Here to help you shop! Today I’m sharing gift ideas for kids that love sports. If you have a kid who falls asleep in their team jersey, rattles off stats like an ESPN correspondent, or turns every hallway into a practice field (no judgment—we’ve all dodged a rogue ball or two), then welcome: you are officially shopping for a sports kid.

As a mom of five, I’ve bought my fair share of gear, gadgets, and gifts for every sport under the sun and every year, I find myself hunting for gifts that go beyond the basic balls and bats At first it sounds like an easy group to shop for (there are so many options!) but sometimes it’s hard to decide on great sporty gifts they’ll actually use. Plus often times they are kids that are busy playing sports so a combo of things to use for their activities plus some fun things that go with the theme make a good combo.

That’s why I created this Gift Guide for Kids Who Love Sports—a roundup of ideas that are actually fun, useful, parent-approved, and kid-tested. Whether you’re shopping for the ultra-competitive athlete, the weekend-warrior kid who just loves being active, or the little sibling who just wants to do whatever the big kids are doing, there’s something here for everyone. 

So grab your coffee, bookmark a few ideas, and let’s find the perfect sports-loving gift for those MVPs. This guide is a range of ideas for ages 6 to 12 – based on what we have actually used and things I am actually buying, but could certainly work for older and younger kids too! To note: I am sticking with only products we have used or I am actually buying which does mean I am not hitting on every sport. I know there are many more than what I’ve listed! 

Gift Ideas for Kids That Love Sports

Fun Personalized Pillows: There are all different sport, jersey shaped pillows, letters, etc. 

Our Favorite Performance Shorts 

A Pickleball Set

And a driveway pickleball net 

Iconic Puzzles: These come in NBA, MLB, soccer, etc 

GEAR: As the kids get older their gear for sports seems to get more and more expensive. The holidays are a great time to gift the gear you know they’ll need. We have some lacrosse players asking for new sticks and gloves, a baseball player asking for a new bat, and those cool sports bags….Christmas list!

Gifts for Basketball Fans

HaloBall: SERIOUSLY fun… and if you have kids that just want to dunk… this is a must ha!

Mini Hoop for indoor action 

A More Classic Mini Hoop (love this back lit one)

Pop a Shot

Basketball Shoes (crazy deals right now!)

Local Hoops (my personal favorite for sporty kids clothes)

Active Joy Laundry Basketball: Hey.. if it keeps the clothes off the floor AND fun I’d say it’s a win! 

Glow Jerseys

Huupe

NBA No Nails Pinboard

Experience Gift: Basketball tickets. Don’t forget about college hoops! NBA tickets can be very expensive but college games and less costly and really fun to go to!

Gifts for Baseball Fans

Savannah Bananas Socks ($10 today!) 

Gifts for Football Fans 

Mini College Football (pumped for my Penn State fan to open this!)

Pop-a-Pass 

Canvas NFL Flags

Homage Tees and Hoodies: My football fans are huge fans of these tees. Super soft and really cool designs. Any other Jaxson Dart fans?!

Gifts for Golf Fans

Shorties Golf Clubs: we have and love these. More about the brand in this post. 

Personalized Golf Towel

The Softest Golf Shirts for Kids 

Indoor Golf Practice 

Gift Card for a Driving Range 

I hope this guide helps take the stress out of shopping for your little athlete and replaces it with something way more fun—finding a gift that genuinely gets them excited to get outside, move their bodies, and keep growing in the sport they love. Happy shopping!