Students may be called upon to compete for their school whether in sports, academics, dancing, singing, arts, and other areas. It is of course always a source of pride for students to be chosen among the many individuals who make up the student body. Competing as an official representative of the school provides excellent opportunities for life learning.

How to Prepare Children to Participate in Inter-school Competitions

1. Find Their Interest

Children cannot excel in all areas thus expecting them to participate in all is not recommended. It would be best to find where their real interests lie and to make the necessary preparations from there. Parents should be encouraging continuous and consistent development towards a child's areas of interest.

2. Parental Support

Being children, they will not be able to prepare themselves without the full support of parents. They may be able to do what is physically expected from them. However, they will require financial, emotional, and additional physical help as well.

3. Inculcate Good Competitive Values

Children take their cue from their own parents. When they see or even sense that their parents put value on winning at all cost, they might just be winning on the competition but losing out on lessons learned. In a friendly competition, experience is always the main point of joining.

What Can Children Hope to Learn from Competing?

1. The Value of Doing Their Best

Children will have to be clear on the fact that they need to do their best in all forms of competition. Doing one's best includes preparing one's self in mind, body, and spirit. Overconfidence is not a desired element here.

2. The Value of Earned Pride

Winning in a competition is an example of earned pride. Competing fair and square to the best of one's abilities and then losing is not shameful. There can be earned pride regardless of results when one competes well.

3. The Value of Fair Play

There is no real satisfaction in getting a questionable win. It rarely gives a sense of pride and honor. The real purpose of friendly competition is lost when the sense of fairness and justice is not developed.




My Say

All parents will be reasonably proud when their children are part of inter-school competitions. Who wouldn't be when the whole school is cheering them on? The privilege however has corresponding responsibilities that are being asked from both children and their parents. Children will have to be willing to study, practice, and cooperate with other people. Parents will have to be supportive of the needs of their children who are trying to do their part of the deal.

That said, being part of inter-school competitions is always a chance for further self-development which will always be beneficial for the child. There may be a need to temper participation in activities like this if regular academic studies will be affected. Never the less, nothing beats the euphoria of bringing home the trophy.