BOREDOM BUSTERS: SUMMER ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS – MINI OLYMPIC GAMES

Keeping our kids busy in the summer is not easy when you are short on ideas for activities and there is either no more room in the day camps or you just don’t have the money.

In this Olympic year (postponed because of the Pandemic) and certainly not having the means to go to Japan to attend, why not organize your own Olympics? Don’t worry. It’s not very complicated to do and won’t cost you much. You should already have all the necessary materials at hand. If not, you can always improvise!

When I was in full organization and sorting mode (see my article on tidying up), I had to go through the Blondie Bear‘s magazines. It’s amazing the nuggets we can find there! My main source for kids’ activities to do this summer comes from an Astrapi magazine from 2015. By the way, if you are looking for a gift to give your child or grandchild, magazines are a great choice. My kids love receiving them in the mail each month.

Bayard Editions offers a wide range of magazines for all ages and tastes. It’s really fantastic.

I have been following the Olympics since I was a little girl, especially the summer ones. I love being able to discover and watch different sports while cheering on my home country. It’s also a great way to spend the summer or winter. Watching them with the kids is even better, because it can help them discover a passion or inspire them to move more.

So, would you like to know how to create your own Olympics to break the boredom of your kids this summer through a series of fun activities?

Preparing for the Summer Olympics for Kids

Actually, there is no real preparation for doing your own Olympics. However, if you feel like it, you can make your own t-shirts. There’s nothing easier than dyeing a white t-shirt.

Natural dyeing is easy to do and convenient if you want to give your old white t-shirt with sweat stains a second life. Sure, the color won’t last forever, but you can re-dye your t-shirt as often as you like.

How to dye a t-shirt the natural way

Normally, you should have all the ingredients on hand. As for the quantity, it will be up to you to judge.

Ingredients

• Large pot
• White vinegar
• Wooden spatula
• Vegetables or fruits (I’ll tell you which ones later)

The steps

The first step is to soak your t-shirt in a basin filled with white vinegar for half a day. This will help your dye resist washing and light.

Next, prepare your plants (cut, chop, peel). Place them in a large pot to fill it three-quarters full. Once done, fill the pot with water to cover everything. Boil for a good hour. Strain the water and let it cool.

Last step. Place your t-shirt previously soaked in white vinegar in the pot with your dye. Cook on low to medium heat for at least 1 hour. The longer you leave your shirt in, the more color it will take on. Once you are happy with the color, rinse your shirt in cold water, wring it out and let it dry outside. Don’t forget to give it a good stir so that the shirt soaks in.

For a less plain design, you can make little bows with your t-shirt using string. Otherwise, let it soak just halfway. You be the judge. But the kids will love doing this activity.

How to make your colour naturally

Once again, nothing could be easier to make a natural dye. Here are the plants that you probably have at home in your fridge or kitchen.

• Red: red grapes or red onion peels
• Yellow-orange: turmeric or onion peels
• Blue: cherries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries
• Pink: avocado
• Green: spinach or thyme
• Beige: tea, coffee, beet, or pine cones

So now that you have your jerseys, let’s talk about the medals. You can’t have the Olympics without a little award and ceremony.

To do this, you can use cardboard and cut out circles. Then use paint to differentiate them and a small string or lace to put them around the neck. Avoid using aluminum foil because it is not environmentally friendly.

Let’s not forget the podium either. Use wooden stools or crates and cover them with a white sheet if possible. Take another cardboard box to draw or paint the numbers: 1, 2 and 3. That’s it.

It will be up to you if you want to do the activities below every weekend or over several days in a row.

I declare your mini Olympics now open!

Children’s activities for a successful Summer Olympics

First and foremost, kids and adults can participate in the activities. Friends, cousins, brothers and sisters, neighbors, grandparents, everyone can join you throughout the summer to participate in these mini Olympics.

For each event, the winner will earn 5 points, the second 4, the third 3, and the others 1 unless otherwise stated. At the end of all the events, you’ll count the points and of course, the one with the most points will be the lucky winner. If you wish, you can create teams or participate individually.

Here are 8 amusing events to expend your energy and have fun.

Aqua-Straw

The goal of this event is to fill a glass of water with a straw as fast as possible. To make the task a little more difficult, use a bamboo straw. Alternatively, you can use a silicone or aluminum straw. Avoid the plastic (or paper) ones, they are so harmful to our environment and usually don’t get reused.

How it works

• Place your hands behind your back.
• In front of you on a table, you should have 2 glasses. One filled with water, the other empty.
• At the referee’s signal, start sucking up the water with the straw and pour it into the empty glass, still with the straw.
• The winner is the one who manages to pour all his water with his straw into his empty glass without spilling his glass. Otherwise, either elimination or return to square one.

Bocce-pebbles

Who doesn’t like to play bocce? OK, not everyone has a bocce game on hand. Moreover, the balls, although there are some in child size, can be heavy and difficult to hold for small hands.

To do this, you’ll need a long stick that is easy to plant and one pebble per player. The pebble will need to be colored with paint and if you want, a pattern of your choice. A bright color is recommended so you can tell them apart.

How it’s played

• Mark a starting line.
• Plant the stick at least 10m away.
• In turn, each player throws his or her pebbles at the stick.
• The player who throws his or her pebble closest to the stick is the winner.
• If you wish, you can make a series of throws to keep the event going or make a series of eliminations.

The Water Bomb Throw

Okay, I admit it, single-use rubber balloons are not very environmentally friendly. I found an alternative to this problem in order to do this event. The crochet balloon. You can get them HERE.

You’ll need two balloons per player. If you use the eco-friendly version, just put them in a bucket of water, saturate them, then throw them!

This event is done in teams of two.

Two players stand 10m apart from each other. In turn, each player throws his or her 1 balloon to his or her partner at the same time and then starts over with the second. The team that throws the most balls without blowing them up or falling down wins 5 points (each).

The Anti-Race

This event will be difficult to achieve because it goes against any good competitor mentality, you must arrive LAST.

You can do it in a park or in the alley. Just make sure the area is wide enough for all the athletes.

Mark a start and finish line at least 10 m apart. At the Referee’s signal, the players start together. If a player stops, he is eliminated.

The last to arrive wins 5 points, the second to last 4 points, the second second to last 4 points, and the others 1 point.

Basket Trash

The goal of this event is to throw a ball into a trash can as many times as possible blindfolded (or not).

The athlete must be 10m away from the garbage can. In turn, the athlete throws the ball 5 times into the garbage can. For each successful throw, the athlete wins 1 point. However, the ball must go all the way into the garbage can without coming out. The throw can be done by hand or by foot.

The Mud Catch

Here is an event that will not be very clean and that the children will love but the parents, a little less.

The goal of this event is to cover yourself with as much mud as possible in 30 seconds. You’ll need a referee and a swimsuit. At the referee’s signal, each athlete must cover himself with mud. Except for the hair of course, because mud is crappy and hard to remove. The one who will be the most covered with mud will be the winner.

To make mud, you just have to mix water and soil in a bucket. Each player will need one bucket.

The Crazy Race

Doing two things at the same time is not easy, at least for guys. Yes, that’s a sexist comment. But it’s true. We, girls, have an easier time doing several things at the same time. Ready to test the theory and take up this challenge?

You’ll need a felt pen and a sheet of paper per player. The goal of this challenge is to run and draw at the same time, without ever stopping.

How it’s played

• The referee will have to make a list of 5 easy things to draw outside. It can be anything: a tree, a flower, a leaf, a bench.
• Then he reveals them to the players and gives the signal to start.
• The players start running, never stopping until they have drawn all 5 things.
• As soon as the player has finished drawing, he/she must bring back (still running) his/her sheet to the referee.
• Be careful! All drawings must be recognizable.
• The fastest player with visible drawings will be the winner and so on.

Aquatic Long Jump

For this last event, it will be a little more complicated. You don’t have to do it, but it’s a great way to end your summer Olympic activities with the kids.

The goal of this event is to slide the farthest. You’ll need a very long sheet of plastic, which you can find on Amazon or at your local hardware store. An alternative is to use several tarps that you probably have at home.

Then, place them in a line and use tent stakes to hold them in place.

Spray the plastic with water continuously with your watering hose. To make it slide more, you can use baby shampoo or your homemade dishwashing liquid.

For a better glide, do this event on a slope or hill. You’ll have to test the slide before starting the event to see how fast the slide is. Then it’s time for the competition!

Each athlete in a swimsuit will have 3 tries to get the farthest on the slide. The one who gets the furthest with his feet will be the winner.

We hope you have a great summer with your kids, no matter what the activities are. If you’re looking for other ideas for family activities to do in Montreal this summer, I tell you all about them in the June and July editions.