Difficulty balancing competitiveness with children in games
🌱 parentingsocial problem2 reports ●●●●●
A parent of three children ranging from toddler to eight years old is unsure how to navigate fairness and competitiveness when playing games where the parent has a significant physical or skill advantage, feeling conflicted between playing to win and intentionally losing.
What people do today
- Intentionally playing poorly
- Letting children win
- Playing at full effort
🔧 Fix this
Ideas a builder, maker or community group could start on:
- A mobile app that generates 'handicap' rules or creative constraints for parents to level the playing field in common backyard games.
- A guide or workshop series for parents on teaching sportsmanship and resilience through game outcomes.
- A set of physical game modifications or equipment adjustments that naturally balance skill gaps between adults and toddlers.
- A guide or workshop series for parents on the developmental benefits of 'authentic play' and healthy competition with children.
- A mobile app that suggests age-appropriate physical challenges where adults and children can compete on a level playing field using handicapping rules.
Real voices
“I just don’t know if I should play to win, or let them win.”
“Why is there this automatic assumption that any child would lose or not be able to play with them?”
Related problems
🌱 parentingsocial4 reports
Toddler exhibiting self-harm and negative self-talk during tantrums
🌱 parentingsocial4 reportsPotty training resistance in strong-willed children
🌱 parentingsocial3 reportsExcessive parental monitoring and financial control of a teenager
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