Bring the games to your backyard. Capitalize on the excitement the Olympics can inspire and head to the local park or your backyard. There are tons of fun, free activities your kids can do that require little or no equipment. Put a towel down on the grass and try to jump the length of it, or jump over a cardboard box. Find an open area to practice throwing and allow your child's imagination to come up with various objects to throw. Play catch or kick a ball towards a goal. If gymnastics appeals to your kids, set up some blankets or yoga mats and practice somersaults, cartwheels, headstands and balance beam. Join in on the fun! Your kids will be especially excited to get involved if you are willing to participate and play with them. Siblings are naturally competitive, so you might want to mediate any running and jumping matches. Just remember to keep it fun and light-hearted to encourage young children to participate. Throw a frisbee. Discus throwing and shot put are popular Olympic sports. You and your child may want to watch the Olympians compete for the medal and then go out into the yard and have your own competition. You can throw frisbees like a discus or a ball like a shot

put.[1] X Research source Go to the park or in your backyard and set up your own mini Olympics course. Go snowboarding or skiing. The winter Olympics contains many popular winter sports, including snowboarding, ice skating, and skiing. You can take a trip to a ski resort and take skiing or snowboarding lessons with your child. If you live in an area where it snows during the winter your child may be able to join a ski or snowboarding team. Try archery. Your child may be fascinated by the archery competitions they see on the Olympics. Archery can be a great skill to learn. You can take your child to an archery range or buy a Nerf bow and arrow set to practice in the backyard.[2] X Research source You may also consider buying a bow and arrows for your child. You can also buy targets filled with foam or straw for your child to shoot at. Go kayaking. Open water sports are fascinating activities to watch during the Olympics. They may be even more fun to try as a family. Rent a kayak or canoe and visit a local river or lake to paddle around.[3] X Research source Many state parks offer canoe and kayak rentals. A kayak or canoe club might offer lessons on safety and offer guided outdoor

adventures. Ride a horse. Watching Olympic equestrian sports can be entertaining and exciting. While you may not be ready to buy your child a horse, you can let your child go for a ride on a horse. Many riding schools and horse farms offer individual lessons where you can take your child for a ride.[4] X Research source If you have a friend or family member who own horses, ask if you can bring your child around so they can ride the horse. Play tennis. Tennis is a fun Olympic sport that can be played easily at most local parks. All you need is a tennis court, two rackets, and a ball. Take your child to a local tennis court and hit some balls. You might do more running than actual tennis playing, but you’ll get some good physical activity.[5] X Research source If your child wants to learn how to play tennis, consider letting them take lessons or teaching them yourself if you know how to play. Run. Track and field is a common summer Olympic sport. You and your child can go outside and start running. Go to a local track and time how long it takes to do a 50 meter, 100 meter, or 200 meter dash. Work towards a “marathon” by running longer distances.[6] X Research source You can

also set up a relay with your family, or set up obstacles to jump over like hurdles. Go for a bike ride. Encourage your child to be like an Olympian and go for a ride along a designated bike path. Lay out a course around your yard, street, or neighborhood. You may also want to take your child to a local park or bike trails.[7] X Research source You may get your whole family in on the activity by taking the whole family for the bike ride. Swim. Swimming is another popular summer Olympic sport that your child can partake in. If you have a pool in your backyard, swim laps like an Olympian. If you have a diving board, watch as your child safely dives into the water. If you don’t have a pool, many communities and gyms have public pools.[8] X Research source If your child has never swum before, you may want to sign them up for lessons. Play basketball. Basketball is a fun sport to watch on the Olympics and a great sport for kids. Your child can go to a local park and shoot some hoops with you or their friends. Your child can also play HORSE or try to work on their skills as they dribble down the court.[9] X Research source If your child has never played basketball, you can find a

friend or family member to teach them. Help your child develop their skills. As children get older, they may wish to participate in sports at a more competitive level. Organized activities such as track and field, or organized sports, teams, classes or lessons can all take your child's abilities to the next level. Qualified coaches can help your child develop skills and to achieve higher levels of accomplishment or competition. Sign your child up for gymnastics. If your kid has watched the Olympics and become interested in gymnastics, you may want to let them take gymnastics. After your child watches the mat and bar routines, they may want to try those activities themselves. Consider letting your child start taking classes, or tumbling at home. A low-pressure way to get into gymnastics is to "play" gymnastics at home with some mats and 2 x 4 balance beam. Try somersaults, cartwheels, and headstands with blankets and pillows for padding. You can call around your town to see if there are gymnastics studios that offer classes for children. Your local gymnastics club may have open hours for kids to use the facilities, or gyms like the Y may offer gymnastics classes or equipment. You

may also look for a trampoline park. Decide if the price for gymnastic classes is worth it. Determine if your child will take the classes seriously, or if they will lose interest after a few weeks. Take your child to a boxing gym. Your child may have watched Olympic boxing and decided they want to try it. Some boxing gyms may have classes or training facilities for children. You may be able to let your child try a class or get a one-on-one session in which they learn the proper way to punch a heavy bag or do partner drills. Call your local boxing gyms to discuss whether they allow children. If they do not allow children to work out in their gym, you may be able to ask if they will give private lessons to your child. Take your kid to an ice skating rink. During the winter Olympics, your child can watch various sports that take place on the ice. This includes figure skating and ice hockey. Your child can take lessons to learn how to ice skate if they’ve never skated before. Start out by trying to skate together with your child. Go to a nearby rink, rent skates, and get out on the ice with your child — learning a sport with your child is a great first step to encourage their

participation. After learning how to ice skate, they can start figure skating or playing ice hockey. Both of these activities can be done with others. Figure skating can be done with a partner, and ice hockey is played as a team. Enroll your child in martial arts. The Olympics are a great time to watch martial arts with your child. Your child may watch fencing, judo, or tae kwan do. If these events get them excited, consider enrolling your child in a martial arts class.[10] X Research source You can sign your child up for karate, judo, tae kwan do, or even mixed martial arts. Watch the Olympics. To educate your child on the Olympics and the wide array of physical activities available, you and your family can watch the Olympics together. Try watching the highlights each day for 15 to 30 minutes before venturing out to play at whatever you just watched. For instance, if you watched soccer, get a ball and go to the park or your backyard and practice running while controlling the ball, then passing the ball back and forth, and even setting up a target goal such as a tree trunk. Watch track and field before heading out to the park. Don't spend too much time inside, watching TV. Avoid

being an armchair athlete by limiting the amount of time you spend watching the Olympics. It may be helpful to research what is available in your area first. For instance, if there's a pool nearby, then watch a swim or diving event before going to the pool. If you find that you have great bicycling trails in your area, watch some cycling events before hitting the trail with your child. If you watched the Olympics two years prior, you can talk about the differences between winter and summer activities. Teach them the importance of fitness. Watching the Olympics opens up a good opportunity for you and your child to talk about health and fitness. Modeling good behaviors is an effective tool for educating children. At meal time you can talk about what athletes eat, to inspire your child's curiosity about performance and nutrition. Set a healthy example by being active yourself and providing meals and foods to fuel performance. Kids understand fun, and being active is fun. Games are fun. Learn by doing, not by talking about it. Experiential learning is often more valuable and engaging than discussion. Use the sports and physical activity you watch on the Olympics to encourage your child

to get fit. You may want to say, "Why don't we go outside and run like those athletes?"; or, "They looked like they were having so much fun. Let's go outside and see what kinds of sports we can have fun playing." Point out how not all Olympians have the same body type, but a body type that works for their sport. This could be a good time to emphasize body positivity and the importance of all body shapes. For instance, if you or your child are predisposed to a certain body type that is strong and stocky, try activities that are more strength-oriented, such as shot put, javelin or power lifting. Talk about the gender equality in Olympic sports. Females compete just like males, and there are just as many female sports as male sports. Hold your own Olympics. To get your child in the spirit of the Olympics, you can hold your own Olympic games at home or at school. You can separate the kids into teams, or have each child choose a country to represent as they compete. You can make medals to give out to the winners.[11] X Research source You can set up mock Olympic games, like track events such as the 50 meter dash. You can have a basketball or ice hockey game. You can choose your own

games that are easier to do in a classroom or backyard, like dancing or kickball. An Olympics theme may be good for a birthday party or other children's get together. Check out World Fit. World Fit is also known as Olympians for Worldwide Fitness. It's a program for schools to fight child obesity by educating children and working to improve their attitudes about health and fitness. Olympians and Paralympians adopt schools and become mentors to teach the kids about teamwork, sportsmanship, fitness, and health.[12] X Research source World Fit is designed for grades three to eight. World Fit is a walking-based exercise program that lasts for six weeks.