If the weather is still a bit chilly, or if it’s raining or muddy outside, you can create your very own Indoor Family Olympics! Put your thinking caps on and come up with ideas that while active, silly, and fun, can still be done inside without destroying the house.
Balancing Books
Each person must make it from the starting point to the finish line with a book on top of his or her head. No hands! If the book falls, stop and put it back on the head, and continue. It’s best to use paperbacks instead of hard covers, so when the books fall they won’t hurt little toes, etc. For small children, give them a little advantage by allowing them to use magazines instead of books.
Make the Bed Race
You will need an unmade bed for the first race. That’s right, you’re going to unmake the bed. Pick a starting point and have someone take off from there, run into the bedroom, and make the bed as quickly as possible, as you time him or her. Unmake the bed in a similar fashion each time so it’s fair, and write down how long it takes each person to complete the task. The person with the fastest time wins.*
Pillow Stacking
Gather all the pillows in the house from shams and bed pillows to accent pillows and floor cushions. Each family member will take a turn stacking pillows to see who can stack them up the highest before the pile falls over. You can use a measuring tape, if desired, or set a time limit.
*You can choose to give prizes, or adapt this “Award Ribbon” project to make ribbons for your Olympics ahead of time. You can also use the ideas in “Indoor Family Relays” for other Olympic games.
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