Learning Sportsmanship Through Our Athlete Theme
Preschool
October 4, 2018
In July—three months before this article—Mountain class (age 4) explored “Athletes” through Job Training.
With Mia, they discussed different sports and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Learning that athletes improve through repeated practice inspired the class to attempt a record of their own.
Holding hands in a circle, they timed how quickly they could pass a hoop around without letting go. They recorded their time each day and felt a sense of achievement as it gradually improved.
During Japanese time, we talked about sportsmanship.
We began by watching a video recorded after a match between a Spanish youth soccer team and a Japanese team. The Spanish winners hugged and encouraged the Japanese players, who were crying after their defeat.
The Mountain children were impressed by their actions, commenting, “They are so kind!”
Although “sportsmanship” was a difficult word, we discussed an important idea: whether we win or lose, there is another team to appreciate, and their feelings matter too.
This conversation led us to make medals and plan a medal exchange.
We thought giving one another medals would make the idea of caring about others more concrete and engaging.
We then formed two teams for a ball-passing game.
Children passed a ball over their heads, then under their legs. The team that moved the ball along fastest won.
After several rounds, we announced the result. The winning team jumped with joy, while some children on the other team cried with disappointment.
Even before the medal exchange began, we saw children gently patting a crying friend’s head and offering kindness.
Finally, everyone took their handmade medals. Winners gave medals to the other team with “You worked hard!”, while the other team offered theirs with “Congratulations!”
The mood across the class brightened, and the children seemed able to enjoy the ball game simply for the fun it had brought.
This was a simple game, but the children will encounter more sports and competitions as they grow. We hope they learn to compete fairly while caring about the people they play against.
This article was written before Sports Day at the end of September. A report on Sports Day was planned to follow.
With Mia, they discussed different sports and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Learning that athletes improve through repeated practice inspired the class to attempt a record of their own.
Holding hands in a circle, they timed how quickly they could pass a hoop around without letting go. They recorded their time each day and felt a sense of achievement as it gradually improved.
During Japanese time, we talked about sportsmanship.
We began by watching a video recorded after a match between a Spanish youth soccer team and a Japanese team. The Spanish winners hugged and encouraged the Japanese players, who were crying after their defeat.
The Mountain children were impressed by their actions, commenting, “They are so kind!”
Although “sportsmanship” was a difficult word, we discussed an important idea: whether we win or lose, there is another team to appreciate, and their feelings matter too.
This conversation led us to make medals and plan a medal exchange.
We thought giving one another medals would make the idea of caring about others more concrete and engaging.
We then formed two teams for a ball-passing game.
Children passed a ball over their heads, then under their legs. The team that moved the ball along fastest won.
After several rounds, we announced the result. The winning team jumped with joy, while some children on the other team cried with disappointment.
Even before the medal exchange began, we saw children gently patting a crying friend’s head and offering kindness.
Finally, everyone took their handmade medals. Winners gave medals to the other team with “You worked hard!”, while the other team offered theirs with “Congratulations!”
The mood across the class brightened, and the children seemed able to enjoy the ball game simply for the fun it had brought.
This was a simple game, but the children will encounter more sports and competitions as they grow. We hope they learn to compete fairly while caring about the people they play against.
This article was written before Sports Day at the end of September. A report on Sports Day was planned to follow.
Author Profile
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Saeda Sueki-Au-Yeung - Head of Operations / Parent Support Coordinator (Japan)
Saeda studied education and disability sciences in Japan and experienced winning a US collegiate national championship while studying and playing football in America. She values each child's individuality and the opportunities that come from trying new things. Through school operations and parent support, she helps families and staff work as one team to support children's growth.