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Sportsmanship Checklists & Information for Kids
Teaching Youngsters How to be Good Sports
"Sports do not build character. They reveal it."
- Heywood Hale Broun
We're living in an age where the preservation of traditional values can no longer be taken for granted. It seems we need to have reminders (books, movies, newspaper articles, etc.) to maintain our awareness of the importance of preserving the basic human values, which are essential to the survival of a community.
It's no different in the world of sports. The traditional value of sportsmanship is being challenged from all sides: professional, college, high school, and even in youth sports. There are some who say sportsmanship is becoming a lost art and that unless we remind ourselves of the essentials of sportsmanship it will gradually fade as other values have done in our society.
In the midst of all this, it seems doubly important that we recommit ourselves to guiding our youth, reminding them what sportsmanship is all about, rewarding them for showing good sportsmanship and showing, by our example, that sportsmanship is still alive and valued in youth sports today.
Here are 2 checklists for kids to follow as they try to develop a habit of good sportsmanship. (One is short and one is long, but they both print out on one sheet of paper.)
Topics covered in the following checklists: Abide by the Rules & Avoid Arguments, Share Responsibilites & Give Everyone a Chance, Always Play Fair & Follow Coach's Directions, Respect Other Team & Offer Encouragement, Accept Officials Calls & End Game Smoothly
Click to Print out the Sportsmanship Checklist for Kids!
(1 page short)
Click to Print out the Sportsmanship Checklist for Kids!
(1 page long)
Click to Print out the Youth Sports Checklist!
(Keep track of your children's games!)
Click to read our article, "Kids, Sports, and Parents - an Explosive Triangle?"
On a final note, a word of caution. We can't be so naïve as to think that by teaching and valuing sportsmanship in our youth we will ensure that they will take these values with them into their young adult and adult sports lives. However, if we don't expose them to the essentials of sportsmanship, and if we don't guide them in developing a sense of good sportsmanship, we can all but guarantee that they will fall prey to the young adult and adult world of sports and athletics, with its continued tendency to minimize sportsmanship, and maximize winning as the only real value in competitive athletics.
Copyright © Dr. Darrell J. Burnett, a clinical and sport psychologist with more than 20 years in private practice. He is a youth league coach, a father of three, an author and lecturer. Please visit http://www.youth-sports.com for more youth sports checklists and informative articles. Reprinted with permission. Visitors may print out our checklists for personal use only - no reproductions are allowed.
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