7 Homeschool Lessons About the Olympics

Explore the history of The Olympics and learn more about the modern games. Offer your kids kids a basic understanding of the history of the Olympics by adding the following resources to your homeschool lesson planner.

1. Free educational resources are the secret weapon of every frugal homeschool parent.
Scholastic has compiled a collection of lesson plans for preschool age to high school. These free educational resources also include ideas for creating your own Olympic events at home as well as a list of books about The Olympics for kids.

2. A done-for-you unit study is great when you're short on time or don't know where or how to start homeschooling.
Unit study lessons revolve around a central theme and can include a variety of subjects presented for multiple age ranges. The Amanda Bennet 2020 Summer Games Unit Study incorporates The Olympics history, science and geography lessons in an interactive, hands-on way.

Show your child the parallels between what they’re learning and how it relates to their own lives. While most of our children may not be Olympics-bound, the life lessons from these activities can help foster emotional intelligence.

3. Download the Experiencing and Discovering the Olympic Games Educational Kit.
The International Olympic Committee created this educational packet for students aged 6 – 15. It includes information about the Tokyo 2020 Games and insight into Japanese culture.

4. Include a lesson on the realities of COVID-19 and its variants.
The impact of the coronavirus and what it might mean for the health of the Olympians may be an interesting homeschool lesson and discussion. Forbes recently reported that Olympic athletes were not required to be vaccinated to compete in the games. Unfortunately, some athletes have contracted COVID-19 over the last week. A recent Tokyo newspaper poll indicated that 83% of residents felt as though The Games should have been canceled and some Japanese doctors share those sentiments.

5. Use The Olympics as a catalyst to teaching your kids about goal setting and achieving their dreams.
Learning about the sacrifices Olympians have made to reach their dreams is one way to get your kids talking about their own goals. This downloadable PDF from motivational speaker James Shone can help you work with your child to help them set goals for themselves.

This lesson offers valuable insight for both kids and parents since it often takes sacrifice on our part as parents to let our kids follow their dreams. Natalie Hawkins, mom of three-time gold medalist Gabby Douglas, allowed her daughter to move across the country at age 16 to train for The Olympics. "Letting go of Gabrielle was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life, but it's now one of the most rewarding things that I've ever got to experience in my life," Hawkins admitted in the video, Raising an Olympian.

Richard Monette is a sport psychology consultant to several famous Olympic athletes. He believes that one of the most important things your kids can learn from watching the Olympics is finding courage and persevering in the face of adversity.

"Take away the hoopla, the artifice, and the controversies that have become part of the Games over the years, and what is left is a basic human struggle. Olympians are people, like you and I, who dare to challenge themselves before millions of witnesses," he wrote on the Active for Life website. "It is this courage that inspires me and it is this courage that I want to share with my kids because while we won’t all struggle in such a public arena, we all have our struggles."

6. Create an Olympics for kids video playlist of the most notable male Olympics athletes.
The stories behind some of the male athletes noted below include a historic and social background that could be interesting to delve into to get a better sense of what life was like in 1960 and even the 1990s.

• Michael Phelps: the greatest swimmer of all time
• Muhammad Ali throws away his Olympic Gold Medal
• Greg Louganis: the greatest diver of all time

7. Watch videos of the most notable female Olympics athletes.
These women excelled at their respective sports and are known as some of the top 100 Olympic athletes of all time. From Mary Lou Retton's perfect 10 to Florence Griffth Joyner's record that remains unbroken still today, these famous Olympics athletes would be a great addition to your homeschool lesson plan.

• Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee
• Mary Lou Retton's perfect 10 floor routine
• Wilma Rudolph: first African-American woman to win three gold medals at one event
• Florence Griffith-Joyner's 100m Dash World Record

If you want to supplement watching The Olympic Games with your kids but don't want a full homeschool lesson plan or unit study, simply adding in some fun treats and Olympic crafts during the opening ceremonies can turn a spectator activity into an engaging hands-on experience for your kids.