30 Ways To Make Your Own Summer Olympics

Collage of image of Olympic inspired summer games.

While it may have been a year-long wait, the Tokyo Olympics are almost here! The world will be going athletics crazy pretty soon, and we know that you'll be looking for ways to tap into the mood.

Keep your kids active this summer by staging your own at-home Olympics! Here we have the games, props, and all-important snacks to bring the Tokyo 2020 vibe to you.

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Toddler olympic rings

a montage of photos of a small boy digging into a tray of cereal and cardboard colored rings — Source: Playtivities

First thing first, let's start with the little ones. This sensory activity is perfect for toddlers to get into the Olympic spirit. It'll also improve their color recognition and motor skills.

Olympic puzzle

a toddler looks down at some colored jigsaw pieces on a table — Source: Playtivities

If you're looking for another DIY game to follow up with your toddler (we know how short their attention spans are!), then you could move on to this Olympic color puzzle.

Opening ceremony bingo

a screenshot of a bingo card around the TOkyo opening ceremony — Source: Etsy

If you're settling down to watch the opening ceremony, then you'll have even more fun with these bingo cards from Tenth Line Games. Check off the event mascots, sponsors, and even the Prime Minister!

Olympic torch craft

a torch made of a cone of white paper, with red and yellow tissue paper as the flames — Source: Rainy Day Mum

For your own Olympic torch, you can head to Rainy Day Mum. She has a simple paper craft for you to make with your kids. Run around the yard and pretend you're in the USA team in Tokyo.

Olympic clothespin relay

a football goal is in front of some trees. Olympic rings are hanging from it — Source: I Can Teach My Child

Your first event? This clothespin relay will be a great start! Head to I Can Teach My Child for a relay game that only takes a handful of craft materials.

Salt dough medals

You'll need medals ready to hand over to your mini-Olympians after their relay. The Imagination Tree has the guide to making your own salt dough medals to hand out to the athletes!

Ready-made medals

a girl hangs a gold medal over the neck of another girl. SHe is holding a small trophy — Source: Amazon

Alternatively, you can skip the DIY medal making, and buy your own from Amazon. Have a bunch ready for your athletic events to make everyone feel accomplished!

Olympic small world

playmobil figures run around a paper athletics track — Source: The Imagination Tree

You see, even if the rain stops play you can have some Olympic fun with The Imagination Tree's small world ideas. Crack out the Playmobil and sprint, throw and shoot your way to a tiny medal!

Teddy bear Olympic games

teddies sit behind a strip of paper on green grass — Source: Sun Hats and Wellies

If cuddly toys are more your style than tiny plastic people, then you can make your own teddy bear Olympics with Sun Hats & Wellies. You'll find 6 activities and a lot of fun!

World flag garland

3 garlands of world flags hang on a wall above a blue chair — Source: Art Bar

You'll need decorations for your at-home Olympics and Art Bar has you covered with this world flag garland. You've got a craft activity and a talking point to learn about countries of the world.

Olympic medal chart

a sheet of paper with an American, British, Chinese, Australian and Indian flag have a medal tally chart next to them — Source: Activity Village

For those of you with kids who like to keep score, this Olympic medal chart from Activity Village is easy to make and will keep them busy all through the tournament.

Javelin throw

Standingi n a front yard are the olympic rings supported on two pool noodles — Source: Hoosier Homemade

WIth some pool noodles, duct tape and broom handles you can make a javelin throw challenge to get your kids ready for the field. Head to Hoosier Homemade for the how-to.

Human ring toss

a hand tosses a ring toward some pins on the grass — Source: Physical Kitchness

Sticking with the pool noodles for a while, this human ring toss game is a lot of fun for your Olympic games or your next family reunion. Physical Kitchness will give you the instructions for your new favorite game!

Gladiator jousting

two women in crash helmets hold giant jousting sticks — Source: The Creative Bite

With just a couple of shipping tubes, duct tape and some old pillows you can make your very own gladiator jousting poles. Head to The Creative Bite and cue the Instagram-worthy fun!

Balloon ping pong

on a table are 2 paper plate paddles and a balloon — Source: The Project Corner

While you might not be able to re-enact the Olympic ping pong tournament, The Project Corner's balloon ping pong is the perfect alternative. All you need are balloons, paper plates and some sticks.

Backyard volleyball

a volleyball court in front of some houses — Source: Own The Yard

For those of you with slightly more space and a little more commitment, you could make your own volleyball court and have Olympic-style fun all year round! Own The Yard will show you how.

Olympic ring snacks

olympic rings made out of cookies, cream and different fruits — Source: Kristina Does the Internets

By this point, your little ones will definitely need feeding, and Kristina Does the Internets can keep you in the Olympic theme with these Olympic ring snacks made with rice crispies and fruit.

Balance beam

The gymnastic events at the Olympics are my favorite part. Showcasing incredible skill, each gymnast has to start somewhere. This DIY balance beam from I Can Teach My Child might give your kids the bug.

Long jump

a girl jumps in the air in a yard — Source: Castle View Academy

Kids love running and jumping and Castle View Academy had a fun afternoon loving their own long jump event. Discover your jumping champion and get them their own medals.

Backyard STEM shooting

a boy lays on his front in the grass, holding a nerf gun — Source: Umbrella Tree Cafe

Your future pentathlete needs to practice their shooting, and what better way than with a nerf gun and this target shooting game from Umbrella Tree Cafe. They can learn all about velocity at the same time.

Javelin throw STEM activity

a boy holds a paper javelin in the air as if to throw it — Source: You've Got This Math

We know we've mentioned javelin before, but this is a great extra activity for your science-loving Olympians. Design your own javelin and measure distance with You've Got This Math.

Shotput catapult

Shotput is a pretty impressive sport to watch, and with JDaniel4's Mom you can help your kids design their own catapult device to have fun with!

Olympic torch cake pops

on a cloth of olympic rings are 5 ice cream cones made to look like olympic torches — Source: Miss Candiquik

Snack time again! These Olympic torch cake pops will replenish all the energy you used up throwing javelins, leaping long distances, and concentrating on your shot. Miss Candiquik has all the instructions.

Pool noodle hurdles

a girl jumps over hurdles made of pink and blue pool noodles — Source: Castle View Academy

Whenever I watch the hurdles I'm always amazed that the athletes can clear the bar over and over again without slowing down! You can challenge your own speedy runners with Castle View Academy's pool noodle hurdle games.

Scavenger hunt

These printable scavenger hunts from Organized 31 will help you keep your little ones occupied while you watch the action. Check off the soccer, wrestling, and fencing together.

Olympic trivia

a photo of stone oympic rings, with a trivia sheet next to it — Source: Etsy

Are you looking to include some brainpower in your Olympic Games? Then these trivia sheets from Etsy will help you stretch your brains along with your hamstrings.

Badminton

One of the easiest sports to recreate, badminton is a fun Olympic event to stage in your own backyard. Get yourself a net and see who comes out with the gold medal.

Lawn darts

Archery might be out of bounds for your backyard Olympic Games, so lawn darts make a safer option. Try these from Amazon.

Sack races

a girl stands in a potato sack on some grass

Depending on the age of your kids, a sack race might be more fun than a straight-out sprint. You can pick up a set of sacks from Amazon pretty reasonably. Then get jumping!

Party snacks

a close up shot of biscuits hanging on ribbons — Source: Living Well Spending Less

Finish off your Olympic event with some more medals and some more inventive Olympic-themed snacks. Living Well and Spending Less has some great ideas to end your celebration.