6 Ways to Celebrate Super Bowl Sunday With Kids

By Kelly Green
Posted Jan 23, 2019 Parenting Just For Fun

Football fan or not, Super Bowl Sunday offers family bonding at its absolute best – from the delicious food to friendly wagers to themed decorations and activities.

If your team made it to this year’s event, then all the better. But, if you’re like most of us, you’ll need some great ideas to keep everyone engaged while the game is on. 'Tackle' this round up of fun game day suggestions and you’ll score major points with the entire family!

Getting Football Ready 

In our family, my husband is the true sports fan and he has tried really hard to get the rest of us involved. One tactic that’s worked well is sharing personal interest stories about specific players. Feeling like we “know” a player has made us more interested in how that player and ultimately, his team, are playing each season.

Seek out LIII Super Bowl players who offer positive, age-appropriate messaging. Do a quick on-line search of the player beforehand, if unsure. In the week leading up to the Big Game, check your local TV listings for game-related documentary-style programming (we love ESPN’s “30 for 30”), read articles together online at CBS Sports and ESPN or in the Sports section of your local newspaper, and tune in to the CBS Pregame Show prior to the Super Bowl broadcast. Talk about a teachable moment, players’ stories often include the obstacles they overcame to get to where they are today and the teamwork required to give them the success they’ve achieved.

Psyche up the little ones in your family by checking out children’s books on football from your local library, giving them the 411 on how to properly throw a football, or teaching them a couple of basic football plays. 

My First Book of Football: A Rookie Book (A Sports Illustrated Kids Book)

Kid-friendly Snacks and Recipes

Ready, Set, Eat! No need to be fancy – it’s all about the sandwiches, pizza and sliders on Football’s Favorite Sunday. This is the one night where overindulging on dips, finger foods and wings reigns supreme. This gal originally hails from Buffalo, NY so I take my chicken wings pretty seriously. Unless you have a special relationship with your local wing joint, I suggest skipping carryout altogether and making your Buffalo wings at home. It’s rare for kids to love wings on the first try so play around with the heat or offer them a boneless option. Fill those tummies with other delicious eats like Loaded Tater Tot Skewers, Pigskins in a Blanket, Touchdown Taco Dip and for a healthy alternative, the easier-than-you-think-to-make Watermelon Helmet. Or let the kids pitch in to make some of these yummy snacks.

Wash it all down with referee striped bottled waters or set up a drink station. You won’t have any trouble keeping everyone hydrated.

And don’t forget dessert! 

• Round up a cookie cutter in the shape of a football and use it for this delightful cookie recipe, Rice Krispie treats or on a batch of delicious brownies.
• Forego regular nachos for these Apple ones.
• Go ALL OUT with this Ultimate Brownie Sundae Super Bowl Snack Stadium. This one takes a bit more prep but the cheers you’ll receive for making it will be worth it!

Game Day Rice Krispie Treats by That's What Che Said

DIY Decorations

Obviously, if your team made it to the Super Bowl, it’s easy to find plates, napkins and more with your team’s logo at your local party store or supermarket. But, if you’re more the DIY type and want to get the kids involved, here’s some inspiration.

• Craft an easy football table cloth for all of that delicious food and drink.
• Get game day ready with these paper chain decorations or foam football pennants.
• Cheer on your team today (or everyday) with these fun pom poms!
• Dress up your Super Bowl fare – from labeling food and beverage items to offering drinks in football-themed mason jars to laying out napkins in penalty flag colors.

Football Themed Mason Jars by Mason Jar Crafts Love

Football-Themed Games 

None of the above keeping your kid’s interest? 

Give them a chance to show off their I-Spy skills! Have them search for items or objects during the game starting with letters of the alphabet. To make it challenging, designate a section of the alphabet each quarter. (1st Quarter: A-G, 2nd Quarter: H-M, 3rd Quarter: N-S, 4th Quarter: T-Z) For example, in the first quarter, a football would count, in the third a quarterback and if there's a commercial with a horse in the second, you can count that too. Have each member of the family keep track to see who finds the most words!

Improve your football lingo (and teach young ones about the game) with these fun Super Bowl Bingo cards. If you’re nuts about bingo like our family is, you’ll also enjoy these commercial bingo cards.

Have older kids and need a tougher challenge? Break up into teams and try to figure out which NFL team matches these clues from Care.com (Don't worry: there’s an answer key.) 

Super Bowl Bingo Cards by Play. Party. Plan. Blog

Friendly Wagers

As mentioned above, certain members of our family have an unfair advantage when it comes to football trivia. So, we opt for a football prediction bracket to level the playing field a bit. Last year, our youngest daughter took home the prize! Football pools where you fill in squares are perfect for larger groups. Follow instructions to print out and create your own football pool.

Football Pool Poster by Living Locurto

Halftime Fun

For us grownups, commercial-viewing and halftime shows are a must as they generate the best water cooler conversations for the next day. But that type of viewing is not always ideal for the younger set.

For larger gatherings, try a more active halftime activity and give those patient viewers a chance to exert bottled-up energy with a rousing game of two-hand touch football in the backyard. No experience necessary.

Just Mom, Dad and the kids – no problem! Throw the ball around in the backyard, run a few plays - just make sure someone keeps an eye on the TV to ensure everyone gets back in time for the second half.

For chillier climates, encourage the kids to stage their own halftime show while you stock up on more yummy treats (this is also the perfect time to roll out dessert or send smaller kiddos to bed.)

Turn Super Bowl LIII into an epic celebration the family will be eager to do again next year!

Check out #FamilyGoals: 3 Family Resolutions for the New Year {And How to Keep Them} for more great suggestions on ways to connect and bond as a family this year.

Tags: Super Bowl Sunday Kids Family DIY Crafts Recipes Games Decorations Party

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