Body Control and Balance
Primary 4 · Physical Education
Body Control and Balance
Lesson 3 of 3
20 min
Let's begin
In the class football match, the ball bounces off Gatete's hand and into the goal. The referee did not see it, and his team cheers. But Gatete knows the truth.
What should he do? In this lesson you will learn about fair play, and how to stay in control of your feelings when a game gets exciting.
Fair play, also called good sportsmanship, means playing by the rules and treating everyone with respect. An old saying puts it like this: it does not matter whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.
A fair player:
Cheating, pretending to be hurt, pushing, shouting at the referee and blaming teammates are all unfair play.
At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, a sailor from Canada called Lawrence Lemieux was in second place in his race. Then he saw two sailors from Singapore in the rough water. Their boat had turned over and one of them was hurt.
Lawrence left his race and pulled them out of the water. He finished far behind, but people all over the world still remember him for choosing to help. People matter more than medals.
In a game you may feel happy, excited, nervous, disappointed or angry. All of these feelings are normal. What matters is what you do with them. Anger can make you push someone or say unkind words. That can hurt a person, and it can give a penalty to your team.
Umutoni is pushed during a game. Red: she stops and breathes slowly. Amber: she thinks, "Maybe it was an accident. The referee can deal with it." Green: she tells the referee calmly and carries on playing.
Tip
Play hard, play fair, play kind. When you feel angry, use the traffic light: stop and breathe, think, then act calmly.
Think about each one first, then tap Show answer to check.
What should Gatete do about his hand-ball goal?
Answer: Tell the referee, so the goal does not count. That is fair play.
Name two things a good loser does.
Answer: Any two of these: shakes hands, says "well played", does not blame teammates, practises for next time.
A player on the other team falls and hurts her knee. What does a fair player do?
Answer: Stops, helps her up or calls the teacher, and lets the game pause.
What are the three steps of the traffic light for feelings?
Answer: Red: stop and breathe. Amber: think. Green: act calmly.
Why do people still praise Lawrence Lemieux even though he did not win?
Answer: He chose to save two sailors instead of trying to win. Helping people matters more than a medal.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
The Gatete and Umutoni stories, the traffic-light diagram, the fair-play games and the practice were written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Put the traffic light for feelings in order.
Tap the cards in the right order.
