It only happens once every 4 years – the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio are about to begin, and we can’t be more excited! The Summer Olympics are fun for the whole family. But there’s a lot more you can do than just cheer on your favorite athletes. Celebrating the Summer Games can be a fun learning experience for the kids. So get the whole family together and have some fun and learn something new! Here are a few ideas on how to enjoy the Summer Olympics with the whole family!

Learn the history of the Olympics

The first Olympic Games started in ancient Greece. Find out when, where and what it was like back then. And then study up on the modern Olympic Games on the Olympic website.

Find out about the athletes on Team USA

Each athlete competing at the Olympics has a story. Learn about our Team USA athletes by researching them online. You might discover something new about your kids’ favorite athletes or something they have in common.

Learn about the other countries competing

There are 206 countries participating in this year’s Olympics. That’s a lot of geography, social studies, and languages to learn more about! Have your kids pick a participating country and learn a few new facts and some simple words of the native language!

Host an Olympics viewing party

Have the kids invite their friends over for a viewing party! Are they into swimming, gymnastics, running? Find out when their favorite sport will be on TV and schedule that time for a party.

Keep a medal count

Create a chart and keep track of the medal count. Turn it into a game! Have the kids pick out five countries and keep count of the number of gold, silver, and bronze medals. Whoever has the highest total medals at the end wins!

Re-enact their favorite Olympic events

Have the kids re-enact their favorite moments from the Olympics! They can take turns being the athletes or commentators. Do some arts and crafts beforehand and they can create their own Olympic medals with cardboard and ribbon. Have them dress the part, too!

Teach the kids a few Olympic lessons

This is the perfect time to teach the kids about hard work and setting goals. Let them know about the hard work it took for each athlete to get to the Olympics. In the process, they’ll learn about health and fitness, setting goals, and good sportsmanship.