WIN SOME LOSE SOME
No matter what your age or level of maturity, everyone loves to win, explains clinical psychologist and psychotherapist Sumari van Rooyen. ‘Competition among children is normal and healthy, teaching valuable skills that can help them succeed in life. While it’s natural as a parent to focus on helping your child to be a winner, it’s just as important to teach them how to lose, because being gracious in defeat builds self-esteem and helps them develop empathy and humility,’ she says.
FIGHTING FOR FIRST
AGES FOUR TO SIX
Preschoolers will clearly show you just how much they hate losing, says Sumari. ‘Your four- to six-year-old will break down in sobs, scream in frustration or storm off in anger. However, before you give himwin, which makes it hard for them to understand losing. And because they’re only just starting to develop empathy, it’s even harder for them to comprehend why others will feel sad about their success.’
