The Most Competitive 3 Year Old

I have been concerned quite some time with my 3 year old who is highly competitive. He is my first son as my first born is a girl and then my last born is a boy, I just hope this attitude is unique to AJ because if I have a second boy this highly competitive we are sure to have some battles in our home!

AJ is not just competitive in the way you may think, such as always having to win at a game, be the first finished brushing his teeth or the first dressed, no he is the type of child who has to win at everything and everything he owns is bigger and better than yours. I have to laugh because his attitude is seriously funny when you think about a three year old responding to tell you that “my muscles are the biggest” after you tell him his muscles are getting bigger or when the snow plow guy is out there plowing our driveway and you tell him to watch that big truck and he responds “Daddy’s truck is bigger than that one”. I mean that is hilarious, however it does cause concern in my mind that his overly competitive attitude will create  poor sport and lack of team spirit which we all know is a much needed skill when we attend school and grow up to work in our careers or jobs.

I am uncertain how to work with AJ on his highly competitive attitude, I know that allowing him to lose instead of always trying to let him be the first to win at everything will help him learn that it is okay to not have the biggest, not be the first winner on Mario Kart and so forth. At the same time I am guilty of not wanting to see his melt downs and they are not just melt downs like a normal child that will throw himself down and get over it. AJ has a very bad attitude and anger problem that we are all working with him on, but he has a tendency to beat you or kick at you, throw things when he doesn’t get his way or he loses.

I can’t believe that any of my children would have this type of attitude because I am far from having this personality and my husband is so laid back that I doubt AJ gets it from him. So I think I may quite possibly have the most competitive 3 year old in the world or as AJ would put it “Me bigger and faster than yours”.

What are some activities that can be played with AJ or tasks, routines set forth that will help increase his team spirit and lose that highly competitive attitude? Would love some advice!