As I’ve mentioned before, my Ben is quite the sports enthusiast. So, I thought I better get prepared with some preschool sports theme activities. Turns out there were a LOT to be found.
Seems like oodles of people are teaching little ones based on their interests—how awesome is that!
Through homeschooling my little ones, I have found that the best learning happens when a child is truly interested in a topic. But the topics that garner so much interest might not be the ones you expect! That’s why I came to embrace more child-led learning in our home, setting up little “sparks” here and there to see what ignites curiosity, leading them to explore, create, make, investigate, and learn all on their own.
I put together some of my favourite sparks for you to try in this free ebook: 20 Sparks to Ignite Child Led Learning! Grab your copy right here:
But back to sports! I believe we have a total of 43 ways to get those little ones moving and learning compiled for you right here.
And since I know little ones that like activities like this are not much for sitting around waiting for a Mama on a computer, I will get right to the goods!
Hope you find something here that is a perfect fit for your little one.
43 Sports-Themed Learning Games
Name Hockey – This hockey game was a blast. We focused on using Ben’s name letters, but like most of the activities listed here, you could easily adapt it for whatever your little one is currently working on.
Swat the ABC Balloons – Grab a tennis racket and practice letter names and sounds in a super fun way!
Hockey Game for Preschoolers by Learning is Messy – Kids work on letter names and letter sounds while playing a fun game of table hockey!
Ball Theme Alphabet Activity: Kick the Cup by Mom Inspired Life – Little soccer lovers will love exploring letter names and letter sounds with this game.
Alphabet Basketball by The Activity Mom – Get moving and transfer letters between baskets in this simple activity!
Name Basketball by Toddler Approved – Play a simple game of basketball with children’s names!
Teaching Word Families with Ping Pong Balls by Fun-A-Day – Make this even more active by encouraging kids to use a ping pong racket or golf club to knock the balls over.
Paper Football Sight Words by Sugar Aunts – A mini version of football that’s perfect for practicing sight words.
Basketball Addition by Life With Moore Babies – Solve math problems, or practice number recognition, with this homemade basketball game.
Sight Word Target Practice by I Can Teach My Child – Target and read sight words, then throw the ball!
Pompom Hockey by Learning 4 Kids – So many ways to explore early learning skills with this floor hockey game.
Verb Relay Race by Education.com – Grab a group of kids and have an old-school relay race, with a slight twist.
Sight Word Soccer by Coffee Cups and Crayons – Children can dribble, run, and kick the soccer ball while practicing sight words.
Rainbow Run by Little Family Fun – Learn more about rainbow colors while racing around the house (or outside)!
Spanish Verb Baseball by Spanish for You – This baseball-inspired game would be perfect for learning letters or sight words!
Bowling for Sight Words by Make, Take & Teach – Let kids see how many words they can knock down (and read!) in one shot.
Soccer Kick Sounds by JDaniel4’s Mom – Practice integrating sounds into words with this soccer-inspired activity.
Ice Play with DIY Mini Skating Rink by Plativities – Learn more about ice hockey with this seriously cool sensory play experience!
Gross Motor Phonics Game by Learn~Play~Imagine – Grab a hockey stick and puck, then work on letter sounds and blends!
Sight Word Basketball by Toddler Approved – Dribble the basketball from sight word to sight word, reading each one out loud.
Plastic Bottle Number Bowling by Learn with Play at Home – Kids can work on counting and number recognition with this fun bowling game.
Football Field Number Identification Game by JDaniel4’s Mom – Help children learn numerals as they deal with the penalty flag in football!
Name Broom Hockey by Toddler Approved – Who needs a hockey stick when you have a broom? Kids use the broom to make their names with hockey “pucks”!
Simple Throwing Games with Ping Pong Balls by Craftulate – Toss and sort ping pong balls while learning more about colors.
Sight Word Basketball Activity by Coffee Cups and Crayons – Dribble the basketball while reading sight words. This could be done with letters and numbers, too!
Letters and Sounds Football by Kindergarten Smorgasboard – Toss the football around while practicing letter names and letter sounds.
Earth Ping Pong by Carrots Are Orange – Play a handmade ping pong game while learning facts about the Earth.
DIY Basketball Game by Meaningful Mama – Kids can use this game to practice a variety of early learning skills!
Hockey Science by Creative Family Fun – Explore what will slide on ice with this science hockey game.
Number Knockdown by Discover Explore Learn – Practice soccer skills and number identification at the same time!
Hold Your Own Sports Day by In the Playroom – Have the kids help plan, set up, and run a sports day!
Frozen Ice Hockey Rink by 123 Homeschool for Me – I love how the kids made the hockey goal posts for this tiny ice hockey game!
Bath Games with Pool Noodles by Bath Activities for Kids (link no longer available) – Bring the sports to the bathtub with these fun and silly games.
Farthest – Welcome to the Burns Bowl by Teach Them to Fly – Explore the concept of ‘farthest’ while playing a football-inspired game.
Slam Dunk – Fun Math Games by JDaniel4’s Mom – Practice addition and subtraction facts while slam-dunking “basketballs.”
DIY Pompom Soccer Game by Kids Activities Blog – Make your own mini soccer stadium, then let kids work on speech development skills.
Let’s Play Color Ice Hockey by Teach Preschool – Let children explore colors while playing a mini game of ice hockey!
Fine Motor Alphabet Basketball Game by School Time Snippets – Love what the kids use for the alphabet basketballs!
Carpet Golf by Inner Child Fun – What a clever way to play golf inside the house. Letters, numbers, colors, or words could easily be added to this game, too!
10-Pin Addition by Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational – What an awesome way to incorporate math into a homemade bowling game!
Indoor Counting Croquet by Toddler Approved – Children play an engaging game of croquet while working on numbers 1 to 20.
Sight Word Basketball by Teaching Ace – Grab a group of kids, split them into teams, and play a basketball game centered on sight words.
Vocabulary Tennis by Jimenez STEM and Spanish – This sounds like a great way to practice vocabulary (and other skills) with a partner.
Skee Ball School Style by Yearn to Learn – Work on throwing skills, numbers, and addition with a homemade skeeball game.
There you have it, friends! Loads of ideas to get those busy little bodies up, moving, and learning too. After all, we learn so much better when we are engaged in what we are doing.
Hope you are having a lovely week friends!
Thank you for reading.
xo
Sarah
Thank you for sharing my Kick the Cup Alphabet Activity! I LOVE this round up! Pinning for future reference and sharing on my FB page.
It’s such a great idea Danielle, happy to include it! Thank you very much for pinning and sharing!