Olympic Games and Activities for Kids

In 2006, when my children were ages five and two we decided to play Olympic games at home while the winter games were occurring. For a solid week, we did fun games in our family room every night and earned homemade medals. We also used that week to learn about the history of the Olympics, the athletes, the events, and the countries that participated. Each day we focused on a new country and found unique recipes to make in order to help us experience a meal from another culture each and every night.

At first it seemed like a fun way to pass the time while stuck indoors, but it became a tradition in our household that has made the summer and winter events exciting for our children every time they occur. In the years the Olympics do not occur my children have still begged to have a special week and try new and different things. If you are interested in keeping your children active and busy all year long, consider trying some of these activities that our children have enjoyed for the last few years. Pick weeks throughout the year to be Olympic Weeks and try various new activities and games.

By picking weeks throughout the year to focus on being active and trying new things, you and your kids will get excited about the time together and over time your kids will likely be willing to try anything and may even discover a gift or talent they have in the process.

• Complete an obstacle course outside or in the living room
• Drink a small cup of water with no hands
• Run a short race while balancing an egg on a spoon
• Get the Wii Olympics game and compete against each other
• Put a bunch of sports balls all over the yard and see who can pick up the most and run to the finish line with the most
• Throw fruit loops into small cups; the most in the cup wins

• See who can spin in a circle the longest before falling down
• Race to sort a bowl of fruit loops into color groups
• Blow a cotton ball across the floor with a straw
• Get a small item out of a frozen ice cube (melt or break the ice)
• Push a Frisbee as far across the floor as far as you can using the broom with only one sweep
• Stand on the sofa and toss a stuffed animal into a pile of pillows; animal has to land in the pillows

Here are some non-olympic themed ideas and resources to help you keep your kids active and busy all year long.

• find family-friendly fitness videos on YouTube to do together
• make up games as a family using stuff from around your house
• make an obstacle course in your house or outside
• go hiking or biking at a local park or state park
• try one new activity each month (rent a kayak, take an art class, visit a local museum)-check local newspaper or community centers to find activities going on in your community that you can try
• try to make new recipes together as a family
• start seedlings indoors in the winter and then move to an outdoor garden in the spring

If you are looking to do Olympic games at your house, these craft ideas will go well with the games, If you are just looking for interesting and new crafts, consider checking out Pinterest, Family Fun Magazine, or various crafting blogs on the Internet.

Make an Olympic Torch

Materials: Paper towel tube, orange and yellow tissue paper

Directions: Decorate the tube and then shove the tissue paper end into the tube and you are ready to go!

Homemade Medals

Materials: cardboard from old cereal box, aluminum foil, gold glitter, white glue, copper colored acrylic paint, paint brushes, yarn or decorative string or ribbon, hole punch, and scissors

Directions:

• Cut out the cardboard into circles; you can trace the bottom of a soup can for perfect circles
• Punch a hole in the cardboard circle for where the ribbon will go
• Paint some of the cardboard circles (medals) with the copper acrylic paint, coat others with white glue and cover in gold glitter, and then for others, coat in white glue and place aluminum foil over the cardboard circle
• Let the one side dry before doing the other side
• Once both sides are decorate and dry attach the ribbon or string and you are ready to go

Here is a simplified version of how Olympic game locations are chosen:

1. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) receives proposals/applications from cities that would like to be considered
2. From those applications the IOC selects a few cities and they complete an second application that is over 250 pages long
3. A secret vote by IOC members is taken until a winner is determined
4. The hosting city is decided seven years prior to the event so that they have time to prepare

Cooking and making things from scratch is not only fun but can burn a few calories as well. Consider growing your own food or visiting a local Farmer's Market with your children and then trying new recipes with those foods.

The Olympics were a great time of the year to encourage our kids to try foods from around the world, but anytime of the year can be 'Asian Week' or 'Dutch Day' in your home. Consider finding unique holidays as inspiration to cook new and different meals with your children. Try Irish foods on St. Patrick's Day or Mexican on May the 5th (Cinco De Mayo- Mexican Independence Day).

Cooking also helps improve math, reading and organizational skills and by cooking with your kids you are helping them learn a skill they will need to use throughout their lifetime.