You may not be the parent of the next gold medal winner, but this year’s Olympics is a great opportunity to encourage your kids to get back there and be more active, after being stuck in locked time. There are plenty of resources online to help guide you through building a small sporting event in your back garden, specifically from the Kiddi Caru nursery chain or any dedicated parent blog.
If you are looking for ease and simplicity, then you have come to the right place. Read on as we tell you about some ways to bring the Olympic games home with little effort.
Bean bag
Admittedly a far cry from regular Olympics events, experimenting with your child’s goals with beanbags and makeshift goals is an easy and fun thing to do. To a certain extent, we would liken it to rate of fire or javelin launch – basically anything with throwing as its primary requirement. Get yourself a set of beans and decide what the parameters should look like. You can use a bucket or laundry basket as a target, or use a jacket or blanket to create a checkpoint on the ground. Just use whatever you have and make it work!
Egg and spoon race
The Olympics are essentially a sport day of greater glorification and scale. So why not introduce some of those classic events into your sporting schedule? The egg and spoon race is extremely easy to build and can provide endless fun. Either invest in a dedicated set, made of plastic and minimize the chance of clutter, or go the old fashioned way – with real eggs and spoons from the kitchen drawer. If you’re running an indoor race and opt for real eggs, hardboiling them is the way to go, especially if your little racers are stumbling on their feet.
Relay race
If you have a small cub of your own or they have friends, the relay race is one of the easiest events to set up. Decide on a course, or the length of the nearest garden, hallway or field will do, and equip a baton for almost anything you have. If you’re looking for a way to get rid of the glitter, putting the spools back in the toilet or kitchen is a great way. When these are ready to go, line up the kids at different points along the track and they go!
A Mini Triathlon
Why not combine your favorite events from the big day and set up your very own mini triathlon? With this, you can easily combine beanbag throwing, relay running, egg and spoon racing, and many more. Triathlon-style events offer variety to keep your kids engaged, while allowing them to explore the full spectrum of skills. Think sports day and dust off old pillowcases – it’s time for a sack race! Grab a scarf and you have a little three-legged venture! This is really easy and a cost effective alternative to buying new equipment, if this is a concern.
