The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games begin Feb. 4 and we are snow excited to cheer on athletes like Mikaela Shiffrin, Erin Jackson, Chloe Kim and the defending gold medal U.S. Women's National Ice Hockey Team.
This year's Winter Olympics will include a record 109 events and feature 222 Team USA Athletes ... and it will all be streamed in real-time from Beijing. (See the full schedule here).
Want to get the kids pumped up for all the excitement? Go for gold and inspire their love of the Winter Olympics with these five easy crafts and activities.
 Serhii Yevdokymov via Canva |
Choose a country
Have everyone in your house choose a country to represent at your very own Opening Ceremonies. Recreate its flag, then dress up in Opening Ceremonies gear and parade through the house (or even the neighborhood!) waving and cheering (and taking selfies, of course!) Go the extra mile by having your kids research the country they chose and share five facts with you about it.
 Macaroni KID |
Light that spirit with your very own torch
No opening ceremony is complete without a torch! The Olympic flame dates back to the first Olympic games in ancient Greece. A flame was ignited by the sun and kept burning until the end of the games. The flame represents purity and a quest for perfection.
Supplies needed:
- 11x17 piece of white paper (other sizes work too!)
- Clear tape
- 1 sheet each of yellow, red, and orange tissue paper
- Glue
Directions:
- Roll the white piece of paper into a cone shape and tape it closed.
- Layer sheets of tissue paper flat on the floor. Grab and gather the sheets in the center.
- Place the bouquet of tissue sheets into the cone opening. You can apply glue around the inside of the opening before tucking in the sheets. Once dry, the glue will hold the sheets in place. Children can choose to decorate the cone to their liking to make the torch their own!
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Figure skating competition
Now it's onto the competition! Clear a smooth-surfaced floor and have everyone don their slippiest socks (or wrap their feet in wax paper held on with a rubberband). Then crank up your child's favorite tunes and let them choreograph a "figure skating" routine that Scott Hamilton would love. Double points for launching off the couch. It's not just the skaters that matter here: You'll also need an enthusiastic play-by-play announcer and at least one straight-faced judge.
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Host a biathlon
The Olympics biathlon combines cross country skiing with rifle shooting. Host an at-home version by creating an outdoor obstacle course with targets. Kids can run around your yard (or around the block) and, if you have snow, hit the targets with snowballs. If you don't? Simply use balls or even Nerf guns! First one to hit all the targets and make it to the finish line wins!
 Macaroni KID |
DIY salt dough medals
After all this competition, you're going to need to host a medal ceremony, of course. DIY your own salt dough medals to mark the special occasion.
Supplies needed:
- 1 cup salt
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup water
- Acrylic Paints (gold, silver, and bronze)
- Paint brushes
- Ribbon
Directions:
- Make your salt dough by combining the flour and salt and adding water gradually. Knead it until it gets a dough-like consistency. (If it's too sticky, add more flour. If it won't hold together, add more water 1 tsp. at a time.)
- Shape your salt dough into three circles about one centimeter thick. We used a mason jar lid to help shape ours, but cookie cutters or other household items work great too!
- Using a straw, poke a hole at the top (this is where the ribbon will go through).
- Press a 1, 2, or 3 into each shape. I used molds from a Play-Doh® kit. You can also use cookie cutters or a butter knife to make your own!
- Place the finished "medals" onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 2 hours at 200 degrees, turning once.
- Cool.
- Paint your medals — you can use the traditional gold, silver, or bronze or let your kids paint them in whatever colors they love.
- Thread the ribbon through the hole and tie a knot at the ends.
