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Most people live near some sort of football team, whether it is a major NFL team, a nearby college team, or even the local high school team. It's a lot of fun to attend these sporting events with children, and makes for a fun weekend activity.

Here are some tips to make attending a football game more fun for everyone:

1) Dress up in the team's colors. It shows that you are supporting the team efforts and that you are a fan. Go for some face paint in the appropriate color if you want. Local department stores may even sell high school or local college team shirts and sweatshirts.

2) Check the local college for some kind of children's day or alumni day. My alma mater has a Kid's Day during football season where kids get in free and there are a few spirit booths at the tailgate parties that offer little pompoms, flags and face painting. The team mascot always makes an appearance as well. Sometimes schools will have alumni parties or something similar around homecoming.

3) Tailgate! Introduce the kids to the fun of hanging out with other fans, eating great food and building up anticipation for the games.

4) Talk to children about some of the players they'll be seeing. Check out the local news for specific player info and the school's website for details on who is playing what position. If it is your alma mater, plan on sharing memories of when you attended the games, whether as a player, cheerleader or dancer, band member or a loyal fan.

5) Be prepared. Take in blankets, a thermos of hot chocolate, individual snack bags and other munchies. A big part of the fun of attending a football game in the crisp autumn air is having a warm blanket and a steaming cup of the hot stuff.

6) Teach everyone the school fight song so that when the band plays it, you all can join in.

7) Assess the age and interest of the child. Boys and girls who are older and understand the sport will last a lot longer than a toddler who just wants to climb the bleachers. It's perfectly OK to leave early with little ones, and let your spouse stay with older kids.

8) Explain to children the basics of the game, but spare them the fine details unless they already have excessive background knowledge on football (some kids do!). Help them understand what's happening at each particular down and what the possible outcome of that action could be. This helps the kids develop appreciation for strategies and fabulous plays.

9) Above all, have fun. If everyone is worn out by the third quarter, by all means head home and listen to the rest of the game on the radio. As they get used to going and understand how much fun a football game can be, you can bet they'll be begging to attend every home game.

15 Minute Moment
Write 15 animals on slips of paper and turn them over. Choose three, then draw a picture of a creature with the head, body and feet/tail from the three different animals. For example: a rooster head with a bear body and a bunny rabbit's legs and tail. Take turns to see who can come up with the silliest critter.