Interesting discussion. I agree that after a certain age kids will eventually recognize that participation awards aren't as coveted as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. I am not sure what they really matter though - its not as if the child gets the award every day after a game, so the motivational aspect of it seems kind of too far off into the future to matter, unless your kid is so focused on that end dream of getting an award in x-months.
We did U6 soccer this year, and I think one of the things they did really well was eliminate the goalie from the games they had. I think kids are naturally competitive and are motivated more by scoring goals or being successful in what they try. Just help set them up for success. This probably means more than a partipaction pin or whatever they have now.
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