If hearing the word Rio makes you think of the ’80s Duran Duran song or the popular kids movie, think again. Rio de Janeiro is the host of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, set to begin Aug. 5 and run through Aug. 21. Just because summer is winding down and school will be starting soon doesn’t mean all the fun has to end! The beginning of the Olympics lends itself perfectly to breaking out creative and unique ideas for your family to get in the Olympic spirit!
Rio de Janeiro, with a population of more than 6 million, is the second largest city in Brazil. While it is perhaps best known for its towering Christ the Redeemer statue and sunny beaches, its new claim to fame will be the first South American city to host the Summer Olympics. While watching the two weeks of sports is a great way to support and enjoy the Olympics, there are other ways to spice up the family experience. In keeping with the tradition of the five rings, here are five Olympic-sized activities you may want to consider:
Opening ceremony torch and bingo
To make the torch, have your child stuff a few pieces of red and yellow tissue paper in one end of an empty paper towel tube (which can be painted gold or brown, left as is or covered with aluminum foil). Afterward, play opening ceremony bingo while watching together as a family. A sample from the 2012 London Olympics is available at ThirtyHandmadeDays.com/2012/07/kids_worksheets/.
Olympic trivia night
Exercise everyone’s brain a bit and shake off the summer cobwebs with an Olympic trivia night! Sample questions could be:
- Where is Rio de Janeiro? (Brazil, South America)
- What is the population of Brazil? (200.4 million as of 2013)
- Where and when did the first modern Olympics take place? (Athens, 1896)
- What is the significance of the Olympic rings? (The five rings represent the five continents and their union in the games.)
- Which country has held the most Olympic Games? (United States)
- Which city has held the Olympic Games three times? (London)
- For more fun Olympic trivia and facts, head to TopEndSports.com/events/summer/trivia.htm.
Ring toss and Olympic rings artwork
Make five rings from paper plates by first cutting out a circle from the center of each plate. Then have your child paint or color each plate in colors corresponding to the Olympic rings (blue, yellow, black, green and red). Next, paint five toilet or paper towel tubes the same colors as the rings you made. After the tubes dry, glue them onto a stiff, flat piece of cardboard, leaving enough space between each so the rings you made will easily fit around them. Your ring toss game is now ready to play by tossing each ring onto the matching tube! When the game has lost its pizazz, cut a slit in each plate so they can be interlocked to create the famous Olympic rings (make sure to put them in the right order!).
Family fun day
Head out to a park and host your own family Olympics! You could do more traditional, old-fashioned games, such as a sack race or three-legged race or try some of the Summer Olympic sports, such as golf, badminton or volleyball.
Don’t forget the medals too! You can make your own with a simple salt dough recipe by mixing 1 cup each of flour and salt together and gradually adding in water (about ¾ cup total). Knead together until a smooth dough is formed and all the ingredients are combined. Use a cookie cutter to cut out whatever shape you want for the medals and bake at 250 for about two to three hours or until dry. Don’t forget to poke a hole in the medal with a straw to thread some ribbon through after baking. Once the medal is completely cooled, your child can paint it using acrylic paints. If mixing a dough and baking is too much, use construction paper, cardstock or poster board instead!
International dinner
To honor the Olympics and the unity it creates in our world for those few short weeks, mix up your weekly dinner menu by including foods from around the world. You could have an Italian or Mexican night, or add one new international side dish as a complement to your meal. Don’t forget a sweet, themed treat to surprise your little Olympic athletes. Olympic ring sugar cookies, either cut out like an “O” or just a round cookie, decorated with colored frosting or candy, are an easy and yummy way to bring the Olympics right to the table.
Lastly, if you’re looking for a fun, crazy, multi-family way to celebrate the Olympics, check out the website CourtneyDefeo.com/best-events-family-olympics/. You’d definitely need people who are willing to be good sports, but what a hysterically fun family event!
However you celebrate it, the world is truly your oyster when it comes to Olympic fun, so pick one or two new ideas and try them out…the whole family might just have fun!
Julie Collett writes from Overland Park where she’ll be trying out a few of these ideas with her own children, ages 5, 3 and 1.