5 ways to make your day at the match a learning experience

You can give your child lots of opportunities to learn as they grow while doing your favourite things, including while watching your favourite team!

Opportunities to learn

Next time you’re at the match – whether it’s for weekend kids sport or something more pro, try involving your child in preparing for the outing. The important thing in the early years is to spend time together and to interact with each other through talking, singing, playing and reading.

Before the game

You can talk about the different things that need to be packed, what they’re used for and why you need them.

Remember to pack a few favourite books so you can share a story at half time or while you wait for the game to start.

At the game

When you’re at the match, share what you know about the rules and what the aim of the game is. Encourage your child to ask questions and to pick a team to support.

You can even take along some paper and crayons and let your little one score the match, create supporter signs or some drawings of the action. Add some words to their pictures.

At home

Another idea is to make a homemade book with photos about your experiences when you’re back home. This can then be shared over and over again or your child can use it to re-tell what happened to another adult in your family who couldn’t attend the game.