Competitive Sports at School

two teams playing football
Type: Vocabulary
Originally published on October 24, 2020 and last updated on February 4, 2023

Competitive sports have traditionally been played in schools including sports such as football, cricket, netball and many more. It is not uncommon for children to compete regularly against their fellow students and even against students from other schools. Some people are in favour of children playing competitive sports and think it is good for them, but others disagree, stating that the competitive nature of sport can be very discouraging to a lot of children and have a negative effect on their lives.

Instructions:
Go through the vocabulary below with your students and ask them to try and use this vocabaulry where possible when discussing the different conversation questions.

Useful Vocabulary

Try and use the following vocabulary when answering the question. Click to look up the definition in the dictionary

  • benefit (noun)
  • traditionally (adverb)
  • competitive (adjective)
  • cricket (noun)
  • netball (noun)
  • uncommon (adjective)
  • potential (adjective)

Conversation Questions

  • Should competitive sports be played in school?
  • Did you play any competitive sports when you were at school?
  • What are the benefits of children playing competitive sports at school?
  • What are the potential negative effects of children playing competitive sports at school?
  • Overall, do you think competitive sports should be played at school?
Gregory
This conversation topic was prepared by Gregory

Gregory is a qualified TEFL teacher who has been teaching English as a Foreign Language (ESL) for over a decade. He has taught in-person classes in Spain and to English learners around the world online.