Competition

Target Words

champion, competition, contest, prize, rules, victory

Materials

• household objects (depending on your contest)
• a prize (stickers, treats, etc.)

Directions

Organize a contest or a series of contests, with prizes for the winners (and maybe for the others, too). Encourage kids to use the target words as they plan and do the contest.

1. Think of a contest—it could be any kind of race or competition, from putting away toys or clean socks, to hopping on one foot, to doing the silliest dance.
2. Let your kids give it a name, such as the Big Sock Competition or the Silly Dance Contest. Then together make up the official rules.
3. Have the contest! Cheer the contestants on to victory.
4. Give the winner (or winners) a prize, then hold another contest so everyone gets a chance to be a champion.

Extension

Have your kids make their own prizes—certificates, ribbons, trophies, medals, all kinds! Use paper, markers, scissors, tape, pipe cleaners, yarn, and whatever other craft supplies you have. Help them write what the prize is for, and the name of the champion.

Related Books

• I Am Really, Really Concentrating by Lauren Child
  Lola concentrates really hard to succeed at the egg-and-spoon race at her school's Field Day.
• Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman by Kathleen Krull
  This picture book biography tells the story of the track star who overcame polio to become the first woman to win three Olympic gold medals.
• Don't Fidget a Feather by Erica Silverman
  Duck and Gander compete in a freeze-in-place contest with surprising results.