My nine-year-old son wanted a silly sports party to celebrate his birthday this summer. This was a very easy and incredibly fun party. At the end, one of the kids told me, “You always have the best parties!” This made me laugh because this particular party had only one expense: ice cream sundaes. It’s just one more example of the fact that you don’t have to spend money to have a good time.
First Things First
When the kids arrived, we had each of them write their name on a cup and clothespin it to a ribbon strung across the patio. I knew our guests were going to go through a lot of water at this August sports party, so this saved me hundreds of plastic cups!
Next, we had each child choose if they wanted to be on Team Mango or Team Banana. (I had yellow and orange fabric in my storage room. I cut it up into long strips for headbands. Teams Mango and Banana were born!)
With two teams, we were ready to compete.
Activities (Silly Sports)
Beach Ball Volleyball
We made a “net” by stringing yarn across the yard, then tying strips of crepe paper along the yarn, every two feet. We then played regular volleyball rules, but with a beach ball. It moves slower and doesn’t hurt your arms!
Crab Soccer
We played soccer using a giant beach ball. The kids all had to stay in crab position whenever they moved or kicked the ball. They could stand up and run get it if the ball went out of bounds. The entire fence on each end of the yard served as the goals. This was my 14-year-old son’s favorite game of the night. It’s quite challenging and very funny.
Crazy Baseball
We set up a baseball field in the yard using car mats as the bases. The ball was a soft knitted ball with stuffing inside about the size of a softball. The bats were a book, a spatula, a zucchini, a hockey stick, and a tennis racquet. Teams were required to use all the bats before they could repeat using one. The zucchini was especially funny. Some of the batters couldn’t stop giggling as they swung.
Stuffed Animal Dodge Ball
We strung a rope across the middle of the yard, then played dodge ball with stuffed animals. There were hippos and tigers flying everywhere. We put out two small rubber balls to give the teams more of a chance to “rescue” their players over in prison. If the prisoners could catch a ball in flight, they were freed and returned to the field. It was an epic battle of flying penguins and teddy bears!
Grand Finale
We ended the party with an ice cream sundae bar complete with whipped cream, gummy bears, and Oreo cookies. The birthday boy opened gifts, and the kids played a game of real soccer as their parents arrived for pick-up.
