http://www.fridayschildmontessori.com/blog/olympics-ideas/ Fun-filled montessori activities are offered at Fridays Child Montessori. Get some Olympic ideas that kids will love to play.

1. Olympic Ideas you Can Do
with Your Kids in School or
at Home

2. Here’s an idea for a few events you can
try, either at home or at the park:

3. Discus – use a Frisbee
Hammer throw – put a tennis ball
down an old odd sock
Shot put – use a cricket ball or
similar, or even a large rock

4. Running races – adults have to be
handicapped to make it fair, or try
time trials where you have to run your
age times 10 metres. Ditto cycle
races.
Long jump – sandpit optional

5. High jump - putting a lightweight stick
that doesn’t hurt when hit between two
kitchen chairs. Don’t forget to get out a
mattress to land on (that’s half the fun!)
Gymnastics: go to the park to use the
jungle gym for bars, or do floor events
in the living room – don’t forget the
music!

6. Weightlifting – use actual free weights
if you’ve got them or improvise with tin
cans in shopping bags. This counts as
a Montessori-style sensory experience,
as it introduces the concepts of heavy,
heavier and heaviest. You can start by
ranking the things to be lifted in order
from lightest to heaviest to reinforce
this one.

7. Equestrian: use hobby horses, play at
being a horse or ride the adults in the
family.
Shooting – use water pistols aimed at
targets painted on cardboard, or try to
shoot out candle flames.

8. Gracious behaviour and good manners
are important in Montessori learning,
and part of graciousness is being a
good sport.

9. This can be something that you can
discuss with your children as you watch
various events. Is that particular athlete
being a bit of a show-off?

10. Was he/she a good loser if they didn’t
get a medal (or got the silver after just
missing out on the gold)? You might
have to watch your own behaviour
here, especially if you are
getting particularly
enthusiastic

11. as what your children see you doing
and what they hear you saying in an
excited and unguarded moment will
probably have more influence on them
than what you say when you’re
trying to teach them
an important concept.

12. Of course, winning and losing depends
on a number of mathematical and
physical concepts, some of which your
child is still in the process of
grasping through Montessori
sensory materials.

13. Don’t forget to use the important words
when talking about what you’re
watching – things like “faster”, “higher”,
“heavier”, “longer”
and so forth.

14. The Olympics, after all, are a very large
exercise in ranking and sorting things
into order using a mathematical
concept, so make the most
of this learning opportunity.

15. Don’t forget to watch events with your
child.

16. Preschoolers aren’t up to deciphering
the ads that are inevitably screened
and you don’t want them unduly
influenced by them.

17. Switch the TV off or at least mute it
during the ad breaks and encourage
movement, trips to the toilet, etc. at this
stage.

18. You will be able to do this better if you
are watching with your pre-schooler,
and you will also be able to talk about
various concepts and guide
your child as you
watch together.

19. This article is from the
Fridays Child Montessori Blog.

20. www.fridayschildmontessori.com