Sports day.should they be MADE to take part ??

[nutcracker]

Discuss ??

I do not think that very young children should be MADE to take part in highly competitive races all afternoon.
I do think it is fair enough that they take part in sporting activities, or a range of activities, and that there is a degree of competition in some of them.

Oh good someone answered, thought i'd killed it before it started then

Will wait for some more answer before I say why I'm asking.

Er, I think no. Or they should find something suitable that children who are not up for running etc can take part in.

I think it is reasonable to expect them to attend and participate in the action. At Infants level that could mean just cheering on others, team games or actively competing in races. As they get older I think they should take a more active part. Most Primary kids love to try and see it as an extension of playtime and fun pe lessons so it would seem strange for one not to want to go and need to be "made".

Agree with Blu. Provided the sports day is organised to give the less fleet of foot something they can take part in with a sense of achievement, all children should take part.
It does seem from recent discussions on here that some sports days are not considerate of children of all physical abilities and that is a shame.

Actually i'll have to say now cos i have to go back out.

Dd2's (6) sports day was this morning. A few days ago she started to complain about it so I did the it's the taking part that counts discussion and she seeemed fine again but still expressed concern over the dressing up race.

Her school is good and do not put the emphisis on winning at all.

Anyway I could tell the minute she came out that she was not up for it at all.
She did ther first race and came last so was nearly in tears, did the second race and her pump came off so she cried. I went over and spoke to her and she said she didn't want to do anymore.
Her teacher saw she was upset and persuaded her to take part in the next game which she did and was fine because all she had to do was shake the parachute.

I was really torn between making her take part because everyone else had to and letting her stop.

The next race was a disaster and she was then adamnt she wasn't doing the dressing up race at all. I stayed well back, trying to not get her attention because I wanted to see what the teachers would say and they decided she didn't have to do it if was upsetting her that much.

Half of me agrees and half of me doesn't. Dd2 is a clever girl, she knows which teachers are sympathetic and which aren't and chose carefully. Had she asked another teacher, they would have joliied her along and I know she would have just done it.
Dd then got out of the last race too.

I know she was upset but I can see exactly what will happen next year now.

As long as the activities are organised with all abilities in mind I don't see that there's anything wrong with it.

I was not good at sport at school and would have done anything to avoid it. I would have felt like your DD. But now I have a son who is not all that academic but is very sporty - and I strikes me that there is no reason why he shouldn't be able to shine for a change. No-one bats an eyelid at kids being 'made' to take part in tests/exams and plays that they don't really enjoy. If half the class were allowed to opt out of something it downgrades it for those who do enjoy it iyswim. Anyway physical activity is very important for kids development surely?

Sounds as if the teacher was pretty good with your DD. Sorry she had such a bad time though

I'm all mixed up and confused about all this.

During the last two parties he has attended DS (almost 5) has acted like a complete spoilt brat once he realised he had no chance of winning a prize in a game. He does not usually 'act up' - but the issue of a prize seems to have made him go completely 'off'. I would like him to be both more competitive - and try and win the next game of musical statues rather than sulking in the corner AND less competitive and just play for the enjoyment and politeness of it, whether he gets a prize or not.

Tomorrow will be the reception sports day. DS has a bit of a mobility difficulty and runs more slowly than the rest of his class - and has just had a phase of "I hate my little leg / will I be able to catch up when I'm 7?". The last thing i want is for him to come last in a list of races, one after the other, with high profile medals for the winners. At the same time, I want him to gather up his pluck and go for it, and learn to comptete on his own terms.

Anyway, I have had a word with his teacher, and of course, they are organising team games of jumping onto mats and throwing bean bags into hoops, it will all be very particpatory, and his teacher is competent enough, and very good at getting to know all her class, so will make sure that they all get something out of it.

I honestly thnk that as they get a ittle bit older the ones who are athletic should take part in racing, and those who aren't can opt to take part in activites which are a challenege, but not highly competitive.. the way you would do the school concert, say!

Hiya, thanks for the posts.

I have decided I think that I am glad that they didn't make her do it. Dd is a very sad and stressed little soul at the mo. She is the same just before every half term as the routine at school goes completely out of the window and they have quite a few things where thy are expected to do something in front of the school.
She was the same last week at the school carnival. Her class were Mexico and she had practised loads at home and was really looking forward to it, but when the day came she didn't want to take part. Thankfully she did join in, i think she'd have regretted it if she hadn't.

I think being able to relax for 6 weeks can't come quick enough for her right now.

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My kids won't be forced to take part in any competitive sporting ritual if they don't want to. Simple.

DS has Dyspraxia and Hypermobility in his joints

This makes hand eye co-ordination hard but most of all, his running is with a limp and sort of lopsided and very slow

I usually end up in tears cos he tries so hard but is always last

Several of the parents make comments and laugh at him because of the way he runs

So I now put a bandage on his knee to support his joints BUT this also means that parents see that he has a disability

SO yes I think they should take part but wish that there were activites that DS could do BUT he is bright and I do understand that there are children in his class who are NOT academic but are sporty, so this is their day to shine

Am still traumatised by the fact that in primary school I, and all other unco-ordinated pupils, who didn't qualify for the actual races during the heats were forced to take part in a 'token' race for all the non-sporty kids - how labelled did I feel!!!

My ds combines being v competitive with being a fairly bad loser. So I am slightly dreading this year where there is to be an element of competition in some of the races (last year in reception it was all team games and no winners).

In general I think there needs to be a mix, as Blu suggests - I do think that some children love the competitive element of sports day and they should be allowed that, just as there should be activities in which those who are not so sporty but good at for eg throwing or jumping, can excel.

It's often said that sports day gives those who are not academic a chance to shine but I think this is stereotyping to be honest. It's not the case in ds's class where the academic children are also the most sporty.

Greensleeves would you take your children out of sports day then?

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Puddle yes sorry for that

I meant in DS's class the most sporty ones are the ones who struggle academically

So in HIS class it is their chance to shine

kanga I didn't mean you I meant in general people tend to assume that children are sporty or academic and in my experience it's rarely as clear cut. It was the same at my school actually - all the popular girls were good at everything....

And grrrr at those parents who dare laugh at your ds

I think that it seems to be the competitive element that bothers people, and I totally understand that. But school is competitive from day one - kids are placed on different tables for different abilities, they have sticker charts to complete when the acheive certain goals. Children are perfectly well aware when they are better than someone else at something....and when they aren't. What is different about sports? Is it because of the public aspect? Is the lack of physical adeptness considered worse or more humiliating than a reduced academic ability?

Puddle - I agree that not all non-academic kids are good at sports but some are and I think it's important that they have their day in the sun.

Speaking of my own youth, I was made to do sportsdays and it virtually scarred me for life. I was fat and last, always last! I spent the entire afternoon in tears as it was ground into me again and again that I was not good enough to beat a single person (even the disabled elements of my class beat me). Yet the teachers still called me up again and again, and I was too polite a child not to obey.

What a difference my ds (age 6) sports day is. They only do relays. Only one race is dependant upon speed. They then do some circuit training (catching, football, bats etc) as an exhibition of their skills learnt that year. They only shouted, "Come on year 1" so that no one is singled out as a hero. Everyone got participation certificates. House points were awarded instead of individual prizes.

From what I've seen at this sports day absolutely nobody was upset or less than eager to take part. it was like a dream.

Yes, it is the public aspect that is different. NObody is forced to enter public singing competitions in front of parents and fellow pupils, or forced public mental arithmetic competitions or forced public tuba-playing competitions in which the results are displayed in public - right down to who was the worst participant. The traditional sports day (forced participation/all abilities lumped together/public aspect/prizes for winners only etc etc) stands alone as a fantastically effective method of thoroughly humiliating children (especially those who are shy, unathletic or have special needs) and making sure they hate sport and, indeed, all forms of physical exertion or exercise for the rest of their lives.