How Do I Turn Blue Jays and Dodgers Games Into Fun Learning at Home?
By Julie Diamond, Founder & CEO Diamond Teachers Group
The Toronto Blue Jays are in the World Series, and baseball excitement is at an all-time high! While cheering for your favourite players, you can also turn game-watching into a fun and educational experience for your children. Baseball is full of numbers from hits and home runs to pitching stats and win totals, making it a perfect way to teach kids math and critical thinking in a real-world, hands-on way.
Here’s how to make the World Series both fun and educational for kids of all ages:
1. Calculate Batting Averages Across the Season
Batting averages are one of the easiest baseball stats to explore with your child.
Here’s how:
Step 1: Choose one Blue Jay (like Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) and one Dodger (like Mookie Betts).
Step 2: Find each player’s total hits and at-bats for the season. For example:
Guerrero Jr.: 150 hits ÷ 500 at-bats = .300 batting average
Step 3: Compare players and talk about what those numbers mean.
Helpful websites: MLB Blue Jays Stats | MLB Dodgers Stats
2. Compare Team Wins
Understanding win totals helps children see how teams perform over an entire season.
Step 1: Look up the total wins and losses for the Blue Jays and Dodgers on MLB Standings.
Step 2: Calculate the winning percentage:
Wins ÷ Total Games = Winning Percentage
For example:
93 wins ÷ 162 games = .574 winning percentage
Step 3: Compare percentages and discuss who might be considered the underdog.
Discussion Points:
What does it mean to be the underdog?
How can a strong finish or comeback change a team’s season?
For Older Kids: Add a Classic Comedy Twist and Watch “Who’s on First?”
Once your child understands the basics of teams and positions, introduce them to the Abbott and Costello classic comedy routine “Who’s on First?”
Why it’s great:
It’s a hilarious way to explore language, communication, and logic.
Kids learn how misunderstandings can happen when words have multiple meanings.
Activity idea:
Watch the routine together then have your child write their own funny skit about a mix-up in the dugout. It’s a perfect mix of literacy, humour, and baseball!
3. Analyze Pitcher Performance Using ERA
Older children can learn more advanced math by calculating a pitcher’s Earned Run Average (ERA) a measure of how many runs a pitcher allows per nine innings.
Formula:
ERA = (Earned Runs ÷ Innings Pitched) × 9
Example:
If Kevin Gausman allows 75 earned runs in 170 innings:
75 ÷ 170 × 9 = 4.0 ERA
Discussion Points:
Ask which pitcher (Blue Jays vs. Dodgers) has a better ERA, and why a lower number means stronger performance.
4. Sing, Dance, and Cheer and Learn the “OK Blue Jays” Song!
Younger kids can join the baseball excitement through music and movement. The Blue Jays’ iconic anthem, “OK Blue Jays”, is a fun way to bring energy, rhythm, and team spirit into your home.
Here’s what to do:
Watch the video together and sing along.
Learn the lyrics: focus on counting beats and rhyming words.
Create a dance routine! Have your child come up with simple moves that match the lyrics.
Perform it together before each World Series game and make it your family’s pre-game ritual!
Learning benefits:
Builds memory, rhythm, and coordination
Strengthens listening and language skills
Encourages confidence and creativity
5. Predict Game Outcomes Using Stats
Turn every game into a prediction challenge:
Before the game, review each team’s stats.
Have your child predict the final score or which player might hit a home run.
After the game, compare predictions to the real results and calculate how close they were.
This activity encourages critical thinking, probability, and estimation while keeping kids invested in the action on screen.
Learning, Confidence, and Team Spirit All in One!
Watching the Blue Jays in the World Series is thrilling and also a chance to teach math, teamwork, and perseverance in a way kids will remember. Whether your child is graphing stats, calculating averages, or dancing to “OK Blue Jays”, they’re learning real-world skills that build confidence and curiosity.
So grab your jerseys, warm up those calculators, and get ready to cheer because this World Series, your child isn’t just watching the Blue Jays… they’re learning to shine bright on their own diamond. 💎