Soccer
Soccer is played in nearly every country on Earth, and it is often the first team game kids try. These soccer trivia for kids questions start with the basics, like how many players take the field and what the referee's cards mean, then finish with two harder ones about the very first World Cup and a rule that puzzles plenty of grown-ups.
Q1.How many players does each soccer team have on the field at one time?Tap to reveal
Answer: 11
That number includes the goalkeeper, and young kids' leagues often play with fewer players on a smaller field.
Q2.Which soccer player is allowed to catch the ball with their hands?Tap to reveal
Answer: The goalkeeper
A goalkeeper must wear a different color shirt from both teams and the referee, so everyone can tell who is allowed to use their hands.
Q3.What color card does a referee hold up to send a player off the field?Tap to reveal
Answer: Red
A yellow card is a warning, and two yellow cards in the same game add up to a red card.
Q4.What do most countries around the world call the sport Americans call soccer?Tap to reveal
Answer: Football
The word soccer comes from association football, the sport's official name in England in the 1800s.
Q5.How many minutes long is a normal grown-up soccer match, not counting added time?Tap to reveal
Answer: 90 minutes
The game is split into two halves of 45 minutes, with a break called halftime in between.
Q6.What kick does a team get when a defender fouls an attacker inside the big box in front of the goal?Tap to reveal
Answer: A penalty kick
The ball is placed on a spot 12 yards (11 meters) from the goal, and only the goalkeeper can try to stop it.
Q7.How does a player put the ball back in play after it rolls over the sideline?Tap to reveal
Answer: With a throw-in
The thrower must use both hands, bring the ball from behind their head and keep both feet on the ground.
Q8.What is it called when one player scores three goals in the same game?Tap to reveal
Answer: A hat trick
The name was borrowed from cricket, where it first described a bowler who got three batters out with three balls in a row.
Q9.Which country hosted and won the very first World Cup in 1930?Tap to reveal
Answer: Uruguay
Only 13 teams took part, and some European teams crossed the ocean by ship to get there.
Q10.Which soccer rule stops attackers from waiting behind all the defenders near the other team's goal for a pass?Tap to reveal
Answer: The offside rule
A player cannot be offside in their own half of the field, or when the ball comes straight from a throw-in.
Baseball and basketball
These baseball trivia for kids questions share a section with basketball, since both games are favorites at schools and parks across the United States. Kids will count strikes and innings, name the special base where runners score, and find out what the first basketball players threw the ball into. The last two questions ask about a rare pitching feat and the man who invented basketball.
Q1.In baseball, which base does the batter stand beside and runners touch to score a run?Tap to reveal
Answer: Home plate
It is the only base with five sides, while first, second and third base are square.
Q2.How many strikes does it take for a batter to be out?Tap to reveal
Answer: Three
If the pitcher throws four balls outside the strike zone, the batter gets to walk to first base.
Q3.What is it called when a basketball player bounces the ball while moving with it?Tap to reveal
Answer: Dribbling
If a player stops dribbling and then starts again, it is called a double dribble and the other team gets the ball.
Q4.What is it called when a basketball player jumps up and pushes the ball straight down through the hoop?Tap to reveal
Answer: A slam dunk
College basketball in the United States did not allow dunking from 1967 to 1976.
Q5.How many innings are in a regular grown-up baseball game?Tap to reveal
Answer: Nine
If the score is tied after nine innings, the teams keep playing extra innings until one team wins.
Q6.What is it called when a batter hits the ball over the outfield fence?Tap to reveal
Answer: A home run
In the big leagues, a fan who catches a home run ball in the stands usually gets to keep it.
Q7.What did the very first basketball players throw the ball into?Tap to reveal
Answer: Peach baskets
The baskets still had bottoms, so someone had to climb up and get the ball out after every score.
Q8.How high off the floor is the rim on a full-size basketball hoop?Tap to reveal
Answer: 10 feet (about 3 meters)
The NBA, the WNBA and the Olympics all use the same height, though young kids often play on lower hoops.
Q9.What do you call a baseball game where one team's pitchers do not allow a single hit?Tap to reveal
Answer: A no-hitter
A perfect game is even rarer, because no batter on the other team reaches base at all.
Q10.Who invented basketball in 1891?Tap to reveal
Answer: James Naismith
He was a teacher in Springfield, Massachusetts, looking for an indoor game students could play during the cold winter.
The Olympics
Every couple of years the whole world tunes in to watch the Olympics, and kids love the flags, the medals and the flame. This section starts with the symbols almost everyone recognizes, moves on to where the Games came from and the athletes who compete in them, and ends with two harder questions about how the modern Olympics began.
Q1.How many rings are on the Olympic flag?Tap to reveal
Answer: Five
The rings are blue, yellow, black, green and red on a white background, linked together to show the world joining in friendship.
Q2.What color medal does the first-place winner get at the Olympics?Tap to reveal
Answer: Gold
Olympic gold medals are actually made mostly of silver, with a coating of real gold on the outside.
Q3.How often are the Summer Olympics held?Tap to reveal
Answer: Every four years
The four years between one Games and the next is called an Olympiad, a way the ancient Greeks used to count time.
Q4.What do runners carry to bring the Olympic flame to the host city?Tap to reveal
Answer: A torch
The flame is lit months before the Games using only sunlight and a curved mirror.
Q5.In which country did the ancient Olympic Games begin?Tap to reveal
Answer: Greece
They were held at a place called Olympia, which is where the Games got their name.
Q6.At which Olympic Games would you watch skiing, ice skating and snowboarding?Tap to reveal
Answer: The Winter Olympics
The first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France, in 1924.
Q7.What is the name of the long running race that is about 26 miles (42 kilometers)?Tap to reveal
Answer: The marathon
It is named after Marathon, a place in Greece, from an old story about a messenger who ran from there to Athens with news.
Q8.What big sports event for athletes with disabilities is held in the same city soon after the Olympics?Tap to reveal
Answer: The Paralympic Games
Paralympic sports include wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis and goalball, which is played with a ball that has bells inside.
Q9.In what year were the first modern Olympic Games held?Tap to reveal
Answer: 1896
They took place in Athens, and the winners received a silver medal and an olive branch instead of gold.
Q10.Which Frenchman is known as the founder of the modern Olympic Games?Tap to reveal
Answer: Pierre de Coubertin
He also designed the famous Olympic rings symbol in 1913.
Rules, equipment and fun facts from other sports
There is a world of sports beyond soccer, baseball and basketball, and each one has its own funny words and clever gear. Here kids will learn the strange way tennis says zero, what hockey players hit instead of a ball, and a bowling word they may already know from baseball. The two harder questions come from golf and cricket, a bat-and-ball game loved in England, India and Australia.
Q1.In tennis, what word means a score of zero?Tap to reveal
Answer: Love
When both players reach 40 points in a game, the score is called deuce.
Q2.In ice hockey, what flat rubber disc do players hit with their sticks?Tap to reveal
Answer: A puck
Hockey pucks are frozen before games so they slide smoothly and bounce less on the ice.
Q3.In bowling, what is it called when you knock down all ten pins with your first ball?Tap to reveal
Answer: A strike
Knocking all the pins down using both balls of your turn is called a spare.
Q4.In American football, what is it called when a player carries or catches the ball in the other team's end zone?Tap to reveal
Answer: A touchdown
A touchdown is worth six points, and the team then gets a chance to score one or two extra points.
Q5.How many holes are played in a full round of golf?Tap to reveal
Answer: 18
The Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland, one of the oldest golf courses in the world, helped make 18 holes the standard.
Q6.Which swimming stroke is the only one where racers start in the water instead of diving in?Tap to reveal
Answer: Backstroke
Flags hang across the pool near each end so backstroke swimmers know the wall is coming.
Q7.In volleyball, what is it called when a player jumps and hits the ball hard down into the other team's court?Tap to reveal
Answer: A spike
Each team may touch the ball up to three times before sending it back over the net.
Q8.What is the name of the famous tennis tournament played on grass in London every summer?Tap to reveal
Answer: Wimbledon
Players there must dress almost entirely in white, a tradition that dates back to the 1800s.
Q9.In golf, what is it called when you finish a hole in one stroke fewer than par?Tap to reveal
Answer: A birdie
Two strokes under par is called an eagle, and three under is called an albatross.
Q10.In cricket, what is the name for each of the three upright wooden sticks that the bowler tries to hit with the ball?Tap to reveal
Answer: A stump
Two small pieces of wood called bails rest on top of the stumps, and the stumps and bails together are called the wicket.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this sports quiz the right level for my child?
The questions are written for children aged 6 to 12. Younger kids should know most of the first four questions in each section, which cover things like the number of players and medal colors. The last two in each section are aimed at older kids, around 10 to 12, or at families who follow sports closely. Mix and match to suit your group.
How should I run this quiz with a class or a group of kids?
Split the children into teams of three or four and read one section per round, giving each team about 20 seconds to agree on an answer. Read the fun fact aloud right after each question so the answer sticks. One section takes about ten minutes, so it works as a warm-up, and all four sections fill a rainy-day recess or a party game.
Is this quiz free to use in a classroom?
Yes. You can read the questions aloud, copy them onto the board or run the online quiz on a classroom screen at no cost, and there is no signup. It is built for teachers, coaches, scout leaders and parents, so feel free to use it at school, practice, club meetings or a team party whenever you need a quick game.
What is the hardest question in this quiz?
For most children it is the cricket question about the wooden sticks the bowler tries to hit, since cricket is rarely played in American schools. The founder of the modern Olympics comes a close second. If a child gets stuck, give the first letter of the answer as a hint, or let their team talk it over before answering.
Where can kids play this sports trivia quiz online?
Right here on this page. The free online version asks the same 40 questions one at a time, so kids can tap their answers instead of writing them down. It runs in any web browser on a phone, tablet or computer with no signup, which makes it easy to play on a car ride or put up on a classroom screen.
