My sister and I were fortunate to have a backyard pool at our home, which we spent the majority of our childhood summers using. One of our favorite swimming pastimes was creating our own form of an Olympic diving competition where we would score each other (and whatever friends we had over our house) on our cannon balls. You would score an automatic 10 if you splashed the most water outside of the pool or if you added a creative twist or spin.
We were far from the level of an Olympic diver, but it was still loads of fun. We were like so many other kids who have been inspired by watching young athletes take the podium during the Summer Olympics with a gold, silver, or bronze medal hanging around their necks for mastering whatever sport they participate in.
Whether or not a kid makes it to that level, the Paris Games are inspiring parents and kids to be more physically active during the summer. It not only highlights the importance of active play for their development, but instills life lessons like community, teamwork, and sportsmanship.
“It’s also an excellent opportunity to open your child’s worldview by introducing them to different countries and most importantly different cultures,” says Taryn H. Parker, Director of Curriculum and Training at The Little Gym International. “As a global brand ourselves, The Little Gym International works together as a team to bring inspiration from the summer games to children across six different continents and 31 countries.”
In the spirit of the Summer Games, here are some ways to create your own Olympic activities at home and why it is important to make some time for play.
DIY Olympic Games
Your family may be captivated by track and field, gymnastics, or the opening ceremony. No matter your favorite, the Olympics have the power to bring families together either by watching the Games or creating your own competition.
“For many parents, especially like myself, you may have so many ideas that you don’t know where to start,” says Parker. Coming up with ideas doesn’t have to be complicated, and she suggests first picking an event to help narrow your choices.
If the little ones in your family love to be more physically active, some ideas include:
- At-home track and field events: Parker suggests parents can reimagine track and field events like long jumps and sprints.
- Backyard relay races: Organize a simple relay race in the backyard, with friends representing different countries using homemade flags.
- DIY obstacle course: Create an obstacle course using everyday household items and outdoor equipment to improve agility and coordination.
- Gymnastics: In a safe space with tumbling mats, Parker suggests creating your own 60-second tumbling routine to your child’s favorite music. “Try skills that you and your children can do on their own—a jump, a hop, a skip, a baby cartwheel, an arabesque, maybe even the floss,” she says.
Any game designed at The Little Gym follows three questions: “Was it safe?” “Was it fun?” and “Did we learn something?” Parker hopes parents also remember those key points when creating their own games at home.
And not all of them have to be physically demanding either. “There is power in stretching our bodies, and also our minds,” she explains.
Some examples include a timed unboxing event, foodie events where participants make dishes either from real food or playdough, and a “Tri-Art-Athon,” where little Olympians can create designs with fingerpaint or crayons.
Parker also suggests involving kids in creating a game and the rules that may go along with it. “Coming up with the rules and structure of a game will help teach your child problem-solving and critical thinking skills,” she says. “It will also help members of the family feel seen and heard—even the littles.”
The entire family can also get in on the fun of making medals for whoever wins the games. Or you can create your very own Summer Games Treasure Box—where each member of the family donates a toy or creates gift certificates for a free hug or 30 minutes of extra screen time.
“Above all else, make sure to come up with a family motto,” says Parker. “One of our teaching philosophies is, ‘You don’t have to be the best, just try your best!'”
The Power of Play
Carving out time for a child to play is crucial for their development because it helps mold their cognitive, social, and emotional skills. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children need to develop various skill sets like these to be able to manage toxic stress and also promote social-emotional and self-regulation skills.
Play can be defined as anything that we “freely” choose to do and find to be intrinsically motivating, according to Anton Shcherbakov, PsyD, BCBA, founder of Think Psych, a social-emotional learning toy company.
The categories of play, according to the AAP, include:
- Object play: When a child explores or learns about the properties of an object which fosters sensory and cognitive skills.
- Physical, locomotor, or rough-and-tumble play: This allows all participants to occasionally win and learn how to lose graciously and helps develop emotional balance.
- Outdoor play: This helps to improve sensory integration skills.
- Social or pretend play alone or with others: Dress up, make-believe, and imaginary play encourage language and communication development.
“Kids learn frustration tolerance, creativity, problem-solving, and all sorts of social skills when they play with others,” says Dr. Shcherbakov. “It’s usually enjoyable and rewarding, but some kinds of play can involve a lot of frustration before experiencing the internal reward (e.g., difficult puzzles).”
While there is no fixed time limit for play, Dr. Shcherbakov suggests it should become part of a daily routine. “For preschool and school-age children, they should have at least a few hours of unstructured play a day (ideally more),” he says. For older children, he suggests at least an hour of unstructured play a day.
And for us adults, play is necessary too. “We just play differently,” he explains. “Hobbies such as gardening, home decoration, and fixing up old cars can all be considered play.”
When it comes to playing video games, they can also be included as play, but with some caveats.
“In moderation, they can develop problem-solving skills and hand-eye coordination and can also promote social skills when done safely with trusted others,” Dr. Shcherbakov says. “Parents should be mindful about the content and limit exposure of young children to violent video games or those with adult themes.”
Play To Avoid ‘Summer Slump’
Play can be a tool to avoid the “summer slump.” A lack of play has been tied to the increasing prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders, according to the AAP.
“Many forms of play involve problem-solving and learning that keep children learning,” says Dr. Shcherbakov. “Even activities that don’t necessarily seem educational—like board games—absolutely practice and teach important life skills.”
Jagger Eaton, a World Champion and the first U.S. Olympic skateboarding medalist, agrees play and academics go hand-in-hand. “The work ethic you build in your youth years through academics, really helps you excel in athletics,” says former Mathnasium student. He has teamed up with the math learning franchise for the Ace Your Dreams scholarship contest this summer. Anyone who shares their story of academic victory can enter for a chance to win through August 31, 2024.
To keep kids engaged academically in an Olympic-themed way this summer, Eaton suggests a variety of games that use both cognitive and physical skills.
Some of them include:
- Sports day tournament: Transform your backyard into a sports arena with a variety of challenges such as long jump, javelin throw using pool noodles, hopscotch competitions, relay races, and more. Participants can measure distances jumped and compare results to determine winners. If you don’t have a backyard, try this at a park.
- DIY math Olympian torch: Participants can cut small squares of tissue paper and glue them inside the top of a paper towel roll to resemble flames. Create a math challenge where kids solve a series of math problems to earn “flames” to add to their torches. The winner is the first to complete their torch with all flames.
- Create Olympic medals: Using paper plates, cardboard, glitter, and foil, kids can then calculate just how much string they’ll need for each winning necklace. For some added math practice, measure and cut circles of equal size for medals, discussing concepts of circumference and diameter.
No matter what activity you decide to do, any type of family play will make everyone feel like a Gold Medal winner. So, let the games begin!