Ideas to Make Any Sports Season Fun

Home or away, you can show your team spirit—and let other parents know who your favorite player is—with a removable chair pennant that you can change with the season (or kid). To make one, cut a felt banner sized to fit a folding chair, then decorate the banner with fabric paint and felt cutouts adhered with craft glue. To attach it, place self-adhesive Velcro strips on the back of the banner and on the back of the chair.

I've occasionally been called Mary Poppins because of my seemingly bottomless bag of sideline supplies. But even I can't think of everything, as I discovered the day I had to take off my socks to replace my daughter's waterlogged ones! Here are the items I've found most useful to have on hand:

First aid kit

Water (for player and parents)

Umbrella (for rain or shine)

Healthy snacks

Old towel for drying benches or protecting car seats from muddy legs

Trash bags for wet or dirty shoes and equipment

Pre-Wrap—so many uses! (see page 78) Sunscreen

Insect repellent

Headband, ponytail holders

Permanent marker for labeling equipment and other stuff

Snack-size plastic bags—handy to keep track of jewelry, barrettes, even lost baby teeth

Extra shoelaces—and spare socks

Snack Bags

When it's your turn to bring the snacks, individually bagged servings are a breeze to hand out. Divvy up snack mix into plastic bags, then label each with the player's name or number written on a ball-shaped tag, as shown above. For a quick grab-and-go boost, pack Clif Kid ZBar Filled (it's baked with whole grains and contains 3g of protein). 

Game-Day Bread

For tournaments and doubleheaders, the team will need something a bit heartier than snacks, such as these mix-in breads. And there's no chance the kids will fumble the fillings: everything is baked right into the loaves. Prepare a pound of your favorite bread dough, gently knead in one of the additions below, and bake according to the bread directions.

Taco Bread

Season 1/2 pound of browned ground beef or turkey with your favorite taco seasoning, then add 1 cup of shredded Mexican-blend cheese.

Greek Bread

Add 1/2 to 1 cup of crumbled feta and up to 1 cup total of the following: sliced black olives, diced sun-dried tomatoes, and finely chopped green pepper.

Capturing your team in action can be harder than hitting a curveball. Over the years, these tips have improved my luck.

• Snap away during warm-ups, when everyone's in on the action. Then relax and focus on following the game.
• Make the most of cloudy days to keep shots of squinting players and harsh shadows to a minimum.
• Some of the sweetest and funniest moments happen off the field, so watch the bench and sidelines.
• For a unique perspective, get down on the ground to shoot.

With as many uses as there are dimples on a golf ball, Pre-Wrap has earned a permanent spot on my roster. I use this squishy, stretchy stuff to tame flyaway hair, cinch a too-big jersey, identify equipment, decorate fences, and more. I love that it comes in all sorts of colors and patterns. $3 to $5 for a 30-yard roll; pre-wrap.com

Helping players learn new skills is its own reward, most coaches would say. Still, presenting a coach with a small gift or keepsake is a winning way to wind up the season and to acknowledge all the overtime he gave to the team.

Going with a gift card? Present it in a special game ball, shown above. Cut a shallow slit in a foam ball and insert the envelope. If you like, have players autograph the ball with a permanent marker.

After hauling muddy equipment around game after game, Coach's ride could likely use a cleaning, by professionals or the team. While the vacuums, rags, and buckets are out, offer to clean up the gear, too.

For a coach who's spent extra innings at the field, a gift certificate for dinner with her family at a local restaurant is the perfect thank-you.

To create a sweet souvenir, ask parents to contribute digital shots for a collage or a photo album, then have everyone on the team write a note of thanks. For easy custom photo books, check out Blurb.com, Snapfish.com, or Picaboo.com.

Don't want to miss a single kick? Wear Snap Inc.'s Spectacles to the game. The water-resistant sunglasses take photos and videos from your viewing perspective. Just wear a pair (they come in onyx, ruby, and sapphire), then press and hold the button on the frame to capture 30 seconds of continues video or single photos that transfers to your phone in 9 seconds. $149.99, Spectacles.com.

Bring a beloved team jersey out of retirement and transform it into a display of your athlete's memorabilia.

Cut a team T-shirt so that the logo is centered on a 1-foot-square cork panel (available at office or craft stores) and 3 inches of fabric hang over on all sides.

Fold the edges of the shirt tightly over the cork panel and secure them to the back with duct tape.

Using a craft knife, cut a 1-foot square of foam core (an adult's job). Attach the foam core to the back of the cork panel with double-sided carpet tape.

Add self-adhesive wall fasteners to the back of the foam core to hang the bulletin board on the wall.