Football season is in full swing, which probably means you have some exciting plans to go tailgating at some point during the season. Tailgating can be a great way to have a blast with friends and family, but if you have children with you it can bring new challenges to the table. Luckily, there’s a few ways you can help the children in your life have just as much fun tailgating as the adults do. For many, these forms of entertainment may seem to cost a bundle, but there are a few ways that will allow you to cut the cost of entertaining the kids, so you can make sure your entire tailgating budget stay below your limit.
1. Go As a Group
It may seem like common sense to form a group when you plan on tailgating, but many families still try to go it solo. This can be tough if you have children to entertain. Having a group of people you know and trust with you will obviously increase the fun, but it will also make it much easier to keep an eye on the children. With an entire village helping you out, everyone will be able to relax and have a good time. Not to mention, when you go as group there will probably be more children. This will help make your kids feel more welcome at the party and will allow them to have fun with their peers, rather than having to hang out with adults all day. Activities are much easier to plan in groups as well, so you should be able to come up more games to keep everyone entertained. Not to mention, if you choose to go potluck style, everyone can bring a little bit of food, which will save on the overall budget.
2. Face Painting
Nothing boosts team spirit quite like painting up your face to show off your team’s colors. Of course, face painting is also a favorite among kids, which is why a simple face painting booth might help keep the little ones entertained while the adults hang out. You don’t have to do a whole lot in order to get the ball rolling on a face painting booth either. All you need is a table, some chairs and maybe a canopy if the sun is rather bright that day or if the weather is uncooperative. You can start the booth by having the kids mix up their own face paint. This is very inexpensive to do and is totally safe for the kids, so none of the other parents will have to stress out. Once this is done, the kids can take turns getting footballs, numbers, pom-poms or ever just colors painted. You may even want to work up a few stencils to make the job easier. Of course, for the kids who aren’t really ready to jump on the football bandwagon, you may want to have a few other stencils to appease them too. Once the kids are painted, you might want to offer them the chance to paint their parents for the big event too.
3. Design Shirts
Team spirt amplifies when you get to wear a shirt that shows off how you feel about your team. Making t-shirts is a great way to keep kids entertained too. Simply grab a few colored or white shirts to get started. You can pack t-shirt paint, permanent markers or whatever else you choose to help the children bring their team spirit to life on cloth. Once everyone is ready, let the kids get to work on slogans, team names, numbers and whatever else strikes their fancy. If you want to add some organization to the mix then try to get everyone to work on similar shirts, so the whole group can match. Once the children finish up with their own shirts they can start making them for the adults too. This activity may be one of the first you plan for though, as doing it early will give the shirts plenty of time to dry so they can be worn to the big game too.
4. Make Flags/Signs
Cheering on your number one team isn’t quite the same without an awesome flag or sign to draw even more attention to your cheers. Without a doubt, a sign or flag can be recognized from the stands, which may even get your group on the big screen at the game. You can use a variety of items for signs. For instance, rolled paper is perfect for huge signs that will be carried on days when the wind isn’t heavy. Poster board, cardboard and other basic supplies can be used here too. If you’re searching for a flag quality idea then use an old sheet for a huge flag or felt for individual flags. Once you have your flag or sign material, then let the kids get to work on painting cheers, numbers and other slogans. You may even be surprised by some of their creative ideas.
5. Bring a Football
If there’s one cheap and easy way to keep kids entertained during long periods of unscheduled time then it’s certainly a ball. If you’re in a parking lot that is slightly vacant or you are tailgating near a park, then you have the perfect way to keep the kids entertained for a few hours. You can come up with relay races, plays or even a simple game of catch with a football, which will bring smiles all around. With any luck, you may even be able to split into groups with kids and adults to host a full on game while the tailgating food is being prepared. This should help make tailgating a bonding experience that will make kids happy to participate every time. Of course, you might want to consider bringing an extra ball or two. Sometimes they go missing, get stuck in trees or you may have children of different age groups wanting to play.
6. Make Snacks
Another great way to keep kids busy involves asking them to help you out with some of the tailgating food. Snacks are an important part of the tailgating process, so you’ll want to have some creative ideas on hand to make everyone want to give your tailgating table a second look. You can base your snack time items on the age of the children helping you out. For instance, younger children might be better off mixing up colored icing and putting it on cupcakes or football shaped rice crispy treats. Older children can help with chopping or working with foods that have to be cooked. Of course, one easy idea for all ages is to have them decorate cookies. The fine motor skills needed will slow the children down, so you should be able to keep them occupied for some time.
7. Games
Without a few games on the agenda, you may as well say hello to tailgating chaos. Like the adults, children are going to want to be entertained, but they’re not going to be as satisfied with sitting around and talking. Games are a great option to help kids burn off some of that energy, while showing them that tailgating can be fun. One easy game to bring along with you is a beanbag toss. You can make one of these games yourself to save money, but you should also be able to find them in stores if you want to grab one on your way to the game. Since autumn is coming up, bobbing for apples might be a great option too and it will give the kids a healthy snack to munch on. Relay races are another fantastic idea too, especially since they will help kids run around before having to sit still for some time. You should be able to find tailgating ideas online or simply ask other families how they keep their kids entertained during the event.
8. Nap Zone
Nothing beats dealing with a two year old at a long football game when the toddler has missed out on a nap. Due to the excitement, they will fight sleep tooth and nail, which usually means working their hardest to drive you incredibly bonkers. This is why setting up a nap zone is incredibly important if you have younger children. The nap zone can be just about anywhere that you can lay a child down safely. You might consider bringing along a tent to making napping more appealing. You can also set up a fun bed in the back of a pickup truck. Just make sure an adult is always present since the sleep area will be open. In order to block out the sun you can use a simple canopy or build your own with a tarp. If one of the people in your group brought along an RV then this may actually be the best possible option, especially since you can monitor the temperature. After all of the entertaining, you may even feel tempted to hit the sack too, so you can make it through the rest of the game.
9. Locate Bathrooms
One of the toughest things about tailgating with children is the bathroom situation. If you don’t have an RV with a working bathroom, then you may find yourself making some emergency runs to fast food or convenient stores nearby. This, of course, usually means having to purchase something as well. The best way to remedy this dilemma is to drive around before you pick a space to tailgate. If there is an exterior bathroom at the stadium or even a park then you’re in a great place to tailgate with your children. However, if it’s going to be more than a couple minutes of a walk to get to the bathroom then you might be looking at a few accidents throughout the day. Some parking lots will luckily have port-a-potties too, but the wait in line can be ridiculous. If this is your only option then you may want to work on scheduling bathroom breaks to help prevent a problem.
10. Finger Foods
Even if you have the kids help you out with snacks, you’re going to want to have some finger foods on hand to help fight off hunger during the game. This doesn’t have to mean you should spend a fortune on portable snacks to keep your kids happy. Instead, have a little fun with it. For instance, you can make little sandwiches cut into footballs or football helmets. Another option is sliced fruit and veggies that can be laid out in a fun game day design. The classic snacks like chips will make things easy too, but you might consider baking your own. There’s many great finger food recipes available online too, so get creative with the snacks. These should help tide kids over until the main food event is finished cooking or until you can grab a hot dog at the game.
Tailgating with your children can be a world of fun, but there are some extra things you should keep in mind. With snacks, entertainment and a little extra attention to detail, you should be able to make tailgating weekends their favorite time of the year. These ten tips should help you find the resources you need to make the tailgating experience a success, without forcing you to dip into your budget.
