The benefits of participating in a competition with healthy competition include enabling children to learn about themselves and parents to identify and guide the child’s personality.
Opinions about introducing healthy competition to children from an early age are quite diverse. Some said that the benefits of participating in competitions for children were numerous, including giving real-life lessons about winning and losing, while others felt that competition could have a negative impact on their little one’s growth and development.
The experience of each child and parent regarding competitions conducted from an early age can indeed be different. Basically, it depends on the approach of the parents and the adults around them on how to introduce competition to their children.
There are a number of benefits that children can get by participating in competitions, such as:
1. Children can learn about themselves with Competition
By competing, children will be able to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. When experiencing defeat, children can also know how to deal with the negative emotions they feel due to defeat and loss.
In addition, children can also learn to increase self-esteem (self-esteem) and most importantly, can overcome fear and dare to face challenges. Children will learn to motivate themselves to overcome obstacles, and to be calm and effective under pressure.
Children will also learn that doing their best in a competition can provide a pleasant feeling. This can encourage children to be more courageous and face challenges more often, in order to enjoy these positive feelings.
2. Parents can identify and guide the child’s personality
By observing children, you will find out how they deal with problems. Even if your child doesn’t say something, you can understand how they solve problems and spot something wrong.
If you find your child looking scared, upset, unsportsmanlike or unmotivated, then this is an opportunity to advise your child to have a better mentality when facing challenges.
This can also be a time for parents to learn to provide appropriate support for their child, thereby encouraging learning without harming their child’s self-esteem. Parents must also learn not to teach their children to compete for acceptance and love from their own families.
3. Strengthen the bond between children and parents
The benefit of participating in the next competition is that it makes children learn a lot about relationships. You can help your child learn about sportsmanship, so that communication between parent and child can improve.
The child’s ability to deal with victory and defeat well can also replace sibling rivalry with love and empathy.
Comforting each other when they don’t win, celebrating victories together, and providing encouragement will strengthen the emotional bond between parent and child that can last a lifetime.
4. Children learn positive values gained through competition
When schools hold friendly competitions, this has been proven to increase curiosity in children. In addition, the benefits of participating in competitions will also be able to make children learn about:
Introspect yourself to find a solution instead of blaming others
Effective communication and cooperation
Endurance and perseverance
Unique skills according to the type of task, game, exam or sport being performed.
5. Children learn to cope with stress
Stress can be felt not only by adults, but also by children. The way children react to victory or defeat can be good or bad, depending on the motivation that adults provide.
Competitions that are child-friendly and not too competitive can be chosen to help prepare them for various difficulties that may occur in the future.