We are all familiar with the cries of recent media:
Children Don’t Know They Are Born! The have more than we had! Why do they need to win an iPad? Compared to our childhoods – some don’t know they are born! A patch of mud and a stick could keep us amused for hours. We used to explore and weren’t dependent on gadgets and technology for amusement.
These are popular arguments for NOT winning children yet MORE gadgets to keep them bubble-packed in their homes…we hear this a lot. Yes, the children DO get a lot for birthdays, Christmas and they get pocket money. There’s no denying it. So, by encouraging them to win yet more stuff Are we going to herald a society of Veruca Salts?
In a word YES! If we look at this in the short-term by focusing only on the prize, then the answer might well be a yes. HOWEVER – if we see this in the long-term we can see it a little more differently.
The EXPERIENCE of winning is profound. If we think that we get excited by winning prizes, then multiply that by 100 and we get how excited children get. The experience of winning often counteracts the negative of acquiring another thing that might be unappreciated. Children are aware of the Veruca Salt situation and are equally annoyed at how she came to get a Willy Wonka ticket. She cheated. Children don’t like cheaters. They appreciate pure luck – they don’t like losing, sure – and this is where the value of children’s creative competitions comes in.
The EXPERIENCE of losing can be profound. Now, this could sound negative, but losing is hard. Life is hard. Children are just people – and we all need to get hardened to the fact that we don’t always win. Kids competitions are a great way to introduce this in a softer way because it’s easy to explain. Once children get used to shrugging off a losing streak, they can use the skill for other harder times in their lives.
The EXPERIENCE of creating is profound. Many children’s competitions are centered on creativity. Entering kids competitions via creative methods will give your child a great time! They usually can’t wait to get the paints out, and by adding a goal; you make the experience that bit richer.
The EXPERIENCE of being singled-out for a talent that you enjoy is profound. A large percentage of the writers I know, yearn back to the time that they first won a writing prize. Winning a prize in your early years can have a huge impact on your life.
An excellent recent example of this is summed up nicely here: http://www.rgu.ac.uk/news/primary-school-design-competition-sparked-interest-in-architecture-for-rgu-graduate . A now adult student decides to build her life around a competition win! Her decision to study the subject stemmed from winning a competition to design a house when she was in P7, something that sparked her initial interest in building design.
So, the results are out! No long-term Veruca Salts because of all the experience gained in the process. Do you agree? Do you encourage your nieces, nephews, children and grandchildren to use their talents to enter competitions? What are they good at? What competitions for children would you like to see so that you can pass them on and maybe spur a positive life-goal? Let us know about it in the comments…