My seven-year-old son has taken quite a liking to football. Of course, it is encouraged by me as a Nebraskan where Nebraska Cornhusker football is so ingrained into the culture. We thought it was time we found a football rules book for kids for him.
If you have your own seven-year-old you know that they have lots and lots of questions. Of course, I enjoy the conversation but at some point, the questions become too much for anyone. So I went looking for a rule book that was written specifically for kids. I wanted something general enough I didn’t have to worry about the differences between NCAA, NFL, and High School football. I hoped it would get me out of answering so many questions and, as a bonus, anything that gets a kid to read more is a good thing. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.
I wasn’t able to find a high-quality list of football rules books for kids so I thought I would post my research so you could use it as a reference for choosing a football rules book for your son or daughter.
1. Football Frankie : The Rules of the Game For Kids
This book authored by Andrew Wolthers and Gerald Hacker is dedicated to teaching the rules and terms of football to kids of all ages. As the story is told, the key rules and terms are highlighted at the bottom of the page so that children and parents can discuss them in more detail. Topics covered include Kickoff, Offense & Defense, Special Teams, Referee, Tackle / Down, Positions, Snap, Rushing, First Down, Huddle, Line of Scrimmage, Pass, Route, Reception, Touchdown, Point After Touchdown (PAT), Extra Point, Two-Point Conversion, Block, Punt, Turnover, Interception, Fumble, Field Goal, Halftime, Touchback, Safety, Man-To-Man Defense, Lateral Pass, Penalty, Play Action, Blitz and Sacks.
This book is ideal for parents of young children who are looking to introduce their kids to the sport in a fun and unique way. Children love the colorful illustrations and intense game situations of the story, while parents can enjoy knowing that their young ones are learning the proper rules and terms of the sport. Additionally, the story highlights the players having a great attitude, giving their best effort, and playing the game with good sportsmanship.
2. The Little Coaches PlayBook : A football playbook for the coaches of the future
A football playbook written by Amy and Bryson Cyphers is designed just for kids! All football-obsessed kids will love creating their own plays with The Little Coaches Playbook. Each page is full of opportunities to create winning plays. This playbook is designed as a five-on-five team playbook, but it can easily be modified for any number of players. Ok, not exactly a rules book, but it was too good to pass up once we saw it. Are you ready for some football?! Let’s go!
3. My First Book of Football: A Rookie Book
4. My Football Book
My Football Book is a guide for the youngest football fans from Washington Post/Children’s Book Guild Award winner Gail Gibbons. You will find:
- The markings on a football field
- What football players wear
- The positions, from quarterback to wide receiver
- The excitement of the kickoff
- The thrill of scoring a touchdown
This is for your beginning reader and targeted to young children.
5. Winning Youth Flag Football: System and Playbook for NFL Flag based leagues
This flag football rules book for youth by Scott Ward is aimed more at that coach but your older child may find it interesting as well. Get your young flag football team off to a great start. A simple system and playbook you can install for players in grades K – 5.
It includes a complete coaches implementation guide, how to assign player positions to succeed, coaching tips and advice, mistakes to avoid, a full offense and defense, how to properly huddle, simple plays, and how to blitz. This system has been successfully implemented by youth flag teams for over 10 years. Your team will be well-organized and enjoy the fun of a successful game day. Players will grow to not just play the game, but they will love playing the game. Simple organization leads to team confidence which leads to successful execution.
Conclusion
We hope this gives you some great options for your son or daughter and tried to put in an option for younger and older children alike. We went with Football Frankie : The Rules of the Game For Kids and The Little Coaches Play Book : A football playbook for the coaches of the future for stocking stuffers for our son.
If you or your child want to get real technical and real specific (perhaps to settle an argument, we have links below to the rules books for the NCAA, NFL, and NFL Flag.
We also got our son a set of youth football gloves for Christmas which he is loving.
If you are looking for gifts for your basketball fan check out our post on gifts for basketball players. If you need to keep your practice squads separated. Take a look at our article on mesh scrimmage jerseys. For a good time, in general, this summer check out our slip n slide kickball post.
Troy Wright
I am a lifetime basketball enthusiast and loved playing basketball competitively through high school. I still try and play at least 3 times a week and explore all kinds of equipment and training to keep myself on the court and continually getting better. I am a college basketball fanatic and move onto the NBA when March Madness ends.
Meaningful conversations happening daily about training, recovery, and injury-specific rehabilitation as well as sport-specific discussions on playing, coaching and refereeing your favorite sport. We welcome experts and those with curious minds seeking answers.
Join The Stay On The Court Community!