It’s October, and your kids have settled into the school year. As the excitement fades, a great way to keep your children engaged is to encourage them to show their school spirit! Here are some simple ideas that can help them show their love for their school!
Wear School Colors
This is a great idea for showing school pride on an everyday basis, not just for game days. You don’t have to spend tons of money on buying official school spirit wear. In fact, wearing school colors can be quite affordable. You probably already have items with your school colors in your wardrobe. Don’t be afraid to mix and match. And if you don’t have anything with your school’s colors, we have you covered. Check out our budget-friendly two-color striped ties. There are hundreds of color combos available in neckties, and many are available in matching bow ties, socks, suspenders and pocket squares, too.
Go To All the Games
Attend all the games for your school’s teams, not just the big homecoming game or the cross-town rivalry games. If you already attend all the games for one sport (say football) branch out and attend games for another sport. Baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, swimming, track, tennis, water polo, wrestling. There are tons of opportunities to cheer on your school’s teams all year long!
Represent Your School in A Parade
Everyone loves parades. If your town celebrates holidays with parades, then you may already know how many spectators are drawn to these events. If you’re in high school, it’s likely the school band is already in the town’s parade. But how else can your school (high school or college) be involved? Individual sports teams, individual clubs, even an alumni association to rouse up past graduates in the crowd. With approval from your school, find out who is in charge of the parade and get planning before the next parade.
Hashtag Your School
#SchoolName. #SchoolColors. #SchoolMascot. Come up with a hashtag for you and your friends at school and see if you can get it to spread.
Get involved.
Join a team, squad, band or other group. Many schools have spirit-based activities, like pep clubs, that do not require a lot of time or athletic ability. Students who join these groups often get free admission to the games, free team T-shirts and travel provided to away games.
Make A Game Day Banner or Poster
Gather your poster board, craft supplies and a group of friends and you’re on your way. Cheer on your team or favorite player, or poke fun at the opposing team. Either way signs should be enjoyable for everyone, so just remember keep it clean and fun!
Paint Your Face
Painting your face in school colors is a classic way to show some school spirit, especially on game days. To avoid staining your skin blue for a week, be sure to use non-toxic, washable facepaint. It’s usually available from your local craft or party store. Around Halloween, it’ll be in the costume aisle of your corner convenience store.
Make A Spirit Stick Noisemaker, Bracelet or Keychain
Feeling crafty? Why not craft some school spirit? From noise making spirit sticks for game day to wearable crafts like necklaces, bracelets or keychains, the options are endless. Make them for yourself and your friends!
Celebrating school history
To give students and staff a sense of historic pride, dedicate a day for them to dress up in period outfits that reflect the year the school was built.
Penny wars
Stimson Middle School in South Huntington, N.Y., assigned each homeroom to collect as many pennies as possible for a week. Students also brought in nickels, dimes, and quarters to put in the buckets of rival homerooms during the penny war. Classes tallied the change then subtracted 5, 10, or 25 cents for each nickel, dime, or quarter in their buckets. The winning homeroom got to put a pie in the principal’s face, and the money collected went to a hunger charity. A less competitive alternative would be to have kids donate their change for a week and allow the highest-earning class to choose which charity will receive it.
School grounds cleanup
Work with your principal to organize a weekend day cleanup for weeding flower beds, cleaning up raised garden beds, or doing simple painting projects. Create a list ahead of time, ask parents to bring tools and refreshments, and crank the music while everyone works. Be sure to follow your state’s social distancing guidelines if necessary.
Local service tradition
Create a school tradition that gets kids involved in service, like a cleanup day at a local park, collecting non-perishable items for your food bank, or contributing to a holiday toy drive for local children.
