Little Bookworm is newly fascinated with the Olympics, especially with Simone Biles. As a lifelong gymnastics and Olympics fan, I have had a lot of fun watching the games with her so far. But as always, I love finding a good learning opportunity, and Simone Biles is offering up plenty this year. We are thrilled to share some of our lessons learned from Simone Biles.

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Making Mistakes

During the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles has been proving that she is the one of the greatest. And it has had very little do with any gymnastics moves. While watching Biles perform in the preliminaries, Little Bookworm was very worried when she flew off the mat after her powerful tumbling pass. I pointed out to her that she was fine, and she made a little face, rushed back onto the mat and finished her routine. She didn’t give up, she didn’t throw a tantrum, and she still finished at the top.

Check out this beautiful children’s book about Simone Biles and her journey to the Olympics!

The next day, Little Bookworm told me that she can’t read chapter books on her own yet because she might get some of the words wrong. I pointed out to her that I get words wrong all the time when we are reading out loud. I stumble, make a funny noise, and start the sentence over. But then I also reminded her that Simone Biles made a mistake yesterday. She is considered the greatest in the world, and she made a mistake. It happens to all of us. This immediately made her feel better and reminded her that no one is immune to hiccups.

Prioritizing Mental Health

Fast forward to today, and Simone Biles once again proved to us all that she is one of the greatest athletes of our time. With the team final on the line, she chose to step back and take care of her mental health. This act was not only shocking, but completely inspirational. She put her mental health above a gold medal. It is so easy to forget at the end of the day that she is a 24 year old woman. She is human!

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Lots of people took to the internet to throw insults and make armchair expert comments about her decision. About the younger generation and how they “give up”. That’s fine. If the younger generations are known for putting mental health first, then that is something to be proud of. There is a huge list of tragedies that could have occurred had she moved forward with the finals instead of listening to her body. This isn’t a sport like basketball or baseball. The tiniest hesitation or mistake while flying through the air could result in a life changing or life ENDING injury! Especially at the level that Biles performs, a gymnast should never perform those actions without his or her full attention.

Aly Raisman and Michael Phelps have also recently discussed their mental health and the ramifications of the pressure on themselves. It is so much better for her to take a step back than to push herself through these finals and deal with horrible mental health issues later. Hopefully these incredible athletes coming forward about their mental health struggles will help the future athletes as well. Gold medals are not worth your mental health, or your life.

Check out this beautiful children’s book about Simone Biles and her journey to the Olympics!

Sportsmanship & Team Support

After taking a step back, Biles ONCE AGAIN proved her worth by standing on those sidelines and cheering for her teammates louder than anyone. She was jumping, twisting, cheering, and shouting like she was out there herself. And when the Russian Olympic Committee clinched the gold medal, Biles was the first to walk over to them and shake their hands, hug them, and offer congratulations. These are really important lessons for kids (and adults) to take from the games as well. Good sportsmanship and support of your teammates are both lessons that everyone at every age can learn from.

Even when she isn’t making history with her gymnastics moves, Simone Biles is proving to kids, and to all of us, that she is one of the greatest athletes of our time. Her focus on mental health, her support of her teammates, and her good sportsmanship are all incredibly important lessons that we can all learn from today. And for that, she will always be a GOAT to me.

What are your favorite lessons learned from Simone Biles?

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