It's always fun to celebrate your own child's accomplishments with praise, treats and small gifts, but when your child is involved in a team sport, there's great opportunity to celebrate the efforts of everyone as well. Doing so means you'll not only all have a fun time, but it will help to reinforce to your child that when you're a part of team everyone plays a part–win or lose–and that each member of the team deserves recognition for the success of the whole. So the next time your child's sports team wins a game against a rival or makes it to a championship round, consider doing something special in honor of the whole team. Keep reading for a few fun and easy-to-plan ideas.
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Take everyone out for a special meal. Don't worry, I'm not suggesting you take 30 eight-year-olds out to a nice restaurant. For most kids, a group trip to a pizzeria or a sub shop with all of their friends is an awesome treat. So round 'em all up and head on over after the big game. If you're not sure where everyone likes to eat, ask your own kid for a suggestion.
Make a mementos collage. Collect mementos from each game, competition, etc., and make a collage to remind the team of all the hard work they put in and what it all resulted in. You can do it bulletin board style or even as a framed poster–either adding to it each week as the season progresses or presenting a completed version to them at the end of the season. Something visual will serve as a lasting and impactful reminder of their accomplishments, and may even serve to inspire kids that join the team in subsequent years.
Throw a party. If you have the space in your home or backyard, a big party with all the kids, coaches and parents would be an awesome way to celebrate the end of a season (regardless of its outcome). You can do a barbecue, a potluck, an outdoor sleepover for the kids, etc. Or if you'd like to celebrate the beginning of a season, maybe host a movie screening where you show an inspirational flick about the sport your child plays–think The Mighty Ducks, Bend It Like Beckham, The Bad News Bears and the like.
Go on a "fun" sports outing. Since we're talking about kids who probably enjoy being active, organize a fun, casual, active outing for them. Batting cages, bowling, go-karting, laser tag, and trampoline play are usually popular with a lot of different age groups and these days there are often great deals for them on short-sale sites like Groupon and Amazon Local. There are even a lot of indoor play facilites where kids can do all of these activities in the same place.
Image via Suzie Tremmel/Flickr
