Schools, camps, and organizations award children whenever they accomplish something worth celebrating. These include anything from getting straight A’s at school, winning in football, emerging a champion in a spelling bee, or graduating as a valedictorian. Rewarding the students can be in the form of a trophy, a plaque, a medal, a certificate, or probably all of these. There is pride behind the trophies and awards: Children feel good when their families, friends, and teachers are proud of them. They become proud of themselves, too, and gain confidence – an attribute that is very important in real life.
Speaking of real life – children may not notice this (at least at first) but these awards are more than concrete proof that they have done good in school, or in sports, or somewhere else. Many kids strive to be their best in the things that they do so that they can receive the recognition. In the long run, this motivation leads to greater things. The children learn more important things like discipline, teamwork, perseverance, self-confidence, hard work, and many other values which are essential even when they grow up into adults.
In some cases, specific lessons are also at the backseat when immersing kids into an activity and giving them motivation to finish the task. A good example of this is the small garden project of a few students – a project which not only gave them a big trophy, but also taught them the skill of gardening and growing crops, as well as the importance of keeping a healthy lifestyle. As the kids learned more about cooking their own food, they have been exposed to the fun that is associated with healthy eating. Read more about this life lesson from Chris Gee’s report.