30 Olympic Games Ideas for Kids in 2026

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The Olympic Games bring excitement and joy to people all around the world. Kids especially feel the thrill of these games, which can spark their interest in sports and activities. 

In this article, I will share 30 fun and easy Olympic-themed ideas for kids. These activities will keep them engaged, active, and help them learn more.

Let’s begin!

30 Olympic Games Ideas for Kids

1. Teddy Bear Olympics

You can create a fun Olympic event using your children’s favorite teddy bears. Set up different activities such as hurdles, long jump, and relay races specifically designed for teddy bears.

Each bear can represent a different country, and you can even make small flags and medals for them. This game is great for fostering creativity and imagination while keeping kids active and entertained. 

Simply use household items like pillows for hurdles, a tape measure for the long jump, and a clear path for relay races.

2. World Flag Garland

This craft activity involves making small flags of different countries using paper, crayons, and string. 

Kids can learn about the flags and colors of various nations while they create their garland. Hang the finished garland around your play area to decorate your home for the games. 

This activity adds to the Olympic atmosphere and provides an educational opportunity for kids to learn about geography and international cultures.

3. Olympic Medal Chart

You’ll need to create a chart with columns for gold, silver, and bronze medals and rows for each participant or team. Kids can color in the medals or use stickers to mark their achievements. 

This chart helps teach children about tallying and the concept of competition in a fun and engaging way.

The chart can be displayed in a common area to celebrate the participants’ efforts and successes throughout the games.

4. Javelin Throw

Organize a javelin throw event using pool noodles and broom handles. Set a start line and mark distances on the ground. Participants take turns throwing the javelin to see who can throw the farthest. 

This activity is great for developing coordination and strength in a safe manner. Pool noodles are light and easy to handle, making them perfect for kids of all ages. 

You can adjust the rules and distances based on the age and skill level of the children. The javelin throw adds a bit of athletic challenge and excitement.

5. Human Ring Toss

Bend the noodles into rings and secure them with duct tape. Set up targets using stakes or cones. Kids take turns tossing the rings onto the targets to score points. 

This game is simple to set up and provides a lot of fun for kids, helping improve their aim and coordination. 

It’s a great way to keep children active and engaged, and it can be played individually or in teams.

6. Balloon Ping Pong

Balloon ping pong is a safe and fun indoor game for kids. All you need are balloons and paper plate paddles. Kids can hit the balloon back and forth across a makeshift net (a piece of string or tape on the floor). 

This game helps develop hand-eye coordination and can be played in small spaces, making it perfect for rainy days. 

The lightweight balloon ensures there’s no risk of damage or injury, and the game can be adapted for solo play, pairs, or teams.

7. Backyard Volleyball

Set up a simple volleyball net in your backyard using a rope or net and some poles. Use a lightweight ball for the game. 

Kids can enjoy playing volleyball, practicing their serving, and spiking skills. This game encourages teamwork and physical activity. 

If you don’t have enough players for full teams, you can modify the rules for fewer participants or play one-on-one games. 

8. Olympic Ring Snacks

Prepare Olympic-themed snacks using fruits, cookies, and other treats arranged in the shape of the Olympic rings. 

For example, use different colored fruits like blueberries, kiwis, and strawberries to represent the five rings. 

This activity combines a fun cooking project with a healthy snack option. Kids can help in the preparation, making it a hands-on and educational experience.

These snacks can be enjoyed during the games, adding a festive touch to your home Olympics.

9. Pantyhose Bowling

First, set up 5-6 small bottles in a line. Place a ball in the foot of a pair of pantyhose and let the kids wear the pantyhose over their heads (not covering their faces). 

They swing the ball to knock over the bottles. The player who knocks over the most bottles in a minute wins. 

This game is great for physical activity and coordination. It’s easy to set up with household items and provides lots of laughs and fun.

10. Frisbee Golf

Frisbee golf is a fun outdoor activity where you set up a course with large buckets or chalked circles as targets. Kids start from a designated spot and see how many throws it takes to get the frisbee into the target.

The player with the fewest throws wins. This game helps improve aiming skills and provides a great way to enjoy the outdoors. 

It can be set up in any open space and modified for different skill levels. Frisbee golf combines the fun of frisbee throwing with the strategy and challenge of golf.

11. Cookie Face Race

In the Cookie Face Race, each child places a cookie on their forehead and must move it to their mouth without using their hands. 

This hilarious game requires patience and facial muscle control as kids wiggle and contort their faces to guide the cookie down. 

If the cookie falls, they must start over by placing it back on their forehead. The first child to successfully get the cookie into their mouth wins. 

12. Penny Drop

The Penny Drop game involves dropping pennies into an egg carton with different point values assigned to each cup. 

Participants stand over the egg carton and drop a total of five pennies from a height above their heads, trying to aim for the cups with higher point values. 

The challenge lies in controlling the drop and aiming accurately without seeing the target. Each player’s score is the total of the points from the cups they manage to hit. 

13. Hula Hoop Contest

Participants start simultaneously, and the goal is to maintain the hoop’s motion without it falling to the ground. As the game progresses, players who drop their hoops are eliminated until only one remains. 

This game not only promotes physical activity and coordination but also fosters a competitive spirit and perseverance. 

14. Tunnel Relay

In the Tunnel Relay, kids line up in teams and form a tunnel by standing with their legs spread apart. 

The first child in each line crawls through the tunnel formed by their teammates’ legs, runs to a designated turnaround point, and then runs back to tag the next team member, who repeats the process. 

This relay race encourages teamwork, speed, and agility as children navigate through the human tunnel and race to the finish line. 

15. Water Cup Relay

The Water Cup Relay involves transferring water from one bucket to another using cups placed on the participants’ heads. 

Players must balance a cup filled with water on their heads, walk to the empty bucket, and pour the water in without spilling too much. 

They then return to their team to pass the cup to the next player. The game continues until one team fills their bucket to the marked line.

16. Long Jump

The Long Jump event has kids competing to see who can jump the farthest from a standing position. 

A starting line is marked on the ground, and each participant takes a turn to jump as far as they can from the line. 

The distance jumped is measured from the starting line to the nearest point of contact on the ground where the jumper lands. The child with the longest jump wins.

17. High Jump

In the High Jump, a bar (made from a rope or pool noodles) is set at a certain height, and kids take turns attempting to jump over it. 

Each successful jump leads to the bar being raised higher. Participants must clear the bar without knocking it down. 

This event encourages kids to test their jumping ability and strive for greater heights with each attempt. Adjusting the bar height allows kids of different ages and abilities to participate.

18. Egg and Spoon Race

The Egg and Spoon Race requires children to balance an egg on a spoon and race to the finish line without dropping it. 

Participants hold a spoon with one hand and place an egg (real or plastic) on it, then race to a designated point and back. 

If the egg falls, the child must stop, place it back on the spoon, and continue. This race emphasizes balance and careful movement.

19. Bean Bag Toss

Game involves throwing bean bags into various targets, such as baskets, buckets, or bowls, placed at different distances. 

Each target is assigned a point value, and participants take turns tossing their bean bags, aiming to score the highest points. 

The game can be played individually or in teams, with scores tallied at the end to determine the winner. 

20. Tic-Tac-Toe

For the Tic-Tac-Toe game, draw a large tic-tac-toe board on the pavement with chalk. Players use frisbees or painted rocks as their markers.

The objective is to get three of their markers in a row, either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. 

Players take turns placing their markers on the board until someone wins or the board is full with no winner.

21. Painted Tin Can Bowling

Painted Tin Can Bowling involves using recycled tin cans and a ball. Gather empty tin cans and paint them in vibrant colors to make them visually appealing.

Arrange the painted cans in a pyramid shape, with a single can at the top, two cans in the middle, and three at the bottom. 

Kids then take turns rolling a ball towards the pyramid to see how many cans they can knock down. 

22. Crab-Walk Race

In the Crab-Walk Race, kids compete by racing each other while moving in a crab-walk position. To play, have the children sit on the ground and lift their bodies using their hands and feet, facing upwards. 

They then move sideways in this position, resembling a crab’s walk. Set a start and finish line, and the first one to cross the finish line wins. 

23. Water Balloon Race

This game involves transferring water balloons from one bucket to another without breaking them. Place two buckets a certain distance apart—one filled with water balloons and the other empty. 

Kids take turns grabbing a balloon, running to the empty bucket, and carefully placing it inside. The challenge is to move quickly while being gentle enough to avoid popping the balloons.

24. Pool Noodle Javelin

In the Pool Noodle Javelin game, kids throw pool noodles as far as they can, imitating a javelin throw. Mark a starting line and various distance markers on the ground.

Each child stands behind the starting line and takes turns throwing their pool noodle as far as possible. Measure the distances and record each throw.

The child who throws the pool noodle the farthest is declared the winner. It’s easy to set up in any open space, making it perfect for backyard fun.

25. Obstacle Course

Setting up an Obstacle Course involves creating a series of physical challenges that kids must complete in sequence. Use common household items like chairs, ropes, and hula hoops to design the course. 

Include activities like crawling under tables, jumping over ropes, balancing on beams, and zig-zagging through cones. 

Mark the start and finish lines and time each participant as they navigate the course. The aim is to complete the course in the shortest time possible.

26. Olympic Hoop Ring Toss

First, you’ll need to create the rings using smaller hula hoops and set up stakes at varying distances. Each child takes turns tossing the rings, aiming to land them over the stakes. 

Assign different point values to each stake based on its distance from the throwing line. The child with the highest score after all the rings have been tossed wins.

This game enhances hand-eye coordination and precision. It’s a simple setup and can be played indoors or outdoors.

27. Equestrian Events

In this game, kids use pool noodles as pretend horses and navigate a jumping course. To make the horses, fold one end of a pool noodle and secure it to resemble a horse’s head. 

You should set up obstacles like low hurdles and boxes to mimic horse jumps. Kids ride their noodle horses, jumping over the obstacles and racing against each other. 

This game stimulates imagination and physical activity, providing a unique twist on traditional races.

28. Discus Throw

In this game you’ll need to use a frisbee or tape two foam plates together to create a discus. Mark a throwing line and several distance markers on the ground.

Kids take turns throwing the discus as far as they can from behind the line. Measure and record the distances of each throw.

The child who throws the discus the farthest wins the competition. It’s easy to organize and can be played in any open space.

29. Shot Put

In this game, kids make a ball out of aluminum foil and compete to see who can throw it the farthest. 

Hold the ball in the palm of one hand, place that hand next to the ear, and then push the shot into the air while extending the arm. 

Ensure that feet remain stationary during the throw. Measure and record the distances for each throw. The winner is the one who achieves the greatest distance. 

30. Ice Hockey

You should first, create a mini ice hockey rink using a rectangle bowl filled with frozen water and use a cork as the puck. 

Once the water is frozen, each player uses a pen or their fingers to push the cork across the ice, aiming to score goals by hitting the opposing player’s side of the bowl.

The game can be played on a tabletop, and the first player to score a set number of goals wins. This activity is a fun and creative way to introduce kids to ice hockey.