Making Memories on the Sidelines
⚽ More Than Just Soccer:
If you're a soccer family, you know that weekends (and weeknights) become a blur of folding chairs, snack bags, cleats, sunscreen, and trying to figure out what's for dinner before everyone melts down.
Tonight's solution? Pizza delivered right to the soccer fields. 🍕 It wasn't fancy, but watching a group of little friends sitting on the grass sharing slices while cheering on the big kids felt pretty perfect.
While the game was going on, I wanted to keep my youngest busy so the parents could actually enjoy watching. We packed her "number book," one of our favorite Mailbox learning books— well-loved Totally for Twos Stories & Songs book. She happily worked through activities, sang songs, and stayed entertained between snack breaks and cheering.
I also packed one of my favorite mom hacks—a magnetic zip-up coloring case she got for her birthday. It holds a paper pad with a magnetic backing, and it perfectly fits her Crayola Silly Scents Smash Ups markers she got for Christmas. Everything stays together in one little pouch, making it incredibly easy to grab and go. No lost markers rolling under bleachers, no papers flying across the field with the wind.
Sometimes motherhood doesn't look like Pinterest-perfect activities at the kitchen table. Sometimes it looks like pizza boxes on the grass, coloring books on your lap, little siblings making new friends, and cheering from the sidelines while sneaking in a little learning and creativity.
And honestly? I wouldn't trade these soccer season memories for anything. 💕
⚽ Soccer Mom Survival Kit: Easy Ways to Keep Little Siblings Busy at the Fields
📚 Mailbox Books or Preschool Workbooks – My favorite! They're educational, require little prep, and can be done independently.
🖍️ A zip-up coloring kit – Keep crayons or washable markers, coloring pages, and stickers all in one pouch so nothing gets lost under the bleachers.
🎨 Water Wow books or magic ink coloring books – Zero mess and reusable!
🔤 Alphabet or Number Scavenger Hunt – Can you find a jersey with a 7? A letter M? Something blue? Something round?
🫧 Bubble wands – Always a hit if there's an open area away from the field.
🧩 Magnetic puzzles or magnetic dress-up dolls – Perfect for windy days when regular puzzle pieces disappear.
🚗 Small cars or animal figurines – Let them build tiny soccer stadiums in the grass.
📖 Story time picnic – Pack a favorite book and a blanket and read together between halves.
🎵 Songs and fingerplays – Our Totally for Twos Stories & Songs book is perfect for this!
🧺 Nature collection bag – Gather leaves, rocks, feathers, flowers, and sticks, then sort them by color or size.
✏️ Dry erase boards – Practice letters, numbers, tic-tac-toe, or let them "keep score."
🎲 I Spy – "I spy something green!" "I spy something that starts with S!"
🍿 Snack necklaces or snack boxes – Sometimes keeping little hands busy with healthy snacks buys everyone 20 peaceful minutes.
📷 Kid camera challenge – Give them a kid-friendly camera and ask them to take pictures of "happy things," "circles," or "the color red."
🧸 Bring one special stuffed animal – Let them cheer for the team and have their own little adventure.
The best part? These little traditions become the memories they'll remember most. Years from now they probably won't remember the final score—but they'll remember eating pizza on the grass, coloring under a folding chair, making friends with other soccer siblings, and spending summer evenings cheering on their big brother or sister. ❤️⚽
