The Olympics are fun for everyone to watch - kids included!  Wouldn't your kids love to participate in their own Olympics?!

Thanks to Angie, a great mom & party planner, here's a fun way to get kids more involved in celebrating during the Olympic Games this summer!

When faced with choosing a theme for her son's birthday party this year, Angie thought it would be memorable to host an Olympic-themed party in a local park.  She hosted an amazing party and has graciously shared her photos & ideas below! 

So here's all the details you'll need to put together your own Olympic Celebration!

Decide on Your Events

 Your first task is to choose which events will be included in your celebration.  You can choose events that mirror the ones at the Olympic Games or come up with your own list of events.

Angie decided to combine some individual events and team events in her celebration and also made sure the events were very focused on the kids having fun!  She included: potato sack race, wheelbarrow race, hop on one foot, three-legged race, crab walk, kick a soccer ball, and a spider walk.  The final event at her celebration was a tug-of-war and she told me the kids just LOVED it!

Find a 'Host' Location

If you're planning to have track & field events, look into reserving a local park or finding a large open area.  If you think you may include some swimming events, find a community pool that's also close to a park.

In keeping with the Olympic theme, label your location as your "host site" if you're making invitations for the celebration.

Hydrate the Athletes

 I just LOVE that Angie was so conscious to include healthy behaviors at her celebration.  She supplied sports drinks (colorless and dye free) for the kids to drink during the competitions and printed lables with each child's name so they wouldn't get them mixed up.

Other healthy behaviors you might also include at the event could be warm-up stretches, having fresh fruit available and reminding the athletes to get a good night's sleep to keep their bodies healthy.

Choose Your Countries & Represent!

 Angie had a large group and decided to divide the boys into 5 teams.  Each team had an assigned color (red, blue, black, yellow and green) and all team members were given sweatbands and a headband that color-coordinated with his team.

Remember to focus on team work and supporting one another in the games.  In Angie's words, "We encouraged team spirit by giving each coach face paint markers and the teams had fun decorating their faces. Each boy was also given a flag of various countries."

Let the Games Begin

 Decide how you would like to begin your celebration.  You might go all out and have your own 'opening ceremony'.  And of most importance is the 'passing of the torch'.  Since Angie was celebrating her son's birthday, the birthday boy led the way to the field with an Olympic torch (made from a piece of white cardstock and red, yellow and orange tissue paper). 

You might choose one child to be the torch bearer (maybe a younger sibling who isn't competing in the celebration) or you might have each child bring their own torch.

 As you hold the various events, make sure to emphasize the fun part of the games and focus on everyone doing their best.  Remember the Olympic Creed states "the most important thing.. is not to win but to take part".

Award Ceremony

You can choose how you'd like to award the athletes and competing teams.  Angie made chocolate chip cookies and wrapped them in gold aluminum foil. She then attached red, white and blue ribbon with a hot glue gun and made labels that read, 'You're pure GOLD!'  "That way," said Angie, "every kid left with a gold medal".

 At their closing awards ceremony, Angie and the parents handed out Honorable Mention ribbons, Fourth Place ribbons and then bronze, silver and gold medals - so each team got an award, plus their party favor cookies.

In the End, It's All For Fun

 And what's a celebration without a fun way to gather in the end!  You might choose to have a cake with candy rings like Angie did for her party.  Other fun ideas include these great 'Olympic Torch' cake cones for kids, or this fun 'England's Flag' fruit pizza as a healthier option.

On behalf of all of us who LOVE to host these types of fun events but just don't have the time to do all the planning - Thank You Angie!

If you decide to host a kid-sized Olympics, we'd love to hear about it!

Enjoy the Games!! ~ Jacquie