Most kids absolutely love sports and why wouldn’t they? You get to run around like a crazy person, you get to show off, you get to mercilessly beat your mates and you get to look like the king of the playground if you’ve got even a little bit of talent. When it comes to toddlers, sports are all about expending energy and behaving in the craziest way that you can. Older children, however, have a much better grasp of the rules and the personal qualities necessary to be good at a particular sport.
Sport should be an important part of life for all children, no matter their age. It teaches them good manners and how to take care of their body. It helps them to understand the nature of health and achievement. Sport helps children to become good people. So, if you’ve got little ones who are absolutely mad about sport – by all means, indulge that passion. Why not throw a sports themed party for their next birthday?
Little Olympics
This a great idea for younger children who can’t really follow the rules involved with games like football, cricket or tennis. It’s a great way to expend energy and it’ll make sure that all of your guests are thoroughly exhausted by the time you hand them back to their parents, say the experts at ActivityVillage.co.uk. This kind of party does need to be held in a backyard, so it’s best to hold it when it’s hot outside. Keep the ‘Olympic’ games fairly simple - you don’t want to alienate anybody or make your guests feel left out if they can’t ‘compete’ well. A home made long jump is bound to be a popular activity with guests and it’s easy to set up too. It’s a bit messy but it doesn’t involve anything that can’t be reversed once the party is through. Gather a lot of old, fluffy blankets and arrange them in a column shape in the garden. Cover them with lots and lots of sand. Alternatively, you could ask to borrow a few gymnastic mats from the local school. Voila – you have your very own (safe) long jump. Don’t forget to spread footballs, bean bags, softballs and hula-hoops about your yard. Decorate the space with brightly coloured flags of the world and let guests pick which country they want to compete for.
Sports Day
Why not create your very own sports day? You could hold it in the backyard and it’s bound to cost next to nothing. After all, all they’ve got at official sports days is a few beanbags, a couple of sacks and some eggs and spoons. You could replicate that with not much effort or expense at all and the kids are guaranteed to love it, says NetMums.com. With the help of DNA Kids a sports party is very easy to organise. Be careful when it comes to encouraging competition between guests – you do want them to compete but you don’t want anybody to feel upset or left out. Set up some race tracks in the back yard and think up an afternoon’s worth of activities with which to fill them. There’s the sack race, the egg and spoon race, the three legged race and the crawl like an elephant race. Well, that’s one made up but nobody said that you can’t have some fun when coming up with the activities.
Team Games
If you want to throw a sports themed party that isn’t based on individual competition but team spirit, why not host a team game day? Guests could play basketball, football, netball, cricket and any other team sport that you can think of, says Ask.com expert Randy McCreary. It doesn’t have to be expensive either, especially considering the fact that most sports mad kids already own most of the equipment necessary for team games. A footie mad child is likely to already have a pair of football goals – inflatable or otherwise. The same goes for kids who love basketball and tennis – more often than not, sports mad kids are already well equipped. Make sure that the teams are always different, you must change them after every game. If you don’t, there might be fighting or taunting when the games get serious. Encourage healthy competition but try to make sure that the party stays lighthearted and fun.
Author Bio: Martin Franklin is a professional party planner and father to two very competitive twin boys. He can usually be found blogging about his work or wrestling with his sons in the back yard. He recommends www.dnakids.co.uk for help and advice on how to throw a successful sports themed party.