how they would feel if they noticed someone else cheated.
Give Them Practice
In order for children to be prepared to lose during games in preschool, the kids need to have some experience with losing gracefully ahead of time. It can be tempting to let children win at family board games, especially when they may get upset and ruin an otherwise fun evening. However, it's important to let children lose sometimes, even if you still want to let them win often. When they lose at a game at home and then show bad behavior, don't simply look the other way. It needs to turn into a teaching moment to prepare them for losing at preschool. You may go over the following things with them:
- Explain to kids that the important thing that you will all remember from the night is the fun that was experienced when playing the game, and that winning was never the whole point.
- Discuss how losing can help kids learn how to play better next time. Discuss strategy and other ways to improve how they play.
Finally, keep in mind that miracles aren't going to happen overnight. Even adults who are usually graceful winners have their moments. Simply try to keep encouraging your children to go in the right direction, and they'll likely get the hang of losing gracefully. Life gives everyone enough practice.
