Try this 2026 Winter Olympic activity for kids using the FREE printable challenge that can be used as a teaching resource & lesson plan guide or just for fun with your family as you enjoy the Olympic Games together!
There’s so much to learn during the 2-weeks of the Olympics — it’s a great time to introduce geography, cultural activities, STEM projects and more!
And we’ve got an AWESOME way to inspire your kids or students to do more than just watch the events!
Grab your FREE printable copy of the Winter Olympics Challenge — complete with bronze, silver & gold medals — and see how many ‘events’ you can complete before the closing ceremony.
15 Winter Olympic Activities & Lesson Plan Ideas
The challenge can be used with kids of all ages — from preschool through middle school — and includes activities that cover science, geography, art, history, reading, math, physical activity and cultures!
We’ve listed each of the 15 challenges below along with activity ideas, teaching resources and affiliate links to items that are perfect for the learning about the 2026 Olympic Games.
Plus a FREE printable bingo-themed Olympic Games Challenge kids will LOVE and medals they can earn as they complete the different activities.
Let the Games begin!
2026 Olympic-themed Geography & Cultural Activities
Milan, Italy is hosting this year’s Olympic Games. Our geography and cultural activities focus on the host country, the original Olympic Games & symbols and map activities.
For many of these challenges, you’ll need map or globe (and no, I don’t suggest using an online map! Kids learn so much more when they have an object to hold and manipulate!)
If you don’t have a map or globe at home or in your classroom, here are a few that we recommend:
- We use a Kids Dry Erase World Wall Map
when we want to record items — for example, when we map our summer reading activities.
- We also have a Kids Desktop Globe
which is great to use when you’re discussing time zones or lines of latitude and longitude.
- If your short on space, try this Inflatable World Globe. We also love using a Explore the World Place mat
World Map place mat or Mini globe Mini Tilt Globe.
CHALLENGES:
- Find Milan on a World map or globe.
- The 1st Winter Olympic Games were held in Chamonix, France – find the location on a map.
- Do a geography activity for one of the countries participating in the Olympic Games. Here’s a list of 10 Map & Geography Activities to inspire you!
- Learn about the five color rings that are the Olympic symbols.
- Draw a picture or write a sentence about which Winter Olympic sport you like the most or which you would want to compete in when you grow up.
- Try a new food based on those grown in Italy or a recipe from the country. Ordering or visiting a local Italian restaurant would also be a fun activity!
- Learn how to say “hello” in Italian, the official language of Milan.
Olympic Arts & Crafts Projects
It’s always great to get creative so think outside of the box (eg. not just coloring) when it comes to Olympic arts & crafts!
CHALLENGES:
- Create a flag from your home country — you can use these free Flags of the World coloring pages as a guide.
- Create Art with an Olympic theme —
- We chose to make the Olympic Rings using items from nature for our art project.
- Another great challenge is to make a recycled art project of the Olympic rings or torch!
- Make an Olympic craft — visit our Olympic Games for Kids pinterest board for lots of ideas!
Science & Math Activities for the 2026 Olympics
CHALLENGES:
- Do an Olympic-related science project — for example, explore weather and snow with this How Much Water is in Snow? experiment!
- Check out the National Science Foundation’s Science of Olympic Sports videos to learn more about the science behind skating, curling, bobsledding and more!
- The NY Times has some excellent resources for teaching the physics behind many of the Olympic sports!
- If you were to attend the Olympic Games this year, how many miles would you travel?
- This math challenge can be computed in many ways — how many air miles (or ‘as the crow flies’), how many land miles (measuring on a map or globe) or make it super-challenging and have students figure out how they would get to the Olympics and add up all forms of transportation for their trip!
Reading about the Winter Olympic Games
CHALLENGES:
Read a book about the Olympics — see these 11 Winter Olympic Books & Activities for a few of our favorite reading choices!
- Welcome to the Winter Olympics – shares details about each of the sports highlighted during the winter games.
- How do You Become an Olympian – written by an Olympic athlete, Madeleine Kelly explains the history of the Games, how athletes train, and abehind the scenes look at what it takes to become an Olympian!
- Kids Olympians: True Tales from Childhood – a fun read detailing childhood stories about Olympians from around the world.
Another AWESOME reading challenge would be to read books about all the countries participating in the Winter Olympics! Here’s a great list of 30 Picture Books from Countries around the World to get you started.
Sports Challenges & Olympic-themed Activities
CHALLENGES:
- Get out & try one of the sports that are featured in the Winter Olympics.
- Here’s a list of Winter Olympic sports to get you started
- Some of the easier ones to try with kids include cross country skiing, skating, a modified bobsled or luge ride and even curling! Even if you don’t have snow & ice, you can recreate some activities — try using paper plates as skis and see if you can slide across the grass or floor.
- Get active – set up some Olympic games in your yard, classroom or home! Try these 7 Olympic-themed Activities that get kids moving!
Download your FREE printable Olympic Games Challenge with medals and get started!!
You’ll receive an email with a copy of the 2026 Winter Olympics Challenge along with printable medals that can be used as kids complete the various activities.
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