The Olympic games, both summer and winter, are a wonderful opportunity to get children excited about sports, friendly competition, and national pride! We don’t have to wait long, with the next Summer Olympics starting TODAY, Friday August 5th and running through to Sunday 21st August, in Brazil.
The Summer Olympics, first held in 1896, are a major international multi-sport event, one of the largest in the world, occurring every four years. More than 10, 000 athletes travel from around the world to put their years of intense training to the test and compete in 206 sporting events.
The Olympic Torch was lit in Olympia, Greece and arrived in South America on May 4, 2016 where it began the traditional Torch Relay. The Olympic flame is an important symbol of the Games, representing peace, unity and friendship. The torch is used to pass the flame from one bearer to another during the relay until its final stop at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio, Brazil where it will be used to light the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony tonight, marking the start of the games.
Celebrate the Summer Olympics with these Olympic themed activities, crafts and recipes.
- Host Your Own Olympic Games. One way to get children interested in the Olympics is to host your own Olympic Games; have children decide on different activities (events), choose a mascot, make medals using clay, paper, foam etc., and you can even include an opening and closing ceremony.
- Olympic Playdough Fun. Print these these Olympic themed playdough mats and encourage children to get creative.
- Track the Medals. Use this printable scoresheet and keep track of the medals won during the games. You can track each sport or just the ones the country you are cheering for wins.
- Write an Olympic Story. Use these Olympic stationary printables and have children come up with an Olympic story of their own or as a group.
- Olympics Reading. Explore this reading list of stories about the Olympics for all ages.
- Olympic Treats. Make a fun Olympic themed treat for your little Olympians to enjoy during their Olympic games or during an Olympic viewing party.
GO TEAM CANADA!