Basketball Party Ideas for Kids

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It’s mid-March, and in our house that means one thing…. college basketball tourney time! Both of my boys play basketball and we enjoy watching their games all winter long. Now that their seasons are coming to an end, I thought it would be fun to host a party for members of their basketball team. We decked out our bonus room and celebrated with one of our favorite treats — Skittles! Here are some ideas for hosting your own “Swish the Rainbow” Basketball party:

1. Choose a fun theme – We decided to incorporate Skittles into our party décor and chose a rainbow theme for party favors and treats.

For a party-size bag of Skittles, we went to Sam’s Club and grabbed their huge bag (54 oz.) in the bulk candy aisle. It’s even on sale right now!

We continued the “Swish the Rainbow” theme with balloons, streamers, and even found this awesome set of rainbow colored basketballs!
Each guest got to take one home!

2. Plan Your Party Menu – We served appetizers of crackers and cheese, and had pizza for our main course! I knew we had to have some yummy treats for the kids and also wanted to include Skittles in a creative way. So we served drinks first… each kid got to make their own Skittles Soda:

We had the kids add some Skittles to the bottom of their cups, then poured Sprite in and let them fizz away. We all toasted cheers to a fun party! One of our favorite treats were the cake mix cookies we made, inspired by Skittles flavors… strawberry, orange, and my favorite, lime!

Don’t they look delicious? They taste even better than they look! My family is already asking me to make more!

Skittles Cake Mix Cookies Recipe

– Cake Mix in flavor desired (strawberry, orange, or key lime) *I used a Pillsbury Key Lime Cookie Mix for the lime
– 2 eggs
– 1/3 cup oil
– powdered sugar

Directions: Mix dry cake mix, oil and eggs together in large mixing bowl. Roll dough into balls and lightly coat in powdered sugar. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. After removing from the oven, press a Skittle on the top. Let cool. Enjoy!

3. Plan Games & Activities – For this basketball party, I planned a Basketball Skills challenge course for the kids to complete. They each had a score card and as they finished each station they recorded their score. At the end, we tallied the scores and the winner got to take home the grand prize!

Our stations included “Shooting with the Stairs” where each contestant had to shoot baskets from the bottom of the staircase into a hoop at the top of the stairs. After 3 shots, they moved up 3 stairs. We also had a Slam Dunk Contest, complete with official judges and scorecards, and our last station was called “Granny Shot” where each kid had to make baskets while sitting down in a chair. They had so much fun completing the challenge!

Another idea that would be perfect for a party during the college tournament games is this Basketball Bingo:

Each person would get a small bowl of skittles and a Bingo card with various things that are bound to happen during a college basketball game… three-pointer, player falling into stands, dancing mascot, buzzer beater, etc. Everyone marks off their card during the game (and enjoys a few Skittles in between) and calls out BINGO when they have 5 in a row! Download our PDF of 4 different Basketball Bingo cards here.

4. Party Favors – The kids always love to take a party favor home at the end of the event, so I created these simple favors with clear gumball tubes (you can find them at any party store) and layered the Skittles in a rainbow pattern. I added a small foam basketball favor on top. Aren’t they cute?

We had such a blast getting together and celebrating the basketball season! Now, we can’t wait to start watching the tourney games as a family next week.

Do you enjoy the games as a family or with friends? Or both?

For more recipe and party ideas, make sure to check out the Skittles Facebook page!
Have a great weekend!