You’ve seen this movie before. The biggest (and last) game of the NFL calendar finally kicks off, and the first thing you hear is “when do the commercials start?” or the dreaded “I’m bored, can we watch something else?”
My knee-jerk reaction, and likely yours too, would be to sigh or roll your eyes. But don’t be to your kids what your parents were to you – the current generation of parents prides itself on being buddies with their kids, so make sure you are friendly with your responses. It’s easy to be buddies with your kid when you want to do what they want to do, but it’s a lot more challenging when you need to make something fun out of nothing and get them to play along, especially when it’s for four hours during a time of year when it’s not likely to be fun weather outside.
The easiest way to get them engaged is to keep it simple. Make every play seem fun, be Gus Johnson for a day. No one makes an incomplete screen pass sound as exciting as the Trail Blazers winning a championship the way Gus Johnson does.
Mr Johnson seems to follow a formula something like this –
“First and ten, from their own thirty-yard line. Justin Herbert drops back…HE’S UNDER IMMEDIATE PRESSURE! I DON’T THINK HE WILL GET AWAY, BUT HE DOES! HE SOMEHOW SURVIVED MULTIPLE RUSHERS AND THROWS THE BALL IN THE DIRT RIGHT AT HIS RUNNING BACK’S FEET! Incomplete pass, second down coming up.”
Make every play seem exciting. Say things like “I can’t believe that happened! WOW! Look at them go!” after every pass. Ask your kids if they think they can catch a ball running that fast, then try it out.
Move the furniture to make the game-day living room feel wide open. Encourage high fives and see if they can jump as high as you can hold your hand over your head. Then get on your knees and see if you can reach their hand if they raise it over their head. Even if you can, make it seem like a massive effort.
For today only, you can play sports in the house, but only if you watch the game. Get the Nerf and other foam balls out and toss them away from your high-priced TV. Play the catch-and-step game: stand close to each other and throw an object between you; the person who completes the catch takes a step back each time. Once you are at the max safe distance to keep playing, see how many consecutive catches you can record, then try to break that record. The more people involved, the tougher it gets!
Have small prizes, like gum or candy, and ask your kids to guess which receiver will catch the next pass. If they guess correctly, they win a prize. Guess wrong, and they have to put a prize back!
Take lots of breaks. Don’t be that person who can’t turn away from the screen except for commercial breaks; keep it fun and light. Ask your kids what they would do if they had super strength or super speed, and then show them one of these incredible athletes doing something great. If they weren’t interested in football before, they probably will be now.
Unfortunately, there is not a Nickelodeon broadcast of the game this year, so turning the Super Bowl into an animated version just for kids is not an option, at least not by normal means. But that means you’ll have to find your own ways to keep your kids’ attention rather than letting them stare at a rectangle they hold in their hands for four hours.
Things to note:
Super Bowl kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 pm, but pregame performances and introductions could push that closer to 4 pm.
Halftime shows are usually around 30 minutes. Bad Bunny headlines this year’s performance.
Charlie Puth will perform the national anthem, Brandi Carlile will perform America the Beautiful, and Coco Jones will perform Lift Every Voice and Sing.
Overtime has only happened twice in the Super Bowl, so it’s not likely to end after 8 pm, but stranger things have happened, so be prepared if you manage to convert at least one of your kids to a football fan, but now they want what every kid wants on a school night – stay up past bedtime.
No matter what action you take, have fun with it. Kids laughing make any situation better. And if the game is a snooze-fest, give the TV a rest and find something more fun to do. Keep it fun and don’t force it.
Casey Mabbott is a husband and parent first, and also an experienced and dedicated writer and researcher. Born and raised in the Portland area, when Casey is not spending time with his family gallivanting around Portland and the surrounding areas, he genuinely enjoys helping people (especially families) find the “hidden gems” in the Pacific Northwest. In today’s world of lightning fast information at our fingertips, it’s truly a wonder to stumble across a place, an experience, or an activity you’ve never heard of.
