Anyone else been to a strange "sports" day!

[Bronte]

My DD's ks1 sports day must win the prize for the most sedate, slow, lethargic and lacklustre event ever organised. Most activities seemed to be at a walking pace. One of them involved the group having to make letters shapes on the floor using their bodies. Most of the kids looked bored to death. Us parents stood in silence looking bemused. Hope they get their act together next year as Olympic fever kicks in.

[Bronte]

I genuinely hope that schools like my DD's receive enough pressure from parents to help them organise more exciting and com petitive sports days.
Has anyone here put their views across to their DC's schools?

[muffinflop]

Our children are put into house groups from reception! I thought that was normal?

We have a good old fashioned sports day too - lots of cheering is encouraged. And lots of cheating/pushing/tripping in the parents' races is expected (and the kids know not to do it before anyone mentions us setting a bad example!)

[ll31]

proper sports day - running plus fun races - sack race, wheelbarrow, egg and spoon, running backwards, threelegged etc - done in 4 overall teams points for winners etc

[Playdohinthewashingmachine]

Ours do competitive sports day (state first school) - all the races are relay races, one team per house. Scores kept, cup awarded to the winning house at the end. Parents encouraged to come wearing house colours and cheer on their childrens' team. They do a bit of individual racing / long jump / throwing stuff but the kids have to volunteer to do those, so of course only the ones who are good at it and like it do them, which is fine. And then we all have ice cream.

[PfftTheMagicDragonhideGloves]

we had a proper sports day. sack race, egg and spoon.

parents race where you had to go up and under infant chairs

[NerfHerder]

Blimey mrz!
DD's school have a fully competitive sports day... but they wisely stop short of allowing parents to race!

[teacherwith2kids]

Dc's school - circus of sporty activities for the infants. Full-blooded inter-house athletics for the juniors, with every child taking part in their 'best' track and 'best' field event for their house. Lots of cheering. Swimming gala for the juniors, ditto. Inter-school football, rugby, cricket, athletics, swimming.

Normal state school...

[ButWhyIsTheGinGone]

Mrz - oh dear! :D Sounds like we work in similar areas...!
HelloKilly (nice name!) - that is unbelievable!! Just....unreal!

[Peachy]

My kids all ahve competitive sports days, using teh house system. And even though ds3 doesn't stand a chance (he's in an SN Base but attends MS sports day) they all cheer him loads as he finishes (long after the others). It works well on both the competition and the support level.

Besides, competition is fine IMO: DS1 also ahs some SN but is Vice Captain of the house that came first: his face when receiving the cup was magic! he's far betetr at sports than some of his other tasks, and as long as they reward other stuff- ds2 isn;t sporty but got a lovely note home about how helpful he is which is just as good IMO- then fine.

We ahd running, relays, long jump, discus (javelin at SNU but luckily a foam one!), and then a few fun races such as obstacle and slow cycling. DS3 did egg and spoon, might not have run fast but was so chuffed at the praise for not dropping it.

[mrz]

Competitive we haven't had a sports day since the parents started fighting over who won a race ... full on fistycuffs

[HelloKlitty]

At mine nobody is allowed to cheer. It's not the school rules but the parents. I accidentaly shouted "Come on girls!" during DDs flat race and the LOOKS I got!

One Grandad shouted his grandson on and the others all looked like this

Twas laughable.

[BeauBelles]

there also used to be a race with cups of water to fill the bucket in a team, poof it's a gonna.

Health and safety incase somebody slips over.

[treesinthebreeze]

We do 'proper' sports days too. Egg and spoon, sack races the lot for the Infants. Juniors compete in their 'Houses'. Competition is encouraged here .

[suzikettles]

Ds's nursery has a competitive sports day. Mum & dad & staff races and all.

They hand out more rosettes than you can shake a stick at though so even the children who aren't so coordinated/fast (like ds) can come away with a chest full.

They all love it.

Mind you, the only good memories I have of sports day when I was a child was the two years where we did circuits so there were at least a few things I wasn't last at.

Most memorable was the high school sports day where I was in the same house team as one of the hardest girls in the school and she held me responsible for us losing. Got me a punch in the stomach every day for a term for that one. Happy days.

[ButWhyIsTheGinGone]

Forgot to say, why on EARTH are sack races / egg and spoons, etc being banned?! Pathetic!

[sugartongue]

I second the houses Grimma because when kids aren't particularly able when it comes to sport they can still feel they've made a contribution!

[ButWhyIsTheGinGone]

Oooh you lot are making me feel great! I am PE co-ordinator at my junior school and we have had our practice sports day today.

It was FAB - the kids were divided up into their houses and their wins contributed points towards their running house total. Totally competitive, but totally great. I was so proud of the kids, as well. We are in quite a rough area and have more than our fair share of "challenging" behaviour. However, when they cheered on their team mates who were still valiantly ploughing on even though they had not won.... well, I was just really proud.

Kids need competition, I have no intention of changing the way we do things.

[gabid]

We just had a morning with organised games where secondary kids came and played with them, e.g. parachute. It seems to be all against competition at the moment. What's wrong with a good old race/game? We all love to compete at things we feel we are good at.

On the other hand I have to admit that I hated sports days at school because I was crap at most things and had to do it all, so I wouldn't force anyone, but I am sure plenty of kids (and parents) would be up for a good old race.

[BeauBelles]

sack race, good lord, that was also banned this year for us.

sugar - we have dc in both, I just knew what you were talking about!

[GrimmaTheNome]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the way to balance proper competiveness with 'inclusiveness' is that you do it in teams or houses.

DDs school had fun (but def sporty) sets of activities in infants, with teams of about 6 kids. So they were all rooting for each other, all trying their best.

Juniors in 4 houses - proper sprint, hurdles etc, but also sack etc for the less athletic. Everyone participated, everyone cheered on to WIN.

[sugartongue]

how d'ya guess...

[BeauBelles]

bet that was an independent school sugar?

They don't buy into all this namby pamby stuff.

[sugartongue]

proper full-on cheering and jeering sports day at the DCs school, highly competitive, no health and safety nonsence, they do all the normal things including a good old tug of war. It's great fun, even the mums and dads have to put their running shoes on for the parents races...

[BeauBelles]

oh you cannot possibly have 'competition' it would not be in the best interests of the child who may not win.

Nevermind preparing the children for the 'ups and downs' in life.

[amothersplaceisinthewrong]

I had years of the bloody "ten steps" at my kids primary school - where the kids go round loads of activities (eg running in and out fo cones, dribbling a ball, long jump) No competition, just "showing Mummy". The sports day required a vast amount of parent help to actually take place (mummies to man each "activity" and tick the childs score card. I suggested that if no parent volunteered the whole thing could not take place....

Sports day should be about competition, winners, losers, not this touchy feely rubbish where there are prizes for all.