Whether you want to throw an all-out Olympics party, plan your child’s end-of-school-year celebration, or just want to invite some kids over to watch the big events on TV, here are some fun ideas for celebrating in gold-medal style.
Food
Olympians need to keep up their strength, so make sure they visit your buffet table to sample some of these Olympics-themed party foods. We’ve included some vegan and vegetarian options, too. You should also be aware of any food allergies that kids might have attending the party.
Serve a smorgasbord of international foods and decorate with small flags from around the world.Make an Olympics-themed birthday cake that represents the rings and torch.Snack-filled torches: fill ice cream cones with orange or red snack foods (to represent the flame), such as cheese balls or cheddar cheese popcorn.Serve a variety of round, “ring-style” foods to honor the Olympic rings. Ideas include donuts, pizza bagels, and breadsticks that have been twisted into circles before baking.Festive fruit: make up some fruit kabob skewers with star-shaped watermelons and blueberries in between, or strawberries with a side of plain yogurt for dipping. Set out a platter of veggies for munching, including carrots, celery, cucumbers, and grape tomatoes with hummus on the side. For a fun look, you can arrange the veggies into a circular shape.
Decorating
Kids will be awestruck when they walk in and see the Olympic-theme decorations at the party. Enlist your children to help make the decorations so they can show off their creative skills, too. Incorporate some of the items that will be used during the kids’ games and activities in the decorations to help save time and expense.
Make Olympic torches out of paper-towel tubes and place them around the party space, or use them as place markers on the party table.Use the colors of the Olympic rings as your color scheme: blue, yellow, black, green, and red. Incorporate these colors in your table dressings, balloons, and paper streamers.Use international flags as part of your decor.If you plan to have the kids participate in some Olympic-themed party games and activities, print some programs and use them as part of your table settings or party decorations.Hang pictures of Olympics athletes, performing their feats, or scenes from the Olympics host sites, around the party space.Dangle gold medals from your ceiling.
Olympics Party Games and Activities
Get the kids excited about the Olympics by bringing their own version to your backyard. Running, relay races, obstacle courses, Marco Polo or races with beach balls in a pool if you have one, and more. On your mark, get set go! Let the games begin!
Hand out the paper-towel-tube torches, then tell the kids to have a relay race, passing the torches as they go through an obstacle course. Purchase blue, yellow, black, green, and red hula hoops (the colors of the Olympic rings), and have a contest to see who can hula hoop the longest. Give the hoops away as favors at the end of the party. Hold other competitions, like a variety of relay races, Play tug o’ war. For younger kids, try some balloon party games. If you are hosting a Winter Olympics party, take the kids outside to play some fun sledding games. Host your party at the rink to include popular Olympics events like hockey or ice skating. If the party is in honor of the Summer Olympics, consider some pool party or water games as part of the fun. Or, get out in the yard for some bounce house or trampoline games. Another idea for Summer Olympics party fun is to play some basketball party games.
Olympic Party Favors
During the party, you should plan to provide such party favors as the sports bottles of water or Gatorade to help keep the kids hydrated during the games. But as the party is winding down, plan to “award” the kids who attended with their gold medals and remaining party favors. Have an awards ceremony with the whole kit and kaboodle, from patriotic music to announcing each of their names. They will be so excited and talk about this Olympic-themed party for weeks!
Send everyone home with faux-gold medals and ribbons.Place gold-wrapped candy in a favor bag or box. Attach a label that says “Go for the Gold.“Give out Olympics gear, such as t-shirts or hoodies.Sports bottles for water or bottles of Gatorade.Glow bracelets to wear as “Olympic rings.“Flying discs (like Frisbees, with a hole in the center).Olympic torch cupcakes.
