The Game Plan

• Invite kids to decorate the house with banners, posters, pennants, and pictures of their favorite team and players.
• Hang streamers and arrange balloons in the colors of the two teams playing that day.
• Cover a table with dark green felt or a washable green tablecloth, and let your kids use chalk to create yard lines.

The Food

1. Souper Bowl Chili

1. Cook 1 pound ground turkey in a pan until it’s no longer pink.
2. Drain and place in a slow cooker, along with a 28-ounce can diced, undrained tomatoes, one 15-ounce can each garbanzo, kidney, and black beans (rinsed and drained), an 8-ounce can tomato sauce, a 4-ounce can chopped mild green chilies, and 1 or 2 tablespoons chili powder.
3. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 5 hours.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Let the kids help prepare the toppings: grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. Serve the chili in a super-size Super Bowl bowl.

2. A Guac That Rocks

1. Have kids prep the ingredients—squeeze 1 lemon and mash 3 avocados.
2. In a bowl, combine the mashed avocados, 1 small, finely diced onion (red or yellow), 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate. Serve with tortilla chips and sliced raw veggies.

3. Easy, Peasy Punter’s Pizza

1. Start with a ready-made pizza crust, or use a tube of refrigerated pizza dough your child can roll out (follow package directions).
2. Your favorite pigskin fan can also scoop out and set aside 1½ to 2 cups tomato sauce, grate the mozzarella, or set out 2 cups pre-grated cheese.
3. Slather the crust with sauce, sprinkle on the cheese, and finish the pie with cooked broccoli, thinly sliced pepperoni, or crumbled and cooked hamburger.
4. Bake according to package directions and slice into sixths.

4. Homemade Deli Sandwiches

1. Set aside sliced ham, lean roast beef, turkey, cheese, and other cold cuts your child likes for a kid-size version of the classic tailgate hero.
2. Make sandwiches beforehand, or set out ingredients so kids can build their own. You’ll need a loaf of bread, too.
3. For a whimsical presentation, spear a mini sweet pickle with team-colored frilled toothpicks.
4. Platter the sandwiches, scatter cold veggies, and serve.

5. Touchdown Dessert

1. Early in the day (or the day before), grab a log of prepared sugar cookie dough and let the kids roll it out.
2. Cut into football shapes and bake.
3. As part of the pre-game festivities, have kids frost the cookies with store-bought chocolate icing and add white decorating gel to make football laces.
4. Cupcakes work, too. Make a box mix and frost with green icing. Create yard lines with a tube of white decorating gel. Let kids squirt white icing onto a “football” (a chocolate-covered almond) and place it on top.