I love the Olympics, especially the summer Olympics! I was bummed last year when they had to be postponed, so I’m extra excited this year, and crossing my fingers everything goes well. Track and field is my very favorite event to watch, but I’m a sucker for stories of triumph and love watching it all. If you share my love of the Olympics, I’ve rounded up 10 fun ways to celebrate the Olympics in your home!
1. Host an opening ceremonies party. We’ve hosted an opening ceremonies party for the last several Olympics, and it’s such a fun way to kick off the excitement. If you’ve been here a while you know that when I say party it does not have to include guests. Our parties are often low key for just our little family. We love to decorate and plan festive snacks and watch the ceremonies. Here’s a free printable pack with great decorations and activities for your party!
2. Olympic Reading. Anytime I can get my hands on some books that coordinate with an event or project I’m all for it. We’ve read some great books about the history of the Olympics and on different athletes that having amazing stories! It’s such a fun way to tie learning in!
Some of our favorites include: Unbeatable Betty, G is for Gold Medal and the very silly Olympig.
3. Decorate. Decorations are a fun way to make things feel special. It’s pretty easy to pull off a few decorations thanks to the Olympic Rings/colors!
- Use balloons in the Olympic colors.
- Print some posters to represent the 2020 Olympics
- Make a paper chain using the Olympic colors.
- Hang flags from various countries. Here is a free flag printable banner.
4. Make an Olympic torch. An Olympic torch can double as a photo prop and a decoration. We painted a paper towel roll gold and added orange and yellow tissue paper. I’ve also seen people add battery operated tea lights…which is so cool!
5. Themed snacks. Themed snacks are a must. They really make a party, a party, am I right? Olympic snacks can be fun and easy to whip up! Here are a few ideas:
- Cheeto torches. Put Cheetos into an ice cream cone to make super cute edible torches.
- Go for the Gold (candy). Put out a bowl of gold wrapped candy. Rolos and snickers are perfect.
- Edible medals. Use golden Oreos and fruit by the foot to make medals you can eat!
- Color coordinate. Since the Olympic Rings are red, blue, green, yellow and black you can easily make Olympic themed food with m&ms. Arrange the m&ms like rings on sugar cookies or brownies.
- Don’t forget the dip. My personal favorites are Olympic colored dips! (Red)Salsa, (green)guacamole, (yellow)queso, (blue) blue corn chips, and (black) black bean dip!
6. Flag fun. Print and sort flags from other countries based on which continent they are from. (Did you know the 5 rings represent the 5 continents where athletes come from to compete?) Spend some time discussing the purpose of a flag and design one for an imaginary country. Here is a printable flag matching game.
7. Family Olympics. Bring the competition a little closer to home with some family Olympics. Pick some fun events—-minute to win it style games or fun field day events and keep tally of the medals earned. Family members could represent different countries or imaginary countries.
8. Medal Tracking. Stay on top of the medal race throughout the Olympics. Here is a tracking sheet for US medals. Here is another tracking sheet that includes other countries.
9. Olympic Bingo. This printable Olympic bingo would be fun to play during the opening ceremonies or another time to learn more about the summer games!
10. Olympic Coloring Pages. If you have kiddos that love to color check out these fun printable coloring sheets.
There are so many fun ways to celebrate the Olympics and add in some learning and family bonding. How do you plan to celebrate the Olympics?
Go for the Gold!
Megan
