Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game – Michael Jordan.

It’s not all about winning.  It’s about self improvement, perhaps even self perfection.  All the while having a good time with your friends.  That’s the message that we wanted to send out to our children and their families as we celebrated our very first Sports Day. What a lovely day it was!  Infact the whole week was exciting here at ILM.

Warm up
The week of September 8 was the sports week at ILM culminating in the Sports Day celebration on September 13. Throughout the week, children practiced for games and races. They made buntings, read a story on good sportsmanship; some of the older ones wrote about Sports Day and Kabaddi. The children even made a beautiful chart that was put up on Sports Day for all the parents to see. The students were involved in every aspect of the preparation and they loved it.

During practice as well as on Sports Day, it was just touching to see the older Primary children, helping and encouraging their peers and the younger children.

The Big Day for the Little Ones

After a week long of preparations, the big day finally arrived! We started the day with an exciting treasure hunt. The children participated along with their parents to figure out the clues to find their prized hidden chocolate.

Thereafter we had a series of fun races and activities. Which included:
– Relay Race
– Healthy Bunny Race
– Obstacle Course
– Penguin Walk
– Lemon and Spoon Race

We ended with a round of kabaddi, tug of war and a big splash (i.e. the children tossed water balloons at monsters drawn on the wall).

Three cheers for JumpBunch

The fun races with JumpBunch activities for children and parents to have a wholesome experience. JumpBunch coaches come every Friday to ILM for their sports program. Apart from showcasing their activities, Veena and Divya from JumpBunch also participated with full gusto in our sports day. Veena was our MC for the day and did a fabulous job.

Parents just wanna have fun too.

Perhaps the best part was seeing the parents in full sporting spirit. They participated in the several games and races, including and specially Kabaddi and Tug of war! Children loved seeing their parents participate actively. We could hear children cheer proudly for their moms and dads.  Some children even came and told the teachers to call their parents on the field! One could clearly see the parents and grandparents having as much fun as the little ones! It was a day full of excitement and laughter.

Parents’ involvement in school activities plays an important role in building a healthy self esteem in a child. So a big round of applause is due to all parents who were brave enough to get onto the field. Also those who were there to cheer for them; we hope to see you on the field next year!

All’s well, that end’s well.

The day ended with laughs, smiles and even tears as children were sad to leave their friends to go home. Even though they would be apart just over the weekend. ILM teachers, parents and specially the children, all went home with the most coveted prize of all…treasured memories.

As we grow as an institution and as our children grow with us – we will encourage them to choose a sport or any other activity of their choice. We will encourage them to have a goal and work on reaching that goal. We will encourage them to be responsible and committed towards that goal. And do what they have chosen to do to the best of their ability. Not because they have to be better at it than someone else; just so that they can explore their own potential and enjoy their journey of self discovery.

Here are some more pictures of ILM’s first sports day.  Click on it, to see an enlarged version: