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Summer Olympics – How to get the Kids Into the Games

The Summer Olympics are almost here, and I am excited! It’s hard not to get hyped over the Olympics, whether winter or summer. It’s so exciting to watch competitors battling it out for the coveted gold. But what I love more than that is a good personal story behind the athlete’s journey to the games.

I’m interested in the Summer Olympics. I think the games provide a great learning opportunity, but my kids are on summer break and they don’t really want to hear about learning right now. That’s why I decided to brainstorm some ways to get kids into the upcoming Olympics. This is what I came up with.

Summer Olympics - How to get Your Kids Interested in the Games-2

 

Getting the Kids Excited About the Summer Olympics

I remember when the Olympics were the biggest deal in the history of sports. I mean, you had to wait for 4 years, and by then the entire lineup of superstars had changed. After all, the Olympics is a young man and woman’s venue. And you could only see them on network television. It was such an ordeal to watch sometimes, but it was so worth it.

These days, you can stream everything live on your phone with real time updates and everything else. Here are some ways to inject a little excitement into the Summer Olympics to get the kiddos off of their tablets, smart phones, and consoles and actually watch a little bit of sports history.

Themed Treats

If you plan ahead, you can make themed treats for the games. For example line up cupcakes with blue frosting and a yellow frosted line down the center. You’ve got an Olympic pool. Is soccer scheduled for the day? Make up some circular Rice Krispies Treats and ice them up to look like soccer balls. Be creative and get the kids to help!

Backyard Track and Field

Track and field has always been one of my favorite parts of the Summer Olympics. To add in a little physical activity and some family bonding time, why not have a track and field meet in the backyard? Throw a soccer ball shot-put style or lay out a track for the kids (and grownups) to do some racing on using rope.

Incorporate Crafting

If your kids are into crafting, try incorporating that interest to get them excited about the Summer Olympics. For example, look up Olympic crafts on Pinterest and I am sure you’ll find a tonne of ideas. Here are a few more Olympic ideas for you to consider.

Use Technology

Remember the streaming everything I mentioned at the beginning of this post? Use that to your advantage. Use all technology to your advantage. Kids love the immediate gratification of today’s connected world, so use it! Pull up your country’s Summer Olympics competitors on your tablet, smartphone, or computer and check out their stats and what they’ve done. Then see if you and your family can guess how well they’ll do in the games. EVERYONE loves to speculate, after all. 😉

Summer Olympics – Get Your Kids Into the Games

The Summer Olympics have always been such a big part of our lives, but in a world with tablets, smartphones, and instant media coverage, the games have a lot to compete with. Use any or all of the suggestions above to get your kids more interested in these historic games and less interested in what they’re doing on their tablets.

What are some ways you think you’d be able to get your kids more interested in the Summer Olympics?

Mom of two beautiful active girls, traveller, fitness junkie, social media consultant, and keeper of the sanity.