Let’s face it, we’re all a little bummed out that the 2020 Summer Olympic Games were postponed. That doesn’t mean you can’t hold your own Summer Games at home! We’ve compiled a list of activities for you and your family to hold a fun, friendly competition of your own.
Tips:
Before you start the events, you’ll want to get the family together to make medals for the winners. Project Nursery has a great tutorial for DIY Olympic Medals for the Next Generation of Champions. They're fun, easy, and only require a few supplies. You can choose to do a medal for each event or tally up the points at the end for one overall winner of the gold, silver, and bronze medals.
Image Credit: Project Nursery
The first event that springs to mind when thinking about the Summer Olympics is swimming! Have each person swim a timed lap or two in the pool and the fastest time wins! To make it fair for families of all ages, give a 1-second head start for each year between younger and older participants. For instance, someone who is 8 years old would go 2 seconds before a 10-year-old. You can even have someone call the event, like our good friend Rowdy Gaines did for this backyard pool race!
Image Credit: David Roth via Parents.com
Pick up some pool noodles and tape them together to create hoop targets for the javelin throw. Use another noodle as the javelin to toss through the hoops. Assign each hoop a point value and give each person 3 throws. The person with the highest number of points wins!
Photo Credit: Ed of a Few Trades
Pick up a set of SunSplash Diving Rings from your local Pinch A Penny store and you'll be well on your way to a ring toss competition. You can create the inexpensive PVC ring toss arena that's pictured above, or you can simply stick a few dowel rods in the ground to create poles. Each pole should be given a point value with the farthest poles worth the most points. Take turns tossing the set of rings around the poles and see who can rack up the highest score!
Photo credit: A Few Shortcuts
No Summer Olympics would be complete without hurdle jumping! All it takes are a few pool noodles and pencils to create a track of hurdles that are soft on sensitive knees. Simply bend the noodle in an arch to the height of your preference and hold them in place by sticking a pencil in the ground as a post. Your track is set and ready for runners!
Photo Credit: Martha Stewart
Do you have a few daredevils in your family? Take the hurdle race a step further and create an obstacle course race throughout your backyard. Race through hoops, crawl through balloons, crabwalk, and swing your way to victory! This is one event that is sure to have the whole family leaping with laughter. For added fun, string crepe paper across the finish line for the winner to run through!
No Olympic Games would be complete without an award ceremony. Winners will receive the medals they helped to create as their reward for all their hard work. We think everyone deserves a special treat for playing outside and having a little family fun, and these sugar cookie medals are the perfect end to the day.
No matter how your family chooses to play, spending time together for a fun-filled afternoon makes you all winners! Your local Pinch A Penny store has a wide selection of toys and games that your family can use for the Backyard Olympics or enjoying a day in the pool. Stop in today to check out their selection and find more ways to escape to the backyard!
For more family fun ideas, check out our article, Eight Games To Play In Your Swimming Pool!
