The Winter Olympics excitement is underway and I have always loved the Olympics since I was a little kid.
I wanted to share the magic with my kids, so I searched for some Fun Winter Olympics Crafts for Kids to do with them and some cool facts to teach them.
You will be glad you found the time to enjoy one or two with your family.
I found this awesome Olympic Fact-A-Day idea over at Premeditated Leftovers. Here’s how it works :
Table of Contents
Olympic Fact A Day:
Write the following 17 facts out on index cards. Each day pick a fact to read and discuss.
If your children find one of the facts particularly interesting, follow it up by helping them search for more information on the internet and find You-Tube videos to watch.
1. The very first winter games were held in Chamonix, France in 1924
2. The Winter Olympics used to be held in the same year as the Summer Olympics. The games changed to alternating every 2 years in 1994.
3. Norway has won the most Winter Olympic medals at 303.
4. There are 4 athletes who have won medals in both the Winter and Summer Olympics in different sports.
5. The famous Jamaican bobsled team was formed only 4 months before the Calgary games in 1988.
6. The Winter Olympics have never been held in the Southern Hemisphere.
7. The US has hosted the most Winter Olympic games with 4 (2 at Lake Placid, Squaw Valley, and Salt Lake City)
8. The 1998 Nagano games were disrupted by too much snow!
9. The town of Sochi is roughly the same size as Omaha, Nebraska.
10. 2014 is the second time Russia has hosted the Winter Olympics. The first was in 1980 which the US team boycotted due to Cold War tensions between US and Russia.
More Winter Olympic Awesomeness
11. Six new games debut at the 2014 games. Men’s and Women’s Ski Half-Pipe, Biathlon Mixed Relay, Woman’s Ski Jumping, Team Figure Skating, and Luge Team Relay.
12. The Olympic motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius. Which means Faster, Higher, Stronger.
13. Apolo Ohno, a short track speed skater, holds the record for most medals won by a male at the Winter Olympics.
14. Speed skater Bonnie Blair holds the record for the most medals won by a female at the Winter Olympics.
15. Only 4 winter sports are held indoors. Curling, Figure Skating, Speed Skating, and Ice Hockey.
16. Walt Disney was appointed as the head of the committee that organizes the opening ceremony for the 1960 Squaw Valley games.
17. During the opening ceremony procession, the first team in the procession is always the Greek team to represent the birth of the Olympics. Teams then follow in alphabetical order (according to the host countries language) with the exception of the host team, who enters last.
Fun Winter Olympics Crafts for Kids
I also found several Fun Winter Olympics Crafts for Kids that I thought would be really fun to go along with the Fact cards.
1. DIY Ribbon Wands.
For this one, you can do the colors of your country OR you could do the colors of the Olympic rings.
2. Olympic Ring Colors Paper Chain
6. Winter Family Fun Olympic Games
7. Winter Scavenger Hunt with Free Printables
8. Outdoor Activities for Winter
Finally, I trust you enjoy these Olympics-themed crafts that I’ve shared with you !!
Good luck to all your countries !!
We LOVE the Olympics around here and we’re definitely going to be doing some of these crafts, and then doubling up on the fact-a-day during our evenings while we watch the games!