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Turn Grands into Fans: Passing Down the Love of Sports

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Passing down a love of sports to your Grandkids really isn’t that hard. If you’re a sports fan, no matter which sport is your pick, here are some ways to share your love of your favorite sports with your Grandkids. 

Sharing the love of sports with kids

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Passing Down the Love of Sports

Not everyone loves sports, but for those who do, wouldn’t it be great to pass down the love of sports to your Grandkids?

As an all-in, die-hard Cardinals fan, baseball is the best sport in the world.  Or maybe that’s just me. 

If I’m going to spend time watching, it’s going to be baseball.

Football is a rough sport.  I have to admit, I cringe when I hear those helmets banging and see some of the take-downs. 

But for those who are football fans, there must be a reason.

Hockey?  Well, the unnecessary roughness, smacking opponents into the glass, and the frigid temperature of ice rinks, in general, have doused my interest. 

Except in 2019 when our world-famous St. Louis Blues were in the Stanley Cup Playoffs…

But! If you’re a sports fan, no matter which sport is your pick, here are some ways to share your love of your favorite sports with your Grandkids.

sports balls

Watch together

Easy, peasy, and the simplest way.  Get together to watch the game. 

Time spent together, sharing a similar interest, can strengthen the bond between you and your Grand.

Talk about your favorite teams

Ok, all true sports fans have a favorite team.  Did I mention the St. Louis Cardinals?

Discussing teams and players with your Grands can give them insight into the reasons you favor one team over another. 

It may just be that you grew up in the area, or maybe your grandpa was a fan, your dad was a fan, and now you’re a fan.

Mitch Rubin writes in the Washington Post:  “I’ve been a Yankees fan for as long as I can remember, the youngest in a line of four generations. My earliest memory is of my dad coming home from a 1978 playoff win over the Kansas City Royals, having lost his voice. From that point on, memories of Yankee games are intertwined with thoughts of my dad.” 

Read more from him here in this article.

It may be that you love ballpark hot dogs, or you just love the color of their jerseys. 

It might be their sportsmanship, their ability to play as a team, or the leadership from their management or quarterback. 

Sharing why you’re a fan and love your team is an awesome way of passing down a love of sports to kids .

Sharing a love of sports - baseball

Wear your team jersey

Show your team spirit by wearing your team jersey, especially on game day. 

Dressing in your team’s apparel will get you in the mood to cheer your team to victory!

Skype or FaceTime during or after the game

If you aren’t in the same area, but share a love for the same team, you can watch it together this way.

Even if you don’t share the love for the same teams, you can call after to talk about how your own teams fared.

If you don’t share the love of the same teams, and they are playing against one another, well, that would be a fun thing to share!

Consider using WiFi to bring you together for a love of sports.

Here’s a guide to using FaceTime in case you’re unfamiliar with how it works. 

You can even FaceTime on your Apple Watch if you have one. 

If you don’t have one, that might be something to add to your wishlist!

Attend Games

Of course, the best way to pass down a love of sports is to be in attendance! 

Whether it’s a local high school game, a Major League game, or a college game, going there together is great fun! 

Introducing your Grand to sports by actually going to a game can foster a life-long love of sports.

Your Grandkids may even be old enough to play on a team themselves. 

Make every effort to attend if and when you can. 

Showing your support by attending their games will boost their confidence and they’ll appreciate your interest.

Read books about your favorite sport

If you’ve been a subscriber to this blog for any length of time, you know I’m an advocate for reading to your Grandkids

One of the ways to foster a love of reading in your Grandkids is to read about an interesting subject.

Sports, teamwork, courage, determination, and dedication are just a few of the qualities that are discussed in sports books.

You can pass down the love of sports to your Grandchildren by reading books about your favorite sports.

Share your own sports history

Were you on the football team in high school?  Did you play Little League Baseball? 

Tell your Grandkids about your accomplishments. 

You may or may not have an impressive sports history, but sharing your experiences can encourage your Grandchild’s interest.

Share stories about the lessons you learned. 

Stories about being a good sport, trying your best, or dealing with losses can have an impact on them. 

Whether or not you were a star athlete doesn’t matter. 

Learning about you and your experiences can make a difference for a child.

Pass Down the Love of sports to your Grandkids. 

Sharing your interests with your Grandkids is one more way to make strong connections. 

Strengthen family bonds and

Keep Passing Down the Love,

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Teresa

Wednesday 10th of January 2018

What memories I have as a child of my grandparents watching the Cardinals play when we would visit them in St. Louis. They knew all of the players well and they even took us to a game one time. That game is a special childhood memory. Thank you for sharing this with us Kimberly at the #BloggingGandmothersLinkParty! I pinned to my grandparenting board!

Kimberly

Thursday 11th of January 2018

Cardinals fans are the best fans in Baseball! (Of course) I'm proud to be a fan and to share MY love of baseball with my Grands! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your memories! --Kim

Lisa Carpenter

Wednesday 10th of January 2018

Fabulous tips, Kimberly! My three (long-distance) grandsons are huge sports fans, thanks to their dad's side of the family, I must admit. (Grandpa on that side is a college basketball coach.) Jabbing one another over sports is a fun pastime for us all. My husband and I are Broncos fans — despite this season! — and they're die-hard AZ Cardinals fans. Baseball is Rockies vs. D-Backs (though my St. Louis-born hubby will forever root for Cardinals in baseball).

Fun post! Great to "meet" you in the midlife group!

Kimberly

Wednesday 10th of January 2018

Ah, Lisa. You husband is justified in his love for the Cards! :) But it is fun to watch a sports family "get along" over the games... Thanks for taking time to read and comment!

penpen

Tuesday 2nd of January 2018

The grandpa I'm married to has found this a loving and rewarding way to bond with his grandson--especially over their mutually beloved game of soccer. He makes his way to many of his grandson's games (even tho my grandson lives in a city an hour's plane ride away) and always knows what to send for birthday and holiday gifts: a team jersey, be it Manchester United or Bundeslinga. I jsut wrote a post on my blog about bonding with a granddaughter one yoga asana at a time. Of course, it doesn't have to be sports or a grandchild--but for many of us, sports are an easy way to connect.

Kimberly

Tuesday 2nd of January 2018

You're so right. Even if you aren't fans of the same team, sometimes the teasing, excitement and rivalry is a way to bond. And I did yoga with my mom and my sister for several years. I still cherish that time we spent together! Thanks for visiting and commenting!

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