To Win or to Lose!

It is natural for a child to enjoy winning, but he or she has to learn to lose sometimes, and to do it with grace. A child playing competitive game should have the chance to win enough to gain self- confidence, but with honor.

If parents always let them win it may ultimately have harmful effect. Whenever the child wins, he or she might think the game was rigged for their benefit, which would be demoralizing, and if the child loses, on the other hand, he or she might think the advantage given was not big enough.

A child, who gets upset repeatedly, should be given an easier game to play. Competitive games can bond a family more compactly only if they are not taken too seriously. Parents should also take care not to push children too hard.

It is better to start of with unskilled games for first few years, and then go for the games which demand skills, such as a dice game like snakes and ladders has an element of excitement to keep up the child’s interest providing an equal chance to every player, whatever his or her mental age.

Later on, children can be introduced to games of skill like scrabble, build up confidence in the child by making the game easy for him or her. Go easy with such games, by holding back on your clever moves discreetly. Gradually, without the children being aware, you can bring your own intelligence into the game, making it tougher for the child, and eventually enhancing their skills.