Sports encourage kids to be physically active. Participating in athletics also helps kids learn about team dynamics, healthy competition and good sportsmanship. If your child is a serious sports fanatic, here are 101 family activities to further develop their love of athletics:
- Join community sports programs.
- Attend a Major League Baseball game.
- Visit the Hockey Hall of Fame.
- Paint a sports wall mural in their room.
- Buy sports bedsheets.
- Sign them up for summer sports camps.
- Root for college basketball teams.
- Read sports books together.
- Discuss positive sports role models.
- Play sports-themed board games.
- Play Wii Sports.
- Organize a birthday party at a sports complex.
- Visit the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- Attend the Little League World Series.
- Watch your favorite teams during spring training.
- Support high school athletes.
- Practice victory dances.
- Turn your backyard into a soccer field.
- Collect baseball caps.
- Take selfies in front of sports stadiums and start a scrapbook.
- Collect trading cards.
- Create a sports-themed photo collage.
- Install an outdoor basketball hoop.
- Try a new sport together.
- Volunteer to coach their team.
- Write funny sports haiku.
- Take a sports-themed vacation.
- Stay in a sports-themed resort or suite.
- Cheer loudly and proudly for your kids, win or lose.
- Teach your kids about teamwork.
- Volunteer to help special-needs kids enjoy sports.
- Raise money with sports-themed fundraisers.
- For a little sports fanatic, print out sports-themed coloring pages.
- Add his name to the back of a favorite team’s jersey.
- Dress her up as a famous athlete for Halloween.
- Subscribe to a kids’ sports magazine.
- Personalize sporty headbands.
- Run the bases after an MLB game.
- Organize a neighborhood field day.
- Watch a sports-themed family movie together.
- Take a family fitness class.
- Let your kids be the experts and teach you their favorite sport.
- Learn about sports science at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA.
- Organize a neighborhood sports trivia night.
- Sign up for a tour of a local team’s stadium.
- Collect team jerseys.
- Host a Super Bowl party.
- Bake sports-themed cupcakes.
- Tour the Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Visit the Football Hall of Fame.
- Go to a WNBA game.
- Play tennis.
- Take a family bike ride.
- Go hiking.
- Sign up for a family swim club.
- Find a fun indoor sport to keep active in the winter.
- Decorate their play area with sports-themed bean-bag chairs.
- Sign up for a family fun run in your community.
- Make a jersey quilt from their old team shirts.
- Tailgate in a kid-friendly manner.
- Turn an away game into a weekend getaway.
- Face-paint sport logos.
- Create personalized sports trading cards.
- Play catch in the backyard.
- Support your local minor-league baseball team.
- Set monthly sports challenges with achievable goals.
- Use a dry-erase board to track weekly practices and games.
- Learn about Sports Safety and Kids.
- Encourage balanced fitness.
- Join in a free-throw contest.
- Find a sports mentor to develop skills.
- Thank a favorite coach on National Coaches Day.
- Donate old sports gear.
- Visit the Louisville Slugger Museum and learn how baseball bats are made.
- Make healthy snacks for halftime.
- Tour The College Basketball Experience.
- Learn to ski.
- Drive a race-car simulator at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
- Tie-dye spirit wear.
- Set up a volleyball net in the backyard.
- Combine his love of sports with scouting and help him earn athletic merit badges.
- Sign up for a bike-safety course.
- Train for a mini-triathlon.
- Use sports action figures to teach game rules and player positions.
- Play Ultimate Frisbee.
- Combine two sports for a fun new game. Try soccer basketball.
- Have fun with bubble soccer.
- Learn juggling to improve hand-eye coordination.
- Run a family March Madness pool.
- Set up a pop-up hockey game in your driveway.
- Visit local batting cages.
- Learn how golf instruction can teach life skills.
- Have her become a kids’ sports reporter.
- Set up a kids’ sports page to detail athletic ambitions and achievements.
- Invest in a good camera to snap action shots.
- Encourage the kids to keep sports diaries.
- Watch entertaining and hilarious sports stunts on YouTube.
- Have them cast their votes for the Kids’ Choice Sports Awards.
- Install a behind-the-door mini-basketball hoop.
- Bring a Sharpie to all sporting events to collect autographs.
- Ask about first game certificates each time you visit a sports venue.
How do you show your team spirit? Tell us in the comments!
Jennifer DiGiovanni is a freelance writer who has written for various publications.
