Grades 3 to 5 • Personal Health Series

Sportsmanship
The buzzer sounds, the game ends, and victory slips through your fingers. When
KidsHealth.org/classroom
faced with defeat, what do you do? Call the other team cheaters? Throw a tantrum?
No way! You show good sportsmanship and congratulate the other team. The
Teacher’s Guide following activities will help your students identify good sportsmanship behaviors and
incorporate them into their game-playing habits.
This guide includes:
• Standards
• Related Links Related KidsHealth Links
• Discussion Questions
• Activities for Students Articles for Kids:
• Reproducible Materials How to Be a Good Sport
KidsHealth.org/en/kids/good-sport.html
Taking the Pressure Off Sports Competition
KidsHealth.org/en/kids/pressure.html
Standards
Cheating
This guide correlates with
KidsHealth.org/en/kids/cheating.html
the following National Health
Education Standards: Taking Charge of Anger
KidsHealth.org/en/kids/anger.html
Students will:
• Comprehend concepts related Train Your Temper
to health promotion and KidsHealth.org/en/kids/temper.html
disease prevention to enhance
health.
Saying You're Sorry
• Analyze the influence of KidsHealth.org/en/kids/sorry.html
family, peers, culture, media,
technology, and other factors
on health behaviors.
• Demonstrate the ability to
access valid information and
products and services to
enhance health.
Discussion Questions
• Demonstrate the ability to use
interpersonal communication Note: The following questions are written in language appropriate for sharing with
skills to enhance health and your students.
avoid or reduce health risks.
• Demonstrate the ability to use 1. Kendall throws his cap and refuses to congratulate the other team after a loss.
goal-setting skills to enhance
health. Is he being a good sport? What does it mean to be a good sport? What are some
• Demonstrate the ability to of the things kids can do to be good sports? Name things good sports don’t do.
practice health-enhancing
behaviors and avoid or reduce 2. How do you feel when you lose? What do you do to show your feelings?
health risks.
• Demonstrate the ability to 3. Do good sports cheat?
advocate for personal, family,
and community health.

National Health Education Standards:

www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/sher/
standards/index.htm

© 2015 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. Reproduction permitted for individual classroom use.
 Grades 3 to 5 • Personal Health Series
Sportsmanship
Activities for Students
Note: The following activities are written in language appropriate for sharing with your students.

Good Sports and Sore Losers

Objectives:
Students will:
• Learn about behaviors that are part of good sportsmanship
• Explore outcomes of good and poor sportsmanship

Materials:
• Computer with Internet access
• "Good Sports and Sore Losers" handout

Class Time:
1 hour

Activity:
Your basketball team is down by two points and there’s only enough time for a buzzer-beater. You give it your best
effort, but the ball bounces off the rim! When faced with a disappointing loss, you can either be a good sport or a
sore loser. Can you tell the difference between the two? First, do some research at KidsHealth.org to learn more
about good sportsmanship. Then, read the scenarios listed on the "Good Sports and Sore Losers" handout. Select a
scenario and figure out what a good sport and sore loser would do in that situation. Write the possible outcomes for
these actions. When you’re finished, discuss your predictions with a friend. Do you think it’s easier to be a good sport
or a sore loser? Why?

Extensions:
1. Sore losers aren’t fun to play with. With a friend, role-play a conversation between a good sport and a sore loser.
What could good sports say to sore losers to convince them to show good sportsmanship?

2. Good sportsmanship isn’t just important for kids’ games; professional athletes are responsible for sportsmanlike
conduct as well. Search in books, kids’ sports magazines, or on the Internet for examples of professional athletes
who were good sports or sore losers. Did showing good sportsmanship affected these athletes’ careers?

© 2015 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. Reproduction permitted for individual classroom use.
 Grades 3 to 5 • Personal Health Series
Sportsmanship
Good Sports Greeting Cards

Objectives:
Students will:
• Learn about the qualities and behaviors that reflect good sportsmanship

Materials:
• Computer with Internet access
• Plain paper
• Art supplies (markers, colored pencils, etc.)
• Sample greeting cards

Class Time:
90 minutes

Activity:
Looking at row after row of greeting cards in a store, you might think there’s a card for every possible occasion.
Not so, says Good Sports Greetings Company. So Good Sports Greetings has hired you to design a line of greeting
cards to promote good sportsmanship among kids. Before you create your greeting card design, check out articles at
KidsHealth.org to learn more about being a good sport. You can also take a look at some sample greeting cards to get
your creative juices flowing. Now you’re ready to create your first card for Good Sports Greetings. Fold a plain piece
of paper in half to create your card, then use art supplies to write words and draw pictures to decorate it. You can
choose one of these types of cards to make or come up with your own idea:

• A congratulations card for a good sport

• An encouragement card for a member of a losing team
• A card reminding a sore loser about good sportsmanship

Reproducible Materials
Handout: Good Sports and Sore Losers
KidsHealth.org/classroom/3to5/personal/fitness/sportsmanship_handout1.pdf

Quiz: Sportsmanship
KidsHealth.org/classroom/3to5/personal/fitness/sportsmanship_quiz.pdf

Answer Key: Sportsmanship

KidsHealth.org/classroom/3to5/personal/fitness/sportsmanship_quiz_answers.pdf

KidsHealth.org is devoted to providing the latest children’s health information. The site, which is widely
recommended by educators, libraries, and school associations, has received the “Teachers’ Choice Award
for the Family” and the prestigious Pirelli Award for “Best Educational Media for Students.” KidsHealth comes
from the nonprofit Nemours Foundation. Check out www.KidsHealth.org to see the latest additions!

© 2015 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. Reproduction permitted for individual classroom use.
 Personal Health Series
Sportsmanship
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Good Sports and Sore Losers

Instructions: Choose one of these three scenarios, then write what a good sport would do and what a sore loser would do, as well
as what might happen as a result those actions.
Scenario 1: It’s the bottom of the 9th inning, the bases are loaded, and your teammate Keith comes up to bat. You know that
if Keith gets a hit, your team will win. Keith strikes out. Your team loses.

Scenario 2: You’re playing basketball with neighborhood friends. The other team makes a basket that you think shouldn’t count.
The other team insists it does.
Scenario 3: Your soccer team made it to the semi-finals. You’re playing the toughest team in the league and you’re down by
four goals. There are 3 minutes left in the game. The coach takes you out so one of your teammates who rarely plays can get on
the field.

What would a good sport do? What might happen next:

What would a sore loser do? What might happen next:

© 2015 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. Reproduction permitted for individual classroom use.
 Personal Health Series
Sportsmanship
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Quiz
Instructions: Answer each question.

1. What does it mean to be a good sport?

2. List four ways to be a good sport:

a.
b.
c.
d.

3. You’ve lost a championship baseball game. Which reaction is considered good sportsmanship?
a. Running to the other team’s dugout to accuse them of cheating
b. Congratulating the other team
c. Yelling at the referee for bad calls during the game

4. is when a person misleads, deceives, or acts dishonestly on purpose.

5. Why is it important to be a good sport?

© 2015 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. Reproduction permitted for individual classroom use.
 Personal Health Series
Sportsmanship
Name: Date:

Quiz Answer Key

1. What does it mean to be a good sport?

Good sports can handle losing and congratulate the winners. Good sports are also gracious winners and congratulate their
opponents for their efforts. Good sports are fair, polite, and fun to play with.

2. List four ways to be a good sport:

Any four of the following: be polite to everyone you’re playing with and against; don’t show off; tell your opponents “good
game!”; learn the rules of the game; listen to your coaches and follow their directions; don’t argue with officials; don’t
make excuses or blame teammates if you lose; be willing to sit out so others can play; play fair and don’t cheat; cheer for
your teammates no matter what.

3. You’ve lost a championship baseball game. Which reaction is considered good sportsmanship?
a. Running to the other team’s dugout to accuse them of cheating
b. Congratulating the other team
c. Yelling at the referee for bad calls during the game

4. Cheating is when a person misleads, deceives, or acts dishonestly on purpose.

5. Why is it important to be a good sport?

Kids who are good sports will be seen as fun to play with. Kids might not be as eager to play with someone who gets angry
all the time and won’t ever give other players a break or a chance to play.

© 2015 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. Reproduction permitted for individual classroom use.