To not really like school sports days

[midlifehope]

Ds is only 3 1/2 and they had a nursery race. Have come away feeling odd about the whole thing I thin I'm a hippy homeschooler at heart

[theworldaccordingtome]

Doesn't necessarily make you a "hippy homeschooler" (no offence meant to anyone who is either "hippy" or "homeschooler" or both). School sports days are hideous exercises in public humiliation. Don't blame you for feeling odd. I certainly feel odd about them.

[midlifehope]

Thanks and oh yes meant those terms in an affectionate way. I would consider homeschooling if dp would as it would avoid these pointless competitive situations

[momtothree]

U dont mind sports day. Gives sporty children a chance to shine. Some are academic others are sporty.DC are not sporty and lose every race .. teaches them to pick themselves up and stand tall.

[Lavenderice]

I don't understand the issue with competitiveness and I speak as former child with no sporting ability whatsoever. Sometimes life is competitive.

[ShatnersBassoon]

I don't like sports day either. I have two still in primary, one sporty and the other the opposite. I feel awkward watching both of them.

[shoofly]

I'm not that keen either. DS2 who's 4 had his nursery one this morning. It was in the hall and it wasn't too competitive and they all seemed to enjoy themselves, even the little boy who fell who had to have a cuddle from the teacher when he hurt himself. They all got a medal - it only took half an hour and I thought it was great. This afternoon it was DS1 turn. It seemed interminable. There was a heck of a lot of sitting about and DS2 was tired and whining to go home. I was very glad to go home. The kids who did well were pleased as punch but for the rest it just felt like something to be endured. At least it stayed dry and it's over for another year!

[LeChien]

Mumtothree, dc's old school was the opposite sadly.
They had a prize giving every year to celebrate academic achievements, but sports day became a charade where the sole focus was for the children to enjoy themselves, which is good if the rest of the school ethos matched it, but it didn't.
The sporty but not academic children didn't have any opportunity to shine.

[ragged]

If done well then all should feel applauded & rewarded for taking part.

yes some will cry anyway. Just because it's hard for them to not be the winner isn't a reason for them not to do it.

[esiotrot2015]

I'm sorry to say op it gets worse
At primary school in juniors we have an allday sports day
Obstacles in the morning
Picnic on the field
Running races in the afternoon
I usually turn up at lunch time

[midlifehope]

Shoo fly - that's a nice touch giving them all medals. I wouldn't have minded that so much. 2 hrs pregnant and sitting on a minuscule chair whilst ds whined to go home did my head in too! Feel better I'm not alone!

[addicted2cake]

I hate it too, especially when the parents shout out encouragement to their child really really loudly, putting everyone off!
It is hard watching your child loose every race to the same people year after year. Some children are not sporty or academic, they often have no place to shine except in their parents eyes.

[momtothree]

Those children just havent found their thing.... they will.... in time. Thats what makes us unique. I remember sports day but no idea if i won or lost!!! Remember very bad catch the train disaster that may need counciling ...,

[museumum]

All I remember about sports day was being outside in the sun for a whole afternoon. Great :)

I was middle of the pack, keen but utterly devoid of talent. Still am :)

[amothersplaceisinthewrong]

I utterly loathed sports day as a parent. Prizes for all mentality is not for me - I want winners and losers. Learning to lose is something kids need to get used to. And if sport is your thing rather than the academic subject, then you should be able to shine then.

Plus the stupid "ten steps" sports days we had needed endless parent volunteers to be able to go ahead... Guess most parents did not feel the same way as there were always the required number.

[hazeyjane]

I like sports day. I have a sporty dd, a very enthusiastic (but totally unco ordinated and asthmatic) dd and a disabled ds. They all enjoy and get something out of it - which is how it should be.

Ds's school has a high number of children with additional needs and disabilities, and a lot of thought is put in to rewarding effort, as well as encouraging sporting prowess in the more able. Ds has to hold the hand of his 1-1 in order to compete in the running, as he has mobility issues, but enters and has fun and has his efforts celebrated along with everyone else.

[blink1552]

What, you mean we are meant to enjoy them?!

I know what you mean, especially with a 3.5 year old.

[BitterChocolate]

I quite like the DC's sports day. There are four 'houses' in the school so they wear their house colour and they run for their house. Siblings are always in the same house so quite often the parents wear the house colour too. There are no individual prizes but they total up the house points and they all line up in their houses and everyone gets a medal. Best of all there is a charity tea/coffee and cake stall, and everybody knows that fund-raising cake has no calories.

[Millymollymama]

You just wait until they get to senior school and some embryonic junior world record holder is competing in sports. No competition at all, except for the minor honours. Sporty children do get honoured because they get to play in teams and all schools like to do well against other schools so team success is reported all the time. They get sports awards. Academic success is applauded once a year. Some children, of course, win all the prizes going!

Nursery sport is a massive turn off. Mostly due to over competitive parents. I shrank into the background.

[HellBoundNothingFound]

I hate them, thankfully I've a legitimate excuse of not attending this year, we're off to Latitude and my mum is taking over the reigns and will have to suffer the misery of it.

I find the having to avoid eye contact or conversation with other parents very draining DD doesn't like them either

[FrChewieLouie]

Ugh, I detest our school's sports day.

Children have to do all events in a vertically-grouped team of five or six. I have horrible memories of ultra-competitive year 6 lads bellowing at my dyspraxic y3 dd because she couldn't dribble a hockey ball in a zigzag pattern to save her life .

She's in y6 this year, so at least she won't have big kids on her case. But pshaw to the compulsory element of it - I'm hoping in secondary school they'll leave it to the sporty types.

[Icimoi]

DS' school initially had competitive sports days, but they liked to get every child to compete. They were deathly dull: endless waits whilst another group of children were shepherded into place, quick burst of activity during the race, another wait whilst they announced the winners, repeated at least 20 times. Then maybe a quick laugh with parents' races and that was it.

Subsequently they then moved on to non competitive sports - they basically went round the field in a group doing different activities including tug of war, French cricket, skittles etc; so far as I remember at one point there was light competition between houses but no-one really cared. It was infinitely better from a spectator point of view, and more enjoyable for the children. I think they did do competitive athletics separately, not as part of sports day.

[BoyFromTheBigBadCity]

I hated sports day. It was always just another opportunity for me to fail. The sporty kids got special kit, got to shine in every single PE lesson, wen I always was obviously awful, and at primary school always thrashed me in games like it, or a throwing and catching game. My mum understood and used to arrange dentist appointments on sports day whenever she could.

[MrsGoslingWannabe]

What is the 'ten steps' sports day?

[taxi4ballet]

I've gleefully avoided dd's sports days for years!

[tilder]

What's with all the sports hate? I want my kids to do competitive sport. I think sports should be for all. Yes we all have different abilities. But that's the same in maths,literacy etc. They all still do it.

Those that excel get cheered, those that have a go get cheered.

I was a bit at the 'leave it for the sporty type's Tbo.