The theme this month in our Social Skills Program is how to be a good sport. Good sportsmanship is a quality that serves you throughout your life. When many think of sportsmanship, they initially connect the terms with athletics. For example, it’s good sportsmanship to congratulate the winner of an event and not throw a fit in frustration. However, this quality is useful in all situations throughout your work and home life. Certain games you can play help teach good sportsmanship.
Skills to Learn and Practice
- Think about how you did and how the other person did in the game you played.
- Think of a true compliment you could give the other person.
- Think about his/her reaction to what you might say.
- Choose the compliment you think is best and say it.
Sample Activities
Build Something Together:
Good sportsmanship is all about showing respect to one another in any kind of life situation, especially one that has a perceived winner and loser. We will demonstrate this difference by building something together as a game. One way to show a winner or loser is to have one object end up larger than another. Our Specialists will illustrate this by having the participants separate into teams and provide them with the supplies to build something (house, race track). The sections will be prepared so that one ends up smaller than the other. When finished, everyone will discuss why the smaller house is the perceived loser but we will point out how both are attractive and both are good. The clients will then each congratulate the other on a project well built.
Other Person’s Shoes:
A classic game of role playing is another wonderful way to teach good sportsmanship. Give everyone characters to play. For example, a person who just lost the previous game, what do you say? The Specialist will lead the group to take on separate roles and act out how they would respond and what they would say.
Just a few of the activities we will be working on with our clients in June. We hope you have a wonderful month and get ready for the official start of the summer on June 21st!
