Image by Maciej Ostasz from Pixabay.

Dad doesn’t have to be the only one who gets to watch professional sports, it can be fun for the whole family, even when your kids are young. It’s all about making the game exciting and fun on their level, whatever that might be for their ages and interests. What’s more, you can make watching NBA games a truly beneficial experience for your kids’ education, physical health, community involvement, and more. 

It’s been an amazing few years for the NBA and its players, and many of the highlights from the past decade of NBA: 2010-2020 have been monumental. Some of the most iconic moments in NBA sports over the past decade can be used to enhance the experience of watching the games and experiencing the sport of basketball as a family. 

How to Bring NBA Fan Spirit into Your Family Activities

NBA- and basketball-themed activities can mean more to your family when you look beyond simply watching the game on TV. Even teenage kids can get bored if there isn’t something more for them to engage with, but this is especially true with younger kids. The following are some ideas to make watching NBA games a fun and enriching family activity. 

Create a cool game based on NBA statistics. 

It can start as a fun arts-and-crafts activity, and turn into a game that your kids can play after every game. Create your own Draft Board with a whiteboard (buy one new or even visit a local thrift store to find a cheap, used board). You can even make your own magnetic dry erase board to make it easier to move things around on it. Let your kids decorate the edges, player labels, and magnets. After (or during) each game, update the player or team stats and everyone can stay engaged and in the loop on what’s happening. Who knows? It might even help your kids get a little bit more excited about math. For younger kiddos who might be a bit too little to understand basketball rules or player statistics, you can do a little DIY and make your own basketball games for them to play. You can make an easy NBA basketball board game for kids of all ages to play. 

Add an element of physical activity. 

With the rapid growth of technology over the past couple of years, screens are more accessible to kids than ever before. Many parents struggle to manage their kids’ screen time, and it can be a real challenge to get your kids outside and away from the gaming console or TV. When it’s not game day, however, you can use your family’s interest in the NBA and other pro sports to encourage your kiddos to get their wiggles out in some fresh air. There are lots of fun games kids can play with a basketball and hoop, if you have one. You can also take things a step further and get your children into fitness routines from an early age. If your kids have a favorite player like Lebron James, Google that player’s workout routine and modify it to fit your child’s age and fitness abilities. If they admire a player’s move, help them find YouTube tutorials to learn how they can do it themselves, like how to perfect your three-point shot. 

Encourage excitement around players. 

If your child finds a player or two that they admire, consider encouraging them to learn more about that person. You can help them create crafts or art that displays the player’s stats and special skills in the game. They can decorate it however they like, with stickers or glitter or fun-colored markers. Guide them toward thinking about ways their player is cool in addition to always being the first to go for the rebound or sink a slam dunk. For example, teach them about the importance of discipline in sports and talk together about how Stephen Curry applies it to his three-point game as well as his lifestyle. Ideas such as fitness, discipline, determination, teamwork, and good sportsmanship are all excellent ideas to use to build your child’s character while engaging with the sport of basketball and its players. Don’t forget to kit your family out in a baseball uniform of your favourite team to get really in the spirit!

Look beyond the game for a family-friendly community benefit.

Kids often find role models on their own, especially with sports. Unfortunately, these days some celebrities in sports leave a lot to be desired in the way of role model material. You can get ahead of this by making a list of players that you actually want your children to look up to, beyond just their contributions to the game. Select a list of the top players who also volunteer with or give to charities and are doing good things in their communities. You can even set up Google Alerts for these players so that you can keep your child informed of any recent things they’ve done. For example, if a player is focused on a particular cause, such as fighting kids cancer with Hoops for St. Jude week, you can find ways for your child to get involved locally.

Make fun basketball-themed game day snacks.

One of the most fun parts about game day is the snacks! Skip the chips and fatty dips, and instead, opt for healthier options that taste great and even reflect the theme of the day, basketball! You can create tasty and cool-looking appetizer trays with a basketball theme, decorate everyday snacks to coordinate with the sport’s equipment, or even add players’ jersey numbers to things to bring game day to your snack table. Many Pinterest users have shared some creative ideas for healthy basketball game day snacks, but a few healthy-ish, kid-friendly favorites are:

You can also draw the lines of a basketball on mini oranges or clementines, or put melon balls in a cup with basketball hoop lines on it for a healthy, fruit-centric basketball snack.