Ah, March Madness. The stretch of the year when brackets bust, underdogs rise, and suddenly everyone in the house has very strong opinions about a 12 seed from a school they had never heard of two days ago.
The 2026 NCAA Tournament tips off with Selection Sunday on March 15 and rolls all the way to the Final Four in San Antonio in early April. For sports fans, it is pure chaos in the best way. For families, it can either be a lot of fun or a lot of eye rolls if not everyone feels included. The good news? With a little creativity, March Madness can turn into a family tradition instead of just background noise on the TV.
Start with a Family Bracket
Skip the office pool. This is prime family bonding time.
Print out simple brackets and let everyone fill one out. No expertise required. Younger kids can choose teams based on mascots, colors, or which logo looks the fiercest. Teenagers might follow a favorite player on social media. Adults can pretend they understand advanced stats. It all counts.
If the Oregon Ducks or Oregon State Beavers make the field (slim chance, but maybe?), that adds instant local excitement. Even if they do not, you can adopt a “family team” together and cheer them on for the whole tournament.
Keep the stakes light. Winner chooses the next family movie night, picks dessert one weekend, or gets to name the family group chat for a month. If you prefer digital, ESPN’s Tournament Challenge makes it easy to track everything in one place.
The best part? Upsets are constant. The person who picked based on “cool mascot vibes” might win the whole thing.
Turn Game Day into an Event
You do not need to watch every single game to make it fun. Pick a few key matchups and build mini celebrations around them.
Try themed snacks inspired by different schools. Blue and yellow fruit trays for a West Coast team. Southern-style sliders for a school from the SEC. Let kids help plan and prep. It turns screen time into hands-on time.
During halftime, set up a quick activity station:
- A soft basketball and laundry basket hoop in the hallway
- A quick free-throw contest in the driveway
- Poster-making for your chosen team
If someone in the house is not into sports, give them a different role. Commercial critic. Scorekeeper. Snack judge. Official family photographer. Everyone gets a job.
Add a Little Learning Without Making It Feel Like School
March Madness is full of great stories. Underdogs. Comebacks. Seniors playing their final games. It is a perfect chance to talk about resilience, teamwork, and handling pressure.
Share a few fun facts during timeouts. The tournament began in 1939 with just eight teams. Now it features 68, including automatic bids for conference champions. That alone can spark conversations about how sports have grown over time.
You can even tie it back to our own basketball culture here in Oregon. While Damian Lillard made his name in the NBA, he was once a college player chasing the same tournament dreams. For older kids, researching a standout player’s background can be a great mini project that feels more like storytelling than homework.
Grandparents often have the best tournament memories. Invite them to share stories of iconic games or legendary players they watched growing up.
Keep It Balanced
It does not have to be wall-to-wall basketball. Build in breaks. Head outside if the sun shows up. Work on a puzzle. Take the dog for a walk. Come back refreshed for the final minutes of a close game.
If the energy dips, pivot. Watch a quick highlight reel instead of a full game. Run your own backyard tournament with silly rules. First to five baskets wins. Loser does dishes.
The goal is connection, not perfection.
Make It a Tradition
March Madness is unpredictable, which is exactly why it works so well for families. There will be busted brackets. There will be groans. There will probably be at least one dramatic “I cannot believe that just happened” moment.
But there will also be shared laughs, inside jokes, and maybe a new annual ritual. A family bracket challenge. A themed snack night. A driveway championship game on the final weekend.
That is the real win.
So grab your markers, print those brackets, and let the madness begin. In a few years, your kids might not remember who won the title. They will remember how it felt watching it together.
Tiffany Wilson is a 42-year-old stay-at-home mom from Tigard, Oregon, raising three kids—Sophie, Noah, and Riley. She’s a warm, hands-on parent who mixes daily routines with creative fun, whether it’s a backyard scavenger hunt or building a blanket fort in the living room.
