McDonald's is a global sponsor of the Olympic Games and the McDonald's Champions of Play competition is a nationwide search for five children aged between six and 14 years of age who embody core Olympic values; confidence, playing fair, teamwork and resilience.
The competition:
As part of the competition, children were invited to submit an account about a time they learnt a valuable lesson through play. McDonald's chose five winners from over 2000 entries and are sending them accompanied by one of their parents on a trip of a lifetime; to experience the London Olympic Games themselves.
The prize:
In London the winners will attend two Olympic sporting events, check out some of the Olympic venues and meet their Olympic heroes as well as lots of other children from around the world.
The idea of the Champions of Play competition came from the importance that McDonalds' places on their people (the crew); these individuals are the structure upon which the company is built.
Values:
In order for the McDonald’s business to run successfully, McDonalds’ people (the crew) are trained in a variety of skills. Some of these include operational procedures, but through work and training, McDonald’s crew also learn important life skills; values like teamwork, respect, problem solving and confidence.
Teaching kids values through play:
McDonald's spoke to mums cross Australia and identified how similarly important it is for them to instill these values in their children. Aussie mums encourage their kids to play and enroll them in community sports and activities to help them learn what it means to play fair, or how to grow their confidence.
Ian Wallace, Child Psychologist, explains the importance of learning through play, "There is absolutely a healthy relationship between playtime and social values. Playtime is a fundamental part of how children learn and gain an understanding of attributes such as, teamwork, confidence, playing fair, and even learning how to follow rules. Learning these values early on will equip a child for life, helping them become a well-rounded and resilient adult."
The Champions of Play initiative helps children to learn about the values upon which the Olympics and McDonald's are founded; real human values that parents care about, values that children can learn through play!
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