The summer Olympics are just about here, and with them comes a renewed sense of patriotism and American pride as we root on our athletes in a multitude of events. Help your children get into the spirit of the games by hosting an Olympic-themed party complete with games, prizes, and a torch.
Invitations
Get creative with your invitations by shaping them as torches or gold medals. The ideas are endless and can be purchased from an online invitation shop or printed from your computer.
Decorations
Go with the American red, white, and blue or focus on the colors of the Olympic rings, which are blue, black, red, yellow, and green. Each country that participates in the Olympics has at least one of these colors in their flag. You can fashion the Olympic rings out of hula-hoops, use balloons of each color, and decorate your home and yard with flags from each country.
Opening Ceremonies
You can include your own opening ceremonies at your party, complete with an Olympic torch. Give each family or child a specific flag to carry and have them all march around your yard. The child whose birthday is the closest to the date of the party can carry a tiki torch (lit or unlit) and lead the group to another tiki torch to symbolically light in honor of your Olympics.
Games
The games at your party don't need to be specific to the Olympics, but you can hold altered versions of the classics, including the 25-yard dash, swimming races, Frisbee discus throw, the long jump, baseball or softball shot put, and a relay race complete with decorate paper towel rolls as the batons. In addition, you can play some classic American games including the egg toss, waffle ball, potato sack races, and three-legged races.
Medals
No games would be complete with an award ceremony to cap off the day. You can purchase or make gold, silver, and bronze "medals" ahead of time for each athletic event you are holding. At the end of your games, present each of the winners with their medals and snap some keepsake photos.
Food
Make the food for your part a tribute to America with the classics, including burgers, hot dogs, and fries. Or opt to celebrate the host of this year's Olympics - London! Some British classics include fish and chips, beef and vegetable pie (including Sheppard's Pie), summer pudding, and bacon-wrapped oysters. Check out recipe books, or search online for more ideas.
Hosting an Olympic-themed party is a great way to get family and friends together for a fun day. This party also works well as a child's birthday party or a costume party with each guest dressing as their favorite Olympian. You can continue the festivities with your own family by watching the Olympics together and creating Olympic-themed crafts. No matter what your excuse to throw an Olympic party, use it. After all, the summer Olympics only comes around once every four years.
