Awards came a dime a dozen when everyone was younger. These could include silly, athletic, artistic, spelling, math, and participation awards. Many pros can come out of these awards, such as self esteem boosts, turning a bad day into a good one, and feeling a part of something. Many cons include expecting to win all the time, winning a prize for anything, and not trying as hard as one could. Are children receiving too many awards?

When I was younger, I remember an award for just about anything was available to earn. At the time it was pretty amazing. I always thought about how cool it was to have a flashy golden medal to hang up in my room or to show to my parents. Only now do I realize how not so beneficial awards can truly be. 

Trophies and medals used to be a rarity. Now children display them on their walls in abundance. In my opinion, I think awards do wonders to a children’s self-esteem, but at the same time they are given away too often. I remember walking upstage at awards programs and feeling very special receiving awards for different accomplishments. I liked all of the recognition and even wanted to show off the awards to my family so they too could know. However, at the time the awards I was receiving weren’t very hard to get. Some examples of awards that I have received or have heard of other children obtaining class clown, best dressed, mathematician, spelling champ, hardest worker, and many more. 

Participation awards are also a very common award given out. A child could literally be doing nothing to contribute to a project or in a competition and still get an award. I understand that some people want all children to feel included, but according to the NY TIMES article “Do We Give Children Too Many Awards,” participation awards can be quite the nuisance. Participation awards set the goal very low for kids to work hard. When people are in a group project or just working towards something in general, if there are awards at the end, they generally want one. Some kids work very hard just to receive those awards all just to find out everyone gets one. On top of that, it could put a child’s mind set in the wrong place. It could cause one to think, “If I can get an award for just participating, could that be how it is for the real world and other situations?” This could encourage early signs of laziness and lack of interest.

Furthermore, it does not help with letting children know that it is ok to lose sometimes. Many hard-working, famous, and intelligent people had many, many failures before they could get to the position where they are today. Through those failures they were able to create many wins on their own from learning from their mistakes. Awards for many different things can cause kids to not take losing well when it does come along and give them a sense of unmotivation.

On a brighter side, children receiving awards can also be a good thing. As I had said earlier, I always loved showing off my awards or just getting recognition for my accomplishments. For those kids who do try really hard, the award is well deserved even if it is something as simple as class clown. Also, some children who may be having a bad day can quickly have that day turned around with a simple award. Studies show that receiving an award can brighten a child’s day by 10%. I think that may be why adults are so adamant on giving children awards. Who doesn’t like seeing an adorable rosy-cheeked smile on a child’s face?

Recently, I babysat three little girls, Noel, Kennedy, and Piper. Two of them go to school. I decided to see what their opinions on awards were since they are children themselves. Noel at age 9 said, “I love getting awards. When I go up on stage, it makes my stomach filled with butterflies and I cannot get the smile off of my face. When the principal gives me my award, I feel like I’m about to burst from happiness and then I return to my seat waiting as still as I possibly can to see if I will get another one. I think some kids do receive too many awards though. There is a kid in my grade who almost receives all the awards possible even if he just shows up to that certain event. In my opinion, that is not quite fair, but I still love awards.”

Kennedy, who is four years old, said, “I love awards too! I have only got one award and it was for my smile. The award is very shiny and perfect. I think Noel is right about some kids getting too many because some kids do! But my award is great and I think awards do a good thing in this world.” 

In conclusion, awards come in many shapes, sizes, and purposes. Awards also have many pros and cons, but some more than others. In my opinion, children could receive a few less awards than they generally do. A child could either become not so hard-working, uninterested, expect to win all the time, or they could get self-esteem boosts, work harder, or feel a part of something. In the end, I think it is all up to the child and how one interprets the awards they are receiving.