We are always looking for ways to engage our students, including catering to their interests or introducing completely new interesting information. Many younger students have not yet had the exposure to different sporting events and different countries across the world. The Olympics are an excellent chance to promote cultural awareness, sportsmanship, fitness, hard work, and more.
Introducing the Olympics to Students
Historical Olympics
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Summer Olympic Sports Include:
- Gymnastics
- Swimming
- Fencing
- Rugby
- Judo
- Shooting
- Tennis
- Rowing
- Track and Field
- Golf
- Water Polo
- Wrestling
- Soccer
- Basketball
- Diving
- Boxing
- Archery
- Canoe
- Cycling
- Handball
- Field Hockey
- Sailing
- Tae Kwon Do
- Trampoline
- Weightlifting
- Beach Volleyball
- Equestrian Events
The Olympic Games are very exciting, especially for those who have never experienced them. Athletes come together from all over the world to compete and test their skills in sporting events. The Olympics are a great chance to encourage global unity. The world comes together during the Olympic games. Have students “sponsor” specific athletes, countries, or events. Research different ones and present information. Whether you focus on summer games or winter games, there are many activities that you can do to engage your students.
Olympic Basketball
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Take your Olympic lesson plans to the next level! You can have Olympics for kids too. The Storyboard Creator has several characters and scenes that are specifically for different sporting events. The sports characters even have special positions and props for playing their various sports. If the item you want isn't under the "Sports" character tab, type what you want in the search bar!
Our characters are customizable, so you can show many different "people colors" and match clothing colors to a country's flag. Type "flag" into the search bar to see our available flags, or make your own flags with our shapes and pattern backgrounds! Photos for Class comes in handy when looking for the right flag too, but it is perfect for digging up safe-to-use photographs of previous Olympic Games.
What are you working on in your class? Trying to build character, promote leadership, encourage cooperation, instill tolerance and cultural appreciation, develop research skills, practice presentation skills, learn about decimals, show the benefits of discipline, write a sports story? There are lots of things you can do to incorporate the Olympics into different areas of your curriculum.
Check out the following topics and ideas for a little inspiration for using the Olympics in your classroom!
- Countries of the world
- Sporting events
- Challenges of team events and individual events
- Perseverance and determination
- Planning of Olympic Games
- Olympic/Sports poetry
- History of the Olympics
- Training regimen from student in school to Olympic athlete
- Opening ceremonies
- Anatomy and body movement
- Stories/biographies of specific Olympians
- Word problems (ordering numbers, simple arithmetic, more complicated physics problems)
- Story/non-fiction article of a tense game or competition
- Research Olympic Games that were disrupted, boycotted, or cancelled
- Difference between professional and Olympic sporting events
- Track the number of medals a country wins
Make sure you check out the Official Olympics Website for information about current, past, and upcoming Olympic Games!
Volleyball
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Olympic Hockey
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Swimming Events
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Olympic Basketball
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Historical Olympics
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Boxing Story
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{Microdata type="HowTo" id="959"}
Frequently Asked Questions about Olympics for Kids
How can I incorporate the Olympics into different subjects, such as science or literature?
There are many ways to incorporate the Olympics into different subjects. For science, you can teach about the physics of sports like the aerodynamics of a ski jump or the mechanics of a gymnastics routine. For literature, you can have students read books and stories about the Olympics or write their own Olympic-themed stories or poems.
How can I use Olympics for kids classroom activities to teach important life skills, like teamwork and sportsmanship?
Olympics for kids classroom activities provide a great opportunity to teach important life skills like teamwork, sportsmanship, and perseverance. You can emphasize these skills by emphasizing the importance of working together, showing respect for others, and demonstrating good sportsmanship, regardless of the outcome of the competition.
How can I make sure that Olympics for kids classroom activities are inclusive and accessible for all students?
It's important to consider the needs of all students when planning Olympics for kids classroom activities. This can include providing accommodations for students with disabilities or creating modified versions of activities that allow all students to participate. You can also encourage a positive and inclusive atmosphere by emphasizing teamwork and good sportsmanship, rather than just competition.
Image Attributions
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Athlete John Winter winning the high jump event at the London Olympic Games, August 1948.
• National Library of Australia Commons
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Australasian swimming team, winners of the freestyle relay, Olympic Games, Stockholm, 1912.
• National Library of Australia Commons
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Banksy Olympic Javelin Thrower
• dullhunk
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Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
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British Women’s Olympic swimming team, London, 1948.
• National Media Museum
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'Decathlon reflections', Olympic Games, London, 1948.
• National Media Museum
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Football played barefoot, Olympic Games, London, 1948.
• National Media Museum
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Lacrosse at the Olympics, London, 1948.
• National Media Museum
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Larsson of Sweden wins 400 meters hurdles Olympic heat, London, 1948.
• National Media Museum
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Lionel Cox competing at the Helsinki Olympic Games, 1952
• National Library of Australia Commons
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Opening of the Olympic Games in London, 29 July, 1948.
• National Media Museum
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Sweden and Yugoslavia in Football final at the Olympic Games, London, 1948.
• National Media Museum
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The finish of the men's 400 metres at the Olympic Games, London, 1948.
• National Media Museum
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Women’s final of 80 metres hurdles, Olympic Games, London, 1948.
• National Media Museum
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Wrestling at the Olympic Games, London, 1948.
• National Media Museum
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