Creative Ways to Keep Kids Happy at Sports Events | ages 7-12

The older my kids get, the harder it is for me to find activities that don’t involve electronics. My girls LOVE to read and most of the time that will occupy SOME of their time. BUT when they aren’t the one on the field, I get a lot of “I’m BORED, can I get on your phone?!?”

If you are a parent with multiple kids and one or more of them are in some type of sport, then you have probably had the almost impossible task of keeping someone “happy” during a game or practice. We have come up with some activities to pass the time that we hope you and your kids will like!

This is a three part series for different age groups and today we are focusing on 7-12 years old.

Here are 8 creative ways to keep kids happy at sports events:

Doodle Books: Most kids love to create and this will keep them busy for at least a few minutes. I love our doodle books that has prompts for them to draw. My kids have these two books that they love: Do You Doodle? and Oodles of Doodles
Sudoku: Have them exercise their minds! 😉 Here’s a book for kids: Sudoku Puzzles for Kids
Etch-a-Sketch: Etch-a-Sketch has been around forever and is a fun way to pass the time! Here’s a Pocket Etch A Sketch that’s easy to keep on hand.
Give them a Camera: Have them take pictures and try to capture that amazing play. If you have a smart phone then that’s all you need! Check out some great apps to use for action shots HERE.
Have them keep score and stats on players
Rubik’s Cube: Go old school! Give them a puzzle that doesn’t take up a lot of space and won’t fall apart.
A new book is a good way to keep them occupied and learning! Here is a list of beginning chapter books for 7 & 8 years old from Imagination Soup. Don’t forget your public library is always a great place to find new books! 🙂
If your kids like to play “I Spy” or the license plate game, then chances are they like “Where’s Waldo.” We have put together a pretty generic game of “Find the Fan” that you can print and take with you! Get a FREE download version below! This printable will work for younger kids closer to 7 but maybe not for the older kids. Have the older kids come up with a harder version!