Embers: Competition

Lesson: Competition.
Need: A competitive card game (such as spoons, that has many rounds quickly). Tokens (pennies, pencils, paper, etc).
Prep: None.
Directions: Introduce the card game to the group. Give each camper a token when they win a round. Tell them there is a prize for whoever has the most tokens at the end. Give out the tokens unevenly (such as 1 for first winner, 4 for second, etc). At the end announce that there is no prize and let that settle for a moment.

Initiate a discussion about winning vs. losing and ask whether prizes make winning more important. Is it more intriguing to win ‘something’ than it is to know a prize ahead of time? How would the game have been different if the prize was announced up front as a bag of dried pickles rather than ‘something’? How would it have been different if everyone had been shown a ‘good’ prize like candy or a toy, and THEN had it withheld? How does the winner feel about what happened given that they do not get what they thought they would? Are there any new thoughts that you have about competition in other areas of life? School? Sports? Scouts?

~Zigg