Take Your Kids on a Virtual Tour of Brazil’s Iconic Football Stadiums!

Have you taken your children on a virtual tour of your favourite Brazilian football team’s home stadium?

I recently did and what a fantastic experience for my sons and I.
This activity sparked so many questions from my sons—about Portuguese, Brazil, soccer, and more! The Bee’s Knees Portuguese Ginga mini-course suggests this 'Google Maps' activity to kickstart discussions about the passion Brazilians have for football. And who better to share those stories than you, from your own perspective and experiences!? It's an opportunity to connect through storytelling and culture.

My sons are big fans of Pelé and Neymar Jr., so we started on Google Maps by exploring Estádio Urbano Caldeira—the home stadium of Santos FC, also known as Vila Belmiro. They loved virtually zooming around the outside of the stadium, spotting the Pelé statue, street signs, electricity wires, and even discussing road rules!
“Look at those wires!”
“Let’s look at this statue.” These were some of my sons’ comments and they also asked what ‘R’ stood for when they saw it written on the street. I told them it stands for ‘Rua’, the word for street in Portuguese.

Next, we explored the iconic Maracanã Stadium. Outside, the boys noticed the name Pelé on Avenida Rei Pelé, which led to more curiosity and conversation. “Look! Pelé is in the street name.” Their observations turned into great talking points about Brazil’s football legacy.

I also told my sons about when I went to a Palmeiras match at the Estadio do Pacaembu, where they no longer play their home games. I also told them about the Museu do Futebol located at Estadio Pacaembu. My sons loved the idea of a soccer museum. I’m lucky enough to have visited it twice. I loved telling them about it.

At Bee’s Knees Portuguese, we love off-screen learning, but sometimes, a touch of technology at the right moment can fuel our kids’ imagination and curiosity in ways that truly light them up.

If you try this activity with your loved ones, I’d love to hear about their reactions and what sparked their interest!