[Strangler Lewis]

When I coached soccer or just taught stuff to my kids, my message was that you're going to have more fun trying to do something the right way than just screwing around. It's more fun running around and trying to kick the ball than standing around and letting your teammates take a beating. It's more fun trying to do the puzzle than throwing the pieces across the room. Etc.

I think you can have both versions of musical chairs (though I'm a Duck, Duck, Goose man myself). The "competitive" version is valuable because little kids--and a lot of big kids--lack a well developed sense that there is such a thing as the future, that you get to try again. These disappointments, whether it's losing at a game or letting the ice cream truck pass by, are good ways to instill the lesson that you can't have it your way all the time and that tomorrow is another day.