Teacher’s Brain

Summer Olympic Games and Activities for Kids

The summer Olympics is a great way to get kids involved in learning! You can include Venn diagrams, books, KWL charts, traditions, STEM and so much more to your lessons that relate to summer sports. Because students are seeing the events at home, they will be more engaged in your lessons. I love to invite guest speakers to the classroom if you can find someone who trains for the Olympics in your area. Also, parents also take an interest in the Olympics, so why not get them involved in a home STEM project? Here is one for Field Hockey.

STEM STEPS:

  1. Print out the net and field.
  2. Tape a paper-clip to a pencil to make a hockey stick
  3. Fold the net to stand upright
  4. Have a crumbled piece of paper to use as a puck

STUDENTS LOVE IT!

Do an ancient Greek history lesson about the reason the torch is always a symbol of the games. Include learning about each sports event in your unit.  You can even have students host their own Olympics at school.  Sponsorship is a big part of the Olympics.  Students can design their own logos, shirts, hats, or write a letter to ask for sponsorship. Next, have students discover the meaning of the five rings.

summer sports

torch

Students love to learn about the medals that Olympians receive for winning at the Olympics. Let them design their own. Then, have them research the history of the medals.

olympic medals

Maybe you don’t have time to do a whole unit on summer sports. You could do an interactive notebook on Fun Fridays!


Read about the Winter Olympic Resources

Summer Olympic Sports Activities for Kids

Summer Olympic in Tokyo

Athletes from all over the world gather to compete in the Summer Olympic Games every four years. In 2016, they were held in Rio De Janeiro in Brazil. The 2020 Summer Olympic sports activities will be held in Tokyo, Japan. 2020 will mark fifty-six years after having organised the Olympic Games at the Japanese capital for the second time. This is an exciting topic to bring into your classroom with lots of opportunities to create classroom discussions about summer sports. As a result, families like to watch the games with their children, so your lessons and discussions can easily be reinforced at home.

Summer Sports Activities

The 2020 Olympic Agenda will use many existing competitions such as judo, equestrian events, gymnastics, archery, swimming, baseball, boxing, surfing, field hockey and volleyball just to name a few. There are 47 sports being represented. You can check them out on their web site. The Tokyo National Stadium will be revamped and replaced by a new area for the opening and closing Ceremonies. You can find a great video about Olympic Facts for Kids on YouTube. Why not have an entire unit on Summer Sports during this special time in history? Students can get some physical fitness, learn about the history of sports and have fun while incorporating all subject areas.

Summer Olympic Sports Activities for Kids

Summer Olympic Activities to do with Kids

Teaching young students about history can be difficult. However, it’s not that hard. Here are some summer Olympic IDEAS:

  • Compare and Contrast Summer and Winter Olympics
  • Make Shadow Puppets for Students to Guess the Activity
  • Write About Being a Sponsor
  • Write to Persuading Parents to Attend The Games
  • Create a Torch and Discuss the History of the Flame
  • Graph Student’s Favorite Summer Sport
  • Make Medals for Different Sporting Events
  • Design a Shirt or a Hat for The Summer Olympics
  • Keep a Journal of Each Sport Discussed
  • Use STEM Activities to Represent each Sport
  • Write the Room with Summer Sport Vocabulary Words
  • Watch Re-plays of the BEST Moments in Class
  • Read Books like Elympics by X.J. Kennedy (Exposes both Summer and Winter Olympics)

Summer Olympic Interactive Notebook

Love using Interactive notebook in your classroom? I do too! There are some great printables to support teaching about Summer Sports. Don’t just cover the sports, but add the rich history of the Summer Olympic Sports. These lessons can lead to easily fitting in adjectives during activities. Let students describe the sports. Lead students to writing activities about various summer sports by keeping data in a daily journal with your students.

Summer Olympic Sports Interactive Notebook for Kids

Have fun sharing the Summer Olympics with your class! It is an exciting sporting even that doesn’t happen often. Summer Olympic sports activities will provide a lot of great experiences for your kids!