This party is a simple idea but with tons of possibilities. It was a big hit with our 9-year-old birthday boy. It would be an awesome neighborhood party too. We had over 30 guests at this party with kids ages 2 -12 competing in the events. We also had eight adult helpers, each dressed as a judge from a different country. The adults played a huge part in making this party a great success. I am sure this party would still be great with a smaller group. There’s a lot of flexibility with this party plan.
Invitation
Here was our invitation for the party. It was an official letter from the International Olympic Committee. Notice that the kids had to RSVP themselves and tell us what country they would represent at the party.
Olympic Uniforms
After I had a list of countries, I printed paper flags from each country. I made these simple pinnies from one square of felt, and some elastic ties. I wrote the name of each country with fabric paint.
Decorations
Other than the people themselves, my only decorations were strings of plastic flags purchased at a party store. I hung them around our church’s gym (the location of our party). This party would be great in a backyard or park. Too bad our birthday was in January!
Flags
As the guests arrived, we gave them each an 18” X 30” flag to decorate with fabric markers. Most of the kids looked at the picture on their chest and copied it. I sewed a line down one side of each flag creating a sleeve for a dowel to slide inside. I didn’t hem them, just left them with cut edges. You could use pinking shears if you wanted them to stay a little nicer.
Opening Ceremonies
My husband had all the kids line up. He announced their name and country and they walked around the gym waving their flags. We had an adult lead the line, and they followed. I played the Olympic Fanfare by John Williams. Then we began the competition!
Olympic Events
We made a big scoreboard with the list of events for the night. We listed all the events down the left side, then the names of the countries along the top. If the kids wanted to keep track of their scores, they could write on the board. If they didn’t care, they didn’t write anything down. It didn’t really matter to us– but some of the older boys really wanted to record every score. Here were the events we did. You’ll notice that some are big group games, and some are individual events. Most of the time we had two events going at once, so the kids didn’t have to wait.
Discus (Frisbee throw)
Javelin (swim noodle throw)
Shot Put (throw a foam ball)
Archery (Shoot rubber bands at targets)
Long Jump
Basketball (shooting from three different points on the court)
Rhythmic Gymnastics (Hula Hooping)
Cross Country Skiing (The goal here was to move your whole team across the gym on paper plates. Individuals had to pass paper plates up and down the line as they moved.)
60-yard dash
Marathon (run around course 4 times)
Hockey (with swim noodles cut in half for hockey sticks, and a foam ball for the puck)
Bowling (2-liter bottles as bowling pins)
Cycling (Tricycle Race)
Awards
Every participant stood on the medal stand. We had 3 crates which were all the same height. Each child received a sports drink and a medal. The medals were made from canning lids and ribbon (super easy). My husband announced each of their names/countries and had them stand on the crates for everyone to cheer. They each had their moment in the spotlight.
Cake
I made a big chocolate sheet cake with the Olympic rings made from M&Ms.
