Olympics Activities for Preschool, Pre-k, and Kindergarten

Check out some of my favorite Olympic activities and centers for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten students! There are ideas for the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics, and some that will work for both. These activities could also work for a sports theme in your classroom. Plus, grab the sports-themed playdough mats FREEBIE at the end of the post!

Grab the Summer Games Math & Literacy Centers, the Winter Games Math & Literacy Centers, the Sports STEM I Can Build Cards, the Ramps Science Unit, and the Simple Machines Science Unit for ALL the printables!

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Olympics Activities for Little Learners

Sports Prewriting Lines! Students began by placing stickers all over the butcher paper. Then, they used markers to connect the stickers. This is great for practicing drawing lines, pencil grip, hand-eye coordination, and crossing the midline. This is a fun project for any theme because it can be changed with just the stickers.

Star Number Puzzles! Create some number puzzles with fun paper plates! Cut the plates in half with wiggly lines, write a number on one half, and put dot stickers on the other half to create the puzzle. Differentiate for your class by making puzzles that match their needs (numbers 1-5, 1-10, 11-20, etc.)

Sports Playdough Mats! Grab the FREE sports-themed playdough mats for your students to use during an Olympic study. They can roll their playdough into worms or just use playdough to fill the picture. Then, use a dry-erase marker to trace the word.

>>Get the FREEBIE by filling in the box at the bottom of the post!<<

Letter Matching Stars! Grab some fun paper plates from the dollar store and make a letter matching game. I wrote letters on each plate and gave students letter manipulatives to sort onto the plates. I don’t set out the whole alphabet at one time because that would be overwhelming for young children if your students are only ready for A-D; great!

Olympic Sensory Bin! I created this Olympic sensory bin with colorful shredded paper! Throw in some scissors, tweezers, and plastic containers for students to have a blast while building fine motor muscles and communication skills.

Patriotic Lacing! Practice fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and more with this simple lacing activity. Students used pipe cleaners as the base and laced star beads and cut-up straws that I found at the dollar store. You can turn them into bracelets for even more fun! Students can improve their problem solving skills while they lace the beads. 

Olympic Ring Prints! Create Olympic paint prints by using a paper towel tube as a ring stamp. I set out all the colors of the Olympic rings, but you could use whatever paint colors you wanted. Students will be developing problem-solving skills of how to create the print and keep paint on the tubes while they create their own Olympic rings. 

Olympic Playdough Tray! Create a playdough tray your students will love, which is a great way to encourage fine motor practice and creativity. On my tray is glitter playdough, pipe cleaner rings, plastic gold medal, table scatter stars, net bags (the medals came in them), cookie cutters, and playdough tools.

Medal Craftivity! Make medals with foil for a shiny finish! I cut the foil into strips, and then the students cut or tore it into pieces to glue onto their circles. Add the label and string for an Olympic medal. These Olympic crafts printables can be found in the Summer Games Math & Literacy Centers pack. Your young athletes are going to love creating their own medals!

Olympics Activities for Gross Motor

Scooter Bobsledding! Winter months can be challenging with limited outside time, so use scooters to “bobsled” in the classroom! Set up a track for students to follow or let them free-ride around your space. Older kids may be able to move their scooters through an obstacle course for another fun activity. 

Paper Plate Skating! Ice skate in the classroom with paper plates! This is a great opportunity for students to get lots of movement while practicing crossing the midline, balancing, and using multiple parts of their body to complete a movement. You could have a relay race for a fun way to entertain your younger children while having indoor gross motor time.

Gross Motor Hockey! I use a pool noodle cut in half for the hockey sticks and beach balls for the pucks. Students then try to hit the ball into a laundry basket or move it from one side of the room to another. I give every child a beach ball so that everyone is getting their energy out at the same time instead of students waiting for turns since we only had so much gross motor time each day.

Balance Beam! Make your own balance beam with a 2 by 4 piece of lumber. I put duct tape on it for grip and to make it more colorful! Plus, it kept students from getting splinters. Students will develop important skills like balance, crossing the midline, and core strength. 

Classroom Obstacle Course! Set up an obstacle course in the classroom for gross motor or recess time. I used pool noodles, rubber mats, a hula hoop, chairs, a pop-up tube, my balance beam, and any other items I had in my classroom to make a short obstacle course.

Olympics Activities for the Summer Games

Summer Games Coloring Pages Freebie! Grab 3 coloring pages for your summer games preschool theme! These feature clipart images of different sports so students can color them in and their own torch. These are great for morning tubs, arrival time, table time, early finishers, and more!

>>Fill in the box at the bottom of the post, and the FREEBIE will be sent to you!<<

Soccer Number Match! Give your little learners a fun themed activity to practice number identification, one-to-one correspondence, and counting skills. This game is easy to differentiate because you can take out pieces for lower students and add pieces to make it more difficult.

Weightlifting Comparison! Give students a chance to practice comparing weights with this engaging weightlifting-themed printable. I used linking cubes and glass gems for the manipulatives. Students will draw a card, count out the correct number of manipulatives, and place them in the balance. Then, decide which weighs more.

Cycling Number Chains! Print these number chains and have students practice counting, one-to-one correspondence, number identification, and tons of fine motor skills. Students identify the number and count that many chain links out. Lastly, connect the chain links to create a number chain.

Archery Addition! Toss pom poms onto the target and make an addition problem with those numbers. Students can record their equations on the included worksheet. If that is too hard, there is another game that is a count and tally game. Students will toss a pom pom onto the target and identify the number. Then, practice drawing tallies for that number.

Olympic Color Sort! My students love to sort loose parts, and this Olympic color sorting mat would be perfect for that task. You can use buttons, pom poms, mini erasers, linking cubes, beads, lids, etc. The pack also has a sorting mat for size. Younger kids will develop their pincer grasp while sorting different colors of small objects into their own Olympic rings. 

Pattern Balance Beams! Build patterns with linking cubes on the balance beam! Students pick a card that has a pattern on it and build the pattern on the balance beam. The set comes with AB, ABB, ABC, and AABB examples. They can also create their own patterns.

Flag Spinner Graph! Develop graphing skills with this fun country flag graph. Place a clear spinner on the mat or make your own with a pencil and paperclip. Then, students spin the spinner and graph the results. The game is done when one country makes it to the top. Talk about more than, less than, and equal to.

Volleyball Letters! Pick a letter manipulative and mark it on your worksheet. I had students use dot markers, but you could also place the sheet in a clear pouch and use dry-erase markers. There is a capital and lowercase version so you can differentiate for your students’ abilities.

Baseball Rhymes! Practice rhyming words with a fun baseball theme! Students identify the pictures and find the rhyming picture. I put a velcro dot on the pieces so students could connect them. You can differentiate this game by only putting certain rhymes out that the student knows or setting them all out for a challenge.

Tennis Letter Hit! To begin, draw some tennis balls and write letters inside. Then, give students a fly swatter and a letter die. They roll the die, find that letter, and hit it with their fly swatter. Young children could also use paper plates with popsicle stick handles for their racquets.

Pool Writing! Write sight words in the pool for reading practice. I had students pick a sight word card and then use a dry-erase marker to write it in the pool. You could also have students practice names, letters, or vocabulary words.

Pool Letters! Make a sensory writing tray with shaving cream and blue liquid watercolor. Students can use their fingers or a paintbrush to write the letters in the pool. They could also write sight words, names, or vocabulary words.

Basketball Syllables! Print and cut out the materials and tape the syllable numbers to cups. Then crumble the basketballs up. Students will pick a basketball, uncrumble it, and identify the picture. Then, they will crumble it back up and shoot it into the number basket. Make this game easier by only putting out 1 & 2 syllable words instead of 1, 2, 3, & 4.

Summer Games Word Wall! Set up a summer games word wall for your students to learn new vocabulary words and practice writing skills. I like to add lots of writing utensils, themed paper, dot markers, emergent reader book, name cards, a worksheet in a wipe and write pouch, and word cards. This way students have several choices and will be more likely to visit this center more than once.

Volleyball Feeling Mats! Practice identifying emotions and building fine motor muscles with these feelings mats. I also put a mirror on the table so students can practice making the face in the mirror. You could also add these to your calm down corner.

Summer Games Blocks & STEM Props! Transform your blocks or STEM area for a sports or Olympic theme by adding the Sports STEM I Can Build cards. I added green and blue glass gems, medals, sports balls, trophies, felt squares, net bags (the medals and trophies came in these from the dollar store), and me blocks.

Simple Machines Science Unit! Talk about the kinds of simple machines, how they make tasks easier, and build vocabulary with this printable science unit. I thought simple machines was a good study for the summer games because you can make connections to some of the sporting events.

Bowling Alley Dramatic Play! A bowling alley dramatic play area would be perfect for the Summer Olympic Games. My students have a blast when I set this up; they learn so much, too! They are developing ball skills and gross motor muscles while practicing many math and literacy skills.

Olympics Activities for the Winter Games

Winter Games Coloring Pages Freebie! Grab 2 coloring pages for your winter games study! These feature clipart images of different sports so students can color them in. These are great for morning tubs, arrival time, table time, early finishers, and more!

>>Fill in the box at the bottom of the post, and the FREEBIE will be sent to you!<<

Ice Skate Line Trace! I used black India ink to draw the black lines all over the paper. Students can use markers, crayons, or other drawing utensils to trace the lines and improve fine motor strength and hand-eye coordination. This is so much fun on a snowy day. 

Shapes Ice Hockey! Students can practice identifying shapes with this fun ice hockey spinner game. Place a clear spinner on the game board. Students spin the spinner and mark the matching shape on their mat. I am using glass gems for the markers, but any manipulative would work. Students could also mark or color them in. This game can be played independently or in a group.

Flag Lacing Count! This math printable is in the Winter Games Math & Literacy Centers pack but would work for either season of games. Tape a pipe cleaner to the back of each card. Then, students counted and laced that many beads or manipulatives onto the pipe cleaner. This is great for fine motor skills, one-to-one correspondence, counting skills, and number recognition.

Olympic Number Mats! Count, trace, and build numbers with little learners. I used foil balls for the counting manipulative, but you could also use pom poms, glass gems, counting stackers, mini erasers, buttons, beads, etc. Students count the athlete, trace the number, and build the number in the ten frame to complete the activity. This is very simple to differentiate; Jose can have numbers 1-5, and Jarrett can have numbers 1-10.

Winter Shape Building Light Table! Create your own shape building templates by writing inside a lamination piece and then sealing it through the laminator. Students can trace and build on it, and it won’t get destroyed. I gave students glass gems, icicle ornaments, and plastic ice cubes to build the shapes.

Winter Games Spell! Tape a pipe cleaner to the back of each sight word card. Then, students will lace letter beads to spell the words. Little learners will develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, using both sides of the body to complete a task, and letter identification.

Ice Skating Letters! Grab some foil and a dry-erase marker to complete this fun writing activity. I had students draw a letter card to write, but they could also write sight words, names, numbers, or vocabulary words.

Winter Games Word Wall! Set up a winter games word wall for your students to learn new vocabulary words and practice writing skills. I like to add lots of writing utensils, themed paper, rewriting tracing/cutting lines, scissors, and word cards. This way, students will have several choices and will be more likely to visit the center more than once.

Winter Games Block & STEM Props! Transform your blocks or STEM area for a sports or Olympic theme by adding the Sports STEM I Can Build cards. I added cotton balls, medals, ice blocks (blocks wrapped in foil), trophies, felt squares, net bags (the medals and trophies came in these from the dollar store), and me blocks.

Ramps Science Unit! A ramp study is perfect for the winter games because of all the skiing and snowboarding down inclines! You can teach about friction and surfaces, complete a ramo building challenge, and talk about sliding and rolling.

Ice Skating Dramatic Play! Turn your dramatic play area into an ice skating rink for the Winter Olympic Games. Students will learn so many skills for math, literacy, and social interactions. I love using a laminated piece of butcher paper for my indoor ice rink. See all the steps here.

These Olympics activities are so much fun and are sure to teach your children many skills. Don’t forget to grab all the printables; whether you are doing the winter games or summer games, I have you covered!

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