Olympic Games for Kids

Paired Balloon Relay Races

• Relay races in the Olympics test the runner's speed. Using a similar format, this game teaches the children cooperation. Divide the children into two teams, then pair them off within the teams. Each pair has to walk the length of the room with a balloon held between their stomachs and return, passing the balloon off to the second pair behind them. The first team to get every pair across the room and back is the winner.

Backwards Race

• For younger children, a backwards race can be challenging without being too difficult. Line the children up with their backs toward the finish line and tell them that they have to make it to the finish line without turning around. This activity can allow the children to work on their coordination, and the novelty of running backward requires a new level of concentration from them.

Olympic Rings

• Show the children a picture of the five interlocked Olympic rings. Divide them into groups of six and see how long it takes them to link their arms together like the rings are linked in the picture. This game takes coordination and communication, and it can be a good way to lead into a lesson about teamwork and the benefits of working together.

Torch Relay

• The Olympic games are opened with the entrance of a torch that has been carried and passed hand to hand all the way from Athens to wherever the games are going to be held. This cooperative effort connects the modern games to the original games in Greece. Stretch the children in a line across a long field and have them pass an object designated as the torch from hand to hand. Time how long it takes them to get the torch across the field, then have them repeat the opportunity to see if they can improve on their previous time.