Family Backyard Olympics

While athletes from all over the world are together competing in their sport, we can enjoy fun summer competitions with our families. Many Canadians enjoy watching the Olympics and cheering on their favourite athlete. This can be a fun activity to engage in while in the Olympic spirit! Whether you and your family are Olympic fans or not, this is a great family activity for a warm summer day.

If you are a real Olympics aficionado, you can really get into the spirit by making flags, holding opening ceremonies, making medals using tin foil and jar lids, and holding medal presentations. You can decide to keep score or not depending on the competitive nature of your family. Gather your extended family, neighborhood friends, or care group together or stick with your own household. The more the merrier!

Here are a few “Olympic” games you can do with limited supplies and people in your own backyard!

Water Balloon Volleyball

Supplies Needed:

• A beach or bath towel per pair
• Something to act as a net (This can be a volleyball or badminton net or something like a clothesline! You can even get creative with a broomstick propped on chairs or a piece of rope.) 
• Water balloons (fill them up in advance)

This sport is perfect for a hot day. It can be played on the beach or in your backyard. For this game, you need groups of 2. So the minimum number of people needed would be 4. Each pair needs a beach towel or large bathroom towel. You split into 2 teams, making sure you have an equal number of pairs on each team. 

To play the game, one pair places a water balloon on their towel and launches it over the “net.” This launching can take a little practice to get the technique down so don’t get frustrated! Once you figure it out, you’ll be launching those water balloons like a pro. The team on the other side needs to run and move around to catch the water balloon on their towel. They then launch it back. A point is won when the water balloon breaks. Whatever side of the “net” it breaks on, the other team gets a point.

You can play as many points as you want; you just need a water balloon per point.

Frisbee Water Relay Race

Supplies Needed:

• 1 Frisbee per team
• 1 large container filled with water per team, like a large bucket or a medium-sized garbage can would work (These are placed where all team members are lined up.)
• 1 tall narrow container at the end per team. (This could be like a yogurt container or something even more difficult like a pop bottle. The narrower the opening at the top, the more difficult the game. Take into account the age and abilities of your children when choosing the container to fill.)

Each team member fills the frisbee with the desired amount of water and runs to the end to pour the water into the smaller container, being careful not to spill. The team member then runs back to their team line so the next person can fill the frisbee with water and run to dump into the container. 

Continue taking turns like this until one team fills their small container to the brim. 

Crab Walk Race

Supplies Needed:

• Something to mark the start and finish line (Shoes, ropes, branches, pylons, etc.)

This speaks for itself I think. If you remember back to elementary gym class, you’ve likely done the crab walk. You are down on the ground with your belly up to the air, walking on your hands and feet. Set out some cones or shoes to mark the distance. Have everyone start at the same place, and on go, everyone takes off crab walking to the finish line. 

Water Balloon Toss

Supplies Needed:

• Water Balloons

Players need to be in partners with one water balloon between them. All teams start the same distance apart. You want to begin with partners close together. The partner with the water balloon tosses it to the other person. (You want to be close enough that they can basically pass it.) Then you have them take a step back and do it again. If someone’s water balloon bursts, that team is out. Continue having them take a step back and toss again until there is only one team remaining, who is then the winner. Make sure as teams step back, they are at an equal distance apart. They should be in line with each other so it is fair.

This article has been written by homeschooling staff writers of The Canadian Schoolhouse (TCS). Enjoy more of our content from TCS contributors and staff writers by visiting our Front Door page that has content on our monthly theme and links to all our content sections.