The Tokyo Summer Olympic Games are almost here, and my family and I are so excited to tune in! There’s something so inspiring about watching these athletes who have trained for years to perform for that one crowning moment.

Though most of us will probably never be the world’s best swimmer or gymnast, I thought it would be fun to come up with a way to participate at home in our own family Olympics!

How to Host Your Own Family Olympics

Our family Olympics printable includes six events that kids of almost any age can get excited about. From ping-pong challenges to toothpick gumdrop towers, there’s something for everyone.

Here’s how it works:

• Every morning we’ll be demonstrating the activity of the day on Instagram @homeandkind.
• Print out the scorecard at the bottom of this post to track points at home.
• Each family member will get a score after every event.
• Then the family member with the most points at the end of the competition will win!
• Cut out the Olympic medals to honor those who win 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

Of course, you can choose your own point system, prizes, and additional activities. This is just a fun outline to get you started!

Supplies Needed for Your Family Olympics

Each activity includes supplies that are affordable and easy to find. Here’s what you’ll need to participate in each day of the family Olympics:

• Day 1: plastic up and straw for each person
• Day 2: a penny for each person
• Day 3: a hoodie sweatshirt for each person
• Day 4: four plastic cups and ping pong balls
• Day 5: a paper grocery bag
• Day 6: a box of toothpicks and several bags of gumdrops (I found mine at the dollar store)

The 6 Family Olympic Events

Once you have your scorecards printed and supplies gathered, it’s time to get started! Host one event each day or have fun completing all of the events within the same evening.

1. Cup and Straw War

For this event, each member of the family needs a plastic cup labeled with their name or initial and a straw.

Each competitor uses their straw to blow their cup (we found getting eye level with the cup helped a lot) and tries to get other player’s cups off the table. Each player is only allowed to blow their own cup.

The last cup on the table wins!

Keep track of the order in which the cups fall off the table. This will determine the scores. The player who falls off first gets a 1, the player who falls off second gets a 2, etc. The winner will get the highest score.

2. Pitching Pennies

For this event, each member of the family needs a penny. You’ll want to stand about 6-8 feet away from a wall.

Each competitor takes turns tossing (not rolling) their penny towards the wall.  Highest score goes to the penny closest to the wall and lowest score is furthest from the wall.

3. Back Slide Races

For this event, each member of the family will benefit from wearing a hoodie. Use painters or masking tape to mark off a start and finish line in your house.

Competitors take turns racing around the “track” while lying on their backs and moving head first through the course using only their feet to propel them.

Make sure to put pillows in front of sharp corners or even stuff a small pillow or rag into the hood of players to prevent injury.

4. Ping Pong Cup Challenge

For this event, you need 4 cups filled with water and 3 ping pong balls (you can adjust amount of cups or ping pong balls, if desired).

This is a timed race to see how fast each competitor can blow the ping pong balls across the cups of water. When the time starts, the first ball is dropped in the first cup of water and the contestant blows the ball to the second cup, then third cup, then fourth cup, then out of the fourth cup onto the table.

That process is repeated with the remaining 2 balls. If a ball is blown out of the cup before it reaches the end, it’s placed back into the cup it was in last (not back to the beginning).

This process will be easiest when the cups are filled all the way to the top with water. For kids especially, it becomes nearly impossible to move the ball if too much water has been blown out. You may need to have water nearby to refill the cups if this happens.

Be prepared for a lot of water on your table! This would make a great outdoor activity too.

5. Paper Bag Pickup

For this event, you need a paper bag and a pair of scissors.

The goal is to pick up the paper bag using only your mouth, while balancing on one leg. If either of your hands or other leg touches the floor, you’re out.

Start with the bag at full height and go through your lineup of competitors. When each rounds ends, cut off an inch or two of the paper bag and continue with the remaining competitors. Continue cutting the bag after each round until there is only one victor!

6. Gumdrop Towers

For this event, you need gumdrops and toothpicks. (I get both at the dollar store.) Contestants are set up around the table and have 2 minutes to create the tallest tower they can, using only gumdrops and toothpicks.

The tower must be free-standing (not touching anything else) and whoever has the tallest tower at the end of 2 minutes is the winner!

Print Your Scorecard

I hope this activity gets your family pumped up to watch the Tokyo Olympic games starting later next week. Print out your scorecard and follow our demonstrations on Instagram for some healthy family competition!

We want to cheer you on! Tag @homeandkind and use the hashtag #familyolympics2021 when you play with your family!

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