Since Game Day may be happening at home instead of in the stadiums and at tailgate parties, that means it might include the kiddos. We found some creative football-themed fun to help kids take part in the festivities or stay entertained while the game is on.
Kennedy kids cheering on the Dawgs
Gator Bowl
Football
Wrap full water bottles with paper and decorate them as Gators (you can have the kids do this as a craft or draw them yourself and tape to bottles in advance). Line the Gators up on one side of a room either in a group of nine, like you would in bowling, or in a group of 11 to represent 11 players on a football team. Then tape a line on the floor across the room as the spot from which the kids will bowl. About five feet away would be good for younger kids. If you have older kids or adults playing, you can move farther back. Each player has four tries (representing each down), to knock down all the Gators by rolling a football at them.
Balloons
Referee Balloon Pop
(Prep this before the party!)
What you’ll need:
Black and white balloons, not inflated (to represent the colors of referees’ uniforms)
Small strips of paper to fold and put in the balloons
A large garbage bag to hold the inflated balloons
Prizes or treats to use in game
A whistle
First, come up with some creative ideas for “scores” and “penalties” to write on the strips of paper. A score paper might say: “Field Goal! You get a cookie!” or “First Down! You get another turn.” or “Touchdown! Pick a prize from the prize box.” Penalty slips might be things like “Personal foul! You have to clean up all the popped balloons.” or “Offsides! You have to help wash/dry the dishes.” Before inflating the balloons, fold the slips of paper and put one in each balloon, alternating colors. Once the balloons are inflated, place them all in a large garbage bag. At random intervals throughout the football game/party, blow the whistle like a referee and dump the balloons into the room. Kids must choose a balloon, pop it and remove the note to reveal whether they win a score or have to perform their penalty.
Lego football
LEGO® Football
To make the football: Take a sheet of paper(construction paper works best) and cut a 2 ½ x 6 inch strip. Fold a corner of the paper towards the opposite edge to form a right triangle.Flip the triangle over its top side. Continue folding the paper until you’ve reached the top. Tuck the last triangle (it may not be a whole triangle) into the “pocket” of the football. For true authenticity, color the triangle and draw laces on both sides to make it look like a football.
Build a football field goal on a platform using LEGOS® bricks and a building platform. Players will “kick” field goals by flicking the football through the air and between the uprights with their fingers! For an extra challenge, use a page of football field scrapbook paper with yard lines and end zone marks to vary the distance of the “kicks.” It’s good to make extra paper footballs, as they have a tendency to go astray of the field and find their way behind furniture. A crowd of LEGO® mini-figures standing by as a cheering section also adds to the fun. Who wouldn’t want Batman or Han Solo on the sidelines?!
