In Montessori Physical Education, sportsmanship is not an afterthought—it is a core part of the curriculum, functioning in the gym much like the lessons on Grace and Courtesy do in the classroom. Establishing clear, developmentally appropriate guides for sportsmanship helps students not only play games more harmoniously but also practice essential skills in empathy, conflict resolution, and social awareness.
Why Update the Upper Elementary Mantra?
A consistent feature of our sportsmanship lessons is the use of simple, memorable mantras tailored to developmental stages:
Lower Elementary (ages 6–9): Be Fun to Play With, Be Fun to Play Against
Upper Elementary (ages 9–12): (formerly) What Was the Intended Outcome?
Middle School (ages 12–14): Value the Long Term Over the Short Term
The previous upper elementary mantra asked students to focus on intentions, but the phrasing proved too abstract and clunky for this age group. In practice, it lacked the simplicity needed for consistent recall and application.
Upon reflection, I recognized that what I was really aiming to teach at this stage was empathy: the ability to take another person’s perspective and understand how words and actions are perceived. With that in mind, the upper elementary mantra has been revised to:
See Both Sides
Pedagogical Rationale
Upper elementary students are entering a developmental stage characterized by increasingly sophisticated social dynamics. Their conflicts are no longer only about rules or fairness but about intention, tone, and relationships. By introducing See Both Sides, we provide a clear, accessible entry point into empathy without requiring them to grapple directly with the abstract vocabulary of “empathy” itself.
How It Works in Practice
When introducing the new mantra, I invite students to revisit their lower elementary mantra and acknowledge its continued relevance. Then I explain that, as older, more socially aware learners, they are ready for the next layer.
Practical examples help students internalize the idea:
Cheering: Is cheering always good? Students first respond “yes,” but soon recognize that cheering an opponent’s mistake does not align with positive sportsmanship.
Criticism within a team: A player says, “Wake up!” after a dropped ball. Students usually judge this as “bad,” yet discussion reveals nuance: frustration may be understandable if a teammate is distracted and not giving effort, but the same comment is unfair if directed at someone genuinely trying their best.
These scenarios highlight that conflicts often involve both intention and reception. The criticizer may want to motivate, but the recipient may feel attacked. Practicing See Both Sides requires students to balance their own perspective with that of others—a fundamental exercise in empathy.
The Scaffolded Progression of Sportsmanship
The mantras now form a clear developmental sequence:
Lower Elementary: Be Fun to Play With, Be Fun to Play Against – establishing basic norms of positive interaction.
Upper Elementary: See Both Sides – Scaffolding Empathy and Perspective-Taking.
Middle School: Value the Long Term Over the Short Term – integrating foresight, patience, and maturity.
This layered approach reflects Montessori principles of meeting children where they are developmentally and gradually increasing complexity as they grow.
Implications for Educators
For Montessori educators, sportsmanship is a natural extension of Grace and Courtesy into the physical education environment. For educators in traditional settings, these lessons map directly onto Social Emotional Learning (SEL), an increasingly vital component of the modern PE curriculum.
By integrating mantras like “See Both Sides,” educators provide students with tools to navigate not only the rules of games but also the subtler social dimensions of teamwork, competition, and conflict.
Here is a link to the newly updated, free lesson plan for Sportsmanship that will be one of the most important lessons of every year.
