Sports Gifts for the Young

In an age when so many children are awash in toys and “devices,” the wonderful aspect of buying gifts for sports-minded youngsters is the number of options available. With just a tiny bit of thought, you’re sure to hit upon an ideal present this holiday season, making you more of a hero than you already are to your child or grandchild.

Here are some cool, and inexpensive, items that any sports-crazy kid might have on his or her sugar plum fairy wish list.

Sports are often team activities—a problem when no playmates live nearby. But Backstop will keep him or her busy no matter what. Backstop is 5-feet-wide-by-4-feet-tall and inflatable. The ball is thrown toward a strike zone backed by a net. If the pitch winds up in the net, it’s a strike; if not, it’s a ball. It also comes with a bat to allow two or more kids to use it for pitching and batting fun. The system is designed for use with Wiffle balls, regular baseballs and softballs. $50.

If you’ve got little fighters on your hands, the portable NSG Jr. is the perfect way for the children to let out their aggression in a safe way while working up a sweat. You fill the base with water or sand for stability, adjust the shaft to the proper height and inflate the “punching” bag with an included pump. $30.

For the young golfer in the family, Callaway Golf has a set especially for juniors that enables them to maximize power and distance. Callaway’s junior clubs feature an increased hosel (the socket of a golf club head into which the shaft fits) offset which helps young golfers square the face on impact for greater accuracy. A set of seven clubs, available for both girls or boys, is designed to help the child get the ball airborne with ease and prevent those disappointing ground ball hits. $245.

Kids like tech toys and here’s a great one for the baseball lover. The silicone Blast sensor mounts on the bottom of any baseball bat and uses motion-capture technology to dispense a wealth of data on every swing, from bat and hand speed to the angle of attack. It pairs to a smartphone app and, in addition to generating raw data, provides drills and training tips. $125.

OK, this is really cool. It’s a fully marked inflatable backyard soccer field measuring 26-feet-long-by-14-feet-wide and includes a high-powered pump that can reportedly have the game going in less than two minutes. It’s recommended for kids ages 3 to 8 and comes equipped with two goals and inflatable rails so the ball always stays in play. $174.

I enjoyed hours of fun when I was a kid with this next sports game. The Franklin Sports Rod Hockey game provides fun while improving hand-eye coordination. The surface measures 32-inches-long-by-20-inches-wide-by-6.5-inches-high. It features a plexiglass-style enclosure and on-board scoring system.

Players slide up and down the “ice” and can be turned to pass or shoot the puck, all with the use of rods. There is a goalie to guard the net. It’s suitable for ages 6 and up and is fun for dad or mom as well. It’s one of the most realistic sports tables games around and makes many a cold winter night pass quickly. $49.

Here’s another game my cousin and I battled on for hours on end in our pre-teens. The Super Stadium Baseball Game has a cool design and you use levers to pitch and hit. There are two pitching levers that help control the curve and speed of the “ball.” You can toss fastballs, sliders, sinkers, change-ups and more. You use the lever to hit. The infield is magnetized and creates ball movement and the fielders can also be moved around. It is recommended for children ages 6 and up. $39.

While the soccer ball has to be stationary when struck to record data, there is still plenty of deep soccer information to be garnered from Adidas’ miCoach. The sensor-laden ball is an excellent tool for honing kick speed, spin and flight path—ingredients that help the child find the back of the net more often. $160.

The Lifetime 1221 is an adjustable basketball hoop that features a telescoping post that slides between 7.5 and 10 feet. And get this: no tools are required. Whew. It has a 27-gallon base for water, sand, and stability, but also has sports wheels so you can move it around for a pickup game anywhere in your neighborhood. $35.

And what kid (or football-mad adult) doesn’t like playing the Madden NFL 2020 football video game. The game has gotten better every year. It is named after Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and commentator John Madden, and has sold more than 130 million copies, and influenced many players and coaches. Among the game’s realistic features are sophisticated playbooks and player statistics, and voice commentary that allows players to hear the game as if it were a real television broadcast. $27.

These are just a few great sports gifts for the younger set. We buy them for the kids, but let’s be honest. You just can’t wait until the kiddos open these presents so you can join in the fun.