Making the Super Bowl Super Fun for Kids

When I think of Super Bowl parties, I have to admit I get images of beer guzzling and colorful language. Which can be lots of fun. But what if you’re including kids at the party?

Here are some kid-friendly ideas to go alongside the adult partying:

GAMES. Kids get pretty bored with watching men – even helmeted men — running back and forth on TV for hours. They need games of their own that they can actually participate in. One way to address this is simply to have games that have nothing to do with the happenings on your TV screen. Another idea is to give kids a way to interact with the game itself. Play Super Bowl bingo. Bingo cards can include players, coaches, sportscasters, team apparel… anything you want! Each time a kid spots something from her Bingo card, she can fill in a square, until someone gets BINGO! Another game is a spinoff from one we used to play in the car. We used to look at signs along the road, trying to spy the letters of the alphabet in order. With so much action on your TV set, your kids will have lots of opportunities to catch letters popping up on the screen.

FOOD. No beers, of course, Chips are fine. But what about food that kids enjoy making. Homemade pizzas allow kids to choose their ingredients and watch their own individual pie being made. Fruit sticks. Put out a bunch of fruits and a pile of toothpicks. Let the kids build their own combinations and then pop them in their mouths. And, of course, the tried and true cookie-decorating activity. Choose sugar sprinkles in team colors. Allow kids to choose add-ins from an array of chocolate chips, coconut, peanuts, cinnamon-sugar sprinkles or your own special concoction.

Enjoy the party!