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DIY Olympics
Clear the back yard and announce the Olympics are ready to start!
TWEENS (11 - 14 YEARS)
6/28/20261 min read
Who needs an actual stadium? Clear the backyard, raid the shed and announce to your household that the DIY Olympics are officially open. Design your own events, make your own medals and let the competition begin.
This is one of those activities that starts with a little organisation and turns into an afternoon of pure joy, laughter and healthy competition.
Why This Works
Tweens love a challenge - especially one where they have a genuine chance of winning. The DIY Olympics channels that competitive energy into something creative and physical, encouraging movement, teamwork, strategy and good sportsmanship. And designing the events themselves is half the fun.
Activity Details
Age Group: Tweens 11–14
Time: 2–3 hours
Difficulty: Easy
What You Need
Open outdoor space
Whatever equipment your events require (hula hoops, balls, buckets, balloons, water)
Stopwatch or phone timer
Scoring sheet and pen
Homemade medals or ribbons
Optional: opening ceremony music!
Sample Events
Hula hoop endurance
Balloon keep-up
Bucket throw
Obstacle course
Backwards race
Egg and spoon race
Standing long jump
Paper plane distance throw
Steps
Sit down together and design your Olympic events - aim for 6–8 challenges.
Make a scoring sheet and assign points for gold, silver and bronze in each event.
Make simple medals from card, ribbon and foil if desired - or check out these ones.
Hold an opening ceremony - this is non-negotiable and absolutely hilarious.
Work through each event, recording scores as you go.
Tally the final scores and hold a medal ceremony.
Photograph everything - these memories are priceless.
Kim's Tips 💕
Include events that suit different strengths so everyone has a chance to shine
A torch relay to open the games sets the perfect tone
Invite neighbours or cousins for a bigger competition
Find hula hoops, cones and sports equipment on my Amazon storefront!
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Let's stay connected!
This post is part of my Tweens Activity Hub - packed with ideas for 11–14 year olds.
With love, Kim xx
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