13 super-fun Sports Birthday Party Ideas for Kids (that they’ll love)

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Does your kid love sports? And do they have a birthday coming up? In this article we share 13 sports birthday party ideas to help inspire and make organizing the party easier.

This is a part of our series on birthday party ideas to help make it easier for parents to organize a birthday party for their kids. You may also like our Winter Birthday Party Ideas for Kids, and Birthday Party Ideas for 5 year olds.

Sports birthday party ideas for kids
Sports Birthday Party Ideas


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List of Sports Themed Birthday Party Ideas (for Kids)

Below are a variety of sports birthday party ideas. Yes, they’re for kids, but honestly they can easily be tweaked for adult parties too. We’ll focus on kid-friendly versions in this article though.

Plan ahead and try to think through of everything you’ll need, and keep the children’s safety in mind.

For instance, make sure you bring plenty of water for the kids to drink, especially if they’re playing outside on a hot summer day. And make sure that each kid participating has the proper safety gear for whatever type of sports party you’re having.

And don’t assume that all the kids will know how to play the sport. Perhaps give a quick introduction to the sport at the beginning of the party and remind them to emphasize having fun. It is a party after all.



Host a Baseball birthday party or softball party

Baseball birthday party - can be a fun sports birthday party for kids

Tons of kids love baseball and there are lots of ways to have fun baseball-themed parties.

You can get baseball cake toppers, baseball birthday banners, baseball napkins, plates, etc… There are a lot of baseball birthday decorations out there.

What’s nice about this option, is that you don’t necessarily have to rent a field. You can probably just go down to your local school field on the weekend and play there for free.

The kids could play a game of catch, organize a home run derby or play 500-up.

(We call it 500-up, but you may call it something different. It’s where one batter tosses the ball up to herself and hits the ball into the air toward the field where the other kids are standing, waiting to hopefully catch the ball. Before the batter hits the ball they call out a number – such as 100 – that corresponds to how many points that ball is worth if a player catches it before it hits the ground. Each player in the field keeps track of their own points and the first person to catch 500-points worth of balls gets to bat next. You can also play this by throwing the ball, not just batting it.)

Remind the kids to bring their own baseball glove, and prepare to borrow some gloves from friends or family for the kids that don’t have their own.


RELATED ARTICLE: Check out these fun Baseball Birthday Party Ideas that kids will LOVE.





Football birthday party

The kids could play touch football, flag football, or just toss around the ole pigskin. (Or Nerf footballs.)

Instead of full-on games you could host skill challenges like the pros have at the Pro Bowl Skills competitions. Ideas include precision passing and creative catching.

In the passing challenge, the kids could throw footballs to hit targets such as garbage cans, through hula-hoops, or into a football target net like the one shown below.

GoSports Football Training Target Net - Improve QB Throwing Accuracy - Includes Foldable Bow Type Frame and Portable Carry Case - Choose Your Size

For the catching challenge, the kids could have one-handed catching contest, or tip-toe catching challenges where they have to keep both feet inbounds prior to making a catch.

You can also get a football cake topper like the one below to really score a touchdown on the decorating.

Football Cake Topper - Happy Birthday Cake Topper for Football / Sport theme Birthday Party decoration (Black Glitter)

This is another inexpensive birthday party idea because you could host this at a school field on the weekend and bring your own equipment.



RELATED ARTICLE: For more great Football birthday ideas, check out our article dedicated to this.




Basketball birthday party

If your kid loves hoops then you could throw a basketball birthday party that they’ll remember for years.

The kids could play a 3-on-3 tournament, or play playground basketball games like H-O-R-S-E and “around the world”.

I think a 3-point shooting contest could be fun. If it is for really young kids, you may have to make it closer to the basket though.

You can find some well-rated basketball party decorations on Amazon, like this big set below.

Basketball Birthday Party Decorations Supplies for Boys - Sports Basketball Theme Happy Birthday Banner Cake Topper Balloons Party Pack- Game Day Themed Birthday Baby Shower Photo Props Party Supplies

I like the look of those 2 foil balloons shaped like basketballs. That’s a clever idea.

You may be able to rent out a local gym (school or community center), or have it outdoors at a local basketball hoop. Or in your driveway if you have a basket set up.






Soccer birthday party

If your little one loves soccer (aka football in most of the world), you could host a soccer-themed party for their birthday.

You could set up a mini soccer field and organize a tournament, or have passing or penalty shootout competitions.

And if your little Messi gets a little messy, you can get soccer-themed party napkins and tableware on Amazon. (As shown below. Click the picture for more details.)

Soccer Party Supplies Tableware Set Soccer Birthday Party Decorations Including Soccer Plates, Napkins, Cup and Tablecloth for Baby Shower Sports Theme Birthday Decorations, 24 Guests

It comes with 48 napkins so you’ll probably have some to bring home after the party too.


RELATED ARTICLE: For more fun Soccer Birthday Party Ideas, click here.






Hockey birthday party

Hockey birthday party
Kids playing roller hockey

If your child loves hockey you could arrange a hockey party or skating party for them. Make sure the party attendees have the proper gear such as safety-approved helmet and face mask or cage.

It could get expensive if you have to rent out an ice rink, but if you have outdoor rinks or frozen ponds this will be a cheaper option. (Likely a colder option too…maybe bring a propane fire pit to warm up and roast marshmallows.)

And if your child is born in the summer, they could play roller hockey (like the picture above), street hockey or floor hockey instead. Lots of options!

If you don’t want to be responsible for them playing all-out hockey games you could set up skills challenge centers like a shooting accuracy station with foam targets attached to the nets.

To help decorate, you can get hockey cupcake toppers like the ones below.

48 PCS Hockey Cupcake Toppers Hockey Player Cupcake Topper for Ice Hockey Sports Theme Party Boys Girls Birthday Party Party Decorations Supplies

There are lots of ways to make a hockey-themed birthday party a blast.




Tennis birthday party

Tennis birthday party for kids

This could be super fun for a tennis lover.

And if your child is born in the winter, perhaps your city has an indoor tennis court or gymnasium you could rent?

A kids versus parents tennis match could be fun.

Or skills competition where the kids try to hit a tennis ball into a clean garbage can.





Golf birthday party

Image by Vlad Vasnetsov from Pixabay

It could get really expensive buying a round of golf for all the party attendees, but you can still have a golf-themed birthday party without going to a local golf course.

You could play mini golf, set up a putting competition on a putting green, or go to a local driving range to hit some balls.

When it comes to golf-themed party decorations, there are actually quite a few out there. Below is a picture of set I saw on Amazon.

Golf Birthday Party Supplies Golf 1st Birthday Decorations Golf Birthday Decorations for Men Golf Happy Birthday Banner Golf Cake Topper Golf Decorations for Party Colorful Balloons for Birthday

It comes with a Happy Birthday Banner, balloons, a cake topper and more. Click here if you want to see more details on this set.




Volleyball birthday party

Do have a local gym at a school or community center that you could rent out to play volleyball?

If so, a kid that loves volleyball would totally “dig” that.

And if your child is born in the summer, perhaps there is a local beach volleyball court, or a nice grassy field where the kids could play. You may need to provide your own net if you’re at a park.

You could have bumping competitions where the kids try to bump the ball to hit various targets (like get it inside a clean trash can), or serving competitions where they serve the ball to try and hit targets.

I think this could be a lot of fun! (And I don’t even play volleyball.)


Gymnastics birthday party

Sports birthday party ideas - a gymnastics party is a fun way for young kids to get some exercise while having a great time tumbling, swinging and more.
Gymnastics Birthday Party

We recently had a party for our daughter at a local gymnastics club. It was awesome.

The girls were supposed to do gymnastics for about 1.5 hours then eat cake. But mid-party they decided they wanted the cake.

So they ate the cake, washed their hands and then went and played longer. I think it worked out well because they were able to wear off some of the sugar from the cake. I think the other parents appreciated that.

Do you have a gymnastics center near you that rents out the facility for parties? Make sure the kids will have qualified supervision the whole time.






Track and Field birthday party

Most young kids love to run, jump and throw things. It’s like they’re doing track and field events all day long.

So why not host a track and field party for their birthday.

You could arrange different activities – almost like their own decathlon.

Have a relay race, discus using a frisbee, shot put with a soccer ball, javelin tossing a pool noodle, and any other wacky track and field events you can think of.

You could host this in your backyard or at a local school field. This could be really fun.





Surfing party or Body boarding birthday party

It may not be feasible to take a party of kids to the ocean to surf, but how about indoor options?

Does your local pool have a FlowRider or similar indoor surfing machine?

You can click here to see FlowRider locations.

And if you’re wondering how to decorate for such as party, you can check out the surfing birthday party decorations set below. (It is available on Amazon.)

38 Pieces Surf Up Happy Birthday Garland Summer Banner Surfboard Cupcake Toppers Different Color Latex Balloons for Swimming Pool Summer Beach Party Birthday Baby Shower Party Supplies

Don’t those little surfboard cupcake toppers look cute.

You may want to ask some of the other parents to stay at the pool with you to ensure the children are well supervised.





Martial Arts Birthday Party for kids

Does your child like martial arts or has an interest in learning more about them?

Perhaps there is a martial arts club in your area that can offer birthday party packages, or private lessons for small groups of kids.

I think it would be pretty cool if the kids could learn some self-defense while having a great time at a party.

And you can even get birthday banners and cake toppers with a martial arts-theme (like the set below).

Ohiviaaa Karate Birthday Decorations Kit Taekwondo Happy Birthday Banner Karate Cake Topper Latex Balloons for Men Women Kids Boy Girl Bday Party Supplies Black Glitter Décor

This could be a fun theme for both boys and girls that love karate or other martial arts.

Archery birthday party

Does your child love Robin Hood, Katniss Everdeen, or Princess Merida?

This may be a little tricky to organize, but if you have an archery range in your area, perhaps they offer a birthday party package.

You could rent the range, receive instructions, and then have a variety of target competitions.

Because there are risks involved, you’ll want to make sure the kids will have safety instructions and supervision while at the archery range.

And depending on the children’s age, if you want to avoid real arrows and bows, you could look into buying a set of toy bows and arrows like the set below.

SpringFlower Bow and Arrow for Kids 5 6 7 8 9 10+ Years Old,2 Bow and Arrow Sets with LED Light-up,2 Foam Dart Guns,Archery Set with Standing Target for Boys & Girl, Ideal Gift for Kids






These are just a few sports birthday party ideas to help you out.

This has been really fun writing this and I hope you got some ideas that you can use for your little one’s upcoming birthday.




You May Also Like:

Do you have a winter baby? Check out this list of winter birthday party ideas for kids.




Here are some birthday party ideas for 5 year olds they are sure to love. (Slightly kids will appreciate too.)



Check out these Sports Birthday Party Ideas:



Thank you for checking this out. I hope it has helped you.

Tim from LearnAlongWithMe.com

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