Are You Ready for Some Football?! Classroom Activities!

If you are a football fan like me, you want to celebrate the big game! If you aren't much of a football fan, maybe you have a classroom of students who are... Either way, here are some great activities you can use to have a fun, yet educational day in the classroom!

(In case you didn't know - this year's Super Bowl is on Sunday, February 5, 2012.)

Below you will find activities that you can do for each different subject area. Many of these I have done with my 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and Kindergarten classes. I might even try to sneak a few in for our 5th graders this year! ;)

Reading

• Have your students learn about the history of football with this short reading comprehension passage. It also includes eight multiple choice questions. Check it out here!
• Check out this FREE Sight Word Freddie resource on Teachers Pay Teachers. Great for PreK, K, and 1! Students practice sight words with a football player!
• Read a book about football to your class!

Math

• Show your students how to make paper footballs. Then "kick" the footballs. Have students measure them using inches, feet, yards, the metric system, or any way you want! Below is a picture of some of my former students throwing their "footballs". (They are Hutterite students - in case you were wondering about how they are dressed...) Click on the picture to see a video on how to make a paper football!

• Teach your students about Roman Numerals. Have them convert this year's Super Bowl or past years from regular numbers to Roman Numerals or vice versa!
• Take a classroom survey on which team will win the Super Bowl (Patriots or Giants - GO GIANTS! ;) You can do this in just your classroom, or even ask everyone in your grade level or school to participate. This is even more fun when you graph the results somewhere visible for all to see!

Social Studies

• Learn more about Super Bowl history or make a webquest using this link.
• This is one of my favorites! Students will plot where each of the NFL teams is located on a US map. You will need a US map and a copy of each team's helmet. From there, students will figure out each team is located. Click on the picture below for your answer key!

Writing

• Here is a GREAT K-5 writing activity I just came across on Tpt. It's from the Clutter Free Classroom.

Misc

• Have your students create a poster advertising the big game!
• Ask students to act out a 30 second commercial.
• Find more great activities for all subject areas HERE!

Of course you HAVE to let your students wear their football jerseys on the day you celebrate the Super Bowl! (I always told students to wear any team jerseys or t-shirts they had - not necessarily just football ones. That way more students could participate!)

Making Super Bowl treats is not a requirement, but it is definitely fun! There are a ton of different ways to make football-shaped or football-inspired foods!

Some years I celebrate on a Friday, while others I celebrate on a Monday. It just depends on how it falls with all of the subjects.

This day is especially fun for me because I often see boys who are not normally outgoing at school showing their classmates a great deal - especially when naming the NFL teams and the cities they are located in! It's just neat!!

Good luck, everyone! And good luck GIANTS!! =)

~HoJo~