If you’re about to host a birthday party, family reunion or a barbecue bash – you’re probably wondering how to keep all guests entertained, especially if lot of them are kids. If you’re searching to find good activities for kids to get them all involved, cooperating, playing as a team, having a great work out to get out that extra energy – having Backyard or Family Olympics is a great idea!
Family Olympics will be a memorable event! Everything from preparations, choosing teams, healthy competitive spirit that strengthens relationships, colorful and creative clothes, tags and rewards will be fun activities for kids. Whether you decide to make it one of the indoor family games (like singing, drawing or dancing competition), host it in your backyard, or even somewhere outdoor on vacation (out on the snow or on the beach), these family game ideas will be a hit.
Tips on how to host a successful Family Olympics
– Preparations are a game in itself. Making Olympic crafts (like creative costumes, colorful clothes, Olympic mascots, decorating faces, team emblems and grand prizes) is one of the fun activities for kids that develops creative thinking and problem solving. It needn’t be costly; encourage kids to participate with their ideas and recycle old clothes with little bit of color, glue, paper, ribbons etc.
– Prepare a lot of hydration. Physical activities for kids, especially if outdoor in warm weather, burn a lot of energy. Kids will have so much fun they may forget to drink fluids. You can prepare bottles of water on which you can glue tags with kids’ names, team emblems or an Olympic sign, just to make it more fun.
-It’s not about the competition, it’s about participating. Focus on team work and supporting one another. Make sure that all participants are rewarded, not only the winners. EX: you can make medals from dough, wrap them in gold wrapping paper and glue a “You are pure gold” tag on them.
Games for families and kids – 5 Family Olympics ideas
- Indoor Family Olympics A great family activity idea for rainy or cold weather when you don’t feel like going outside but want to do something creative and fun. Examples:
– memory games EX: gather 15 objects on the table (pencils, watches, coins etc.) then hide a few and compete who will name all the missing ones
– balance beam: glue a piece of masking tape on the floor, put some music on and compete who’s the best in walking in straight lines (walking backwards, hopping, walking without looking down etc.)
– indoor bowling: take a few empty plastic bottles, duct tape a strip as a start line and use any plastic ball you have – keep score and enjoy your bowling at home.
- Full workout family games. There are variety of activities for kids and parents that are physically intense and can provide that exercise we never get enough of. Examples: rope pulling, racing while jumping in big bags or on balls, hula-hoop contest, running while holding an egg in the spoon etc.
- Ping-pong games. Set several glasses on the table and compete to see who will throw in the most ping-pong balls from a certain distance; take an empty tissue box, slide it onto a belt by cutting openings on the sides, fill it with Ping-Pong balls, then wear it around your waist and compete to see who will empty the box first by shaking their body.
- Donut eating contest. Hang donuts on a string and compete to see who will eat it first without using their hands.
- Building towers with cans. Take aluminum soda cans and stack them one on top of the other into a high tower. Each can that is used successfully earn 1 point. The building should stand on its own at least for 5 seconds.
Enjoy these games and don’t forget to take pictures and videos of it. Both you and your kids will cherish the loving moments and memories you shared as a family.
