five simple ways to celebrate the 2014 winter olympics

In just one short week the 2014 Winter Olympics will officially kick-off. A day that hundreds of athletes have been training for for longer than they can remember. I cannot even fathom the amount of pride and excitement running through their bodies as they march into Olympic Stadium with their teammates!

Can you tell I’m excited for the Olympics? Now it’s time to get you excited!

5 tips to get you and your family excited about the 2014 Winter Olympics ::

1. Watch the Opening Ceremonies together.
Pop some popcorn, put on your red, white and blue and get ready for what will undoubtedly be an amazing Opening Ceremony. Starting at 7:30pm (EST) and airing on NBC, the Opening Ceremonies will feature festivities that honor Russia’s history and culture, the Parade of Nations and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.

2. Create your own Olympic crafts.
Whether you’re watching the Opening Ceremony or your favorite event, creating your own Olympic gear can make watching the Olympics as a family that much more fun! From creating your own Olympic torches to editable gold medals, we have a variety of fun Olympic themed crafts ready for you on Pinterest!

3. Keep a Gold Medal tally.
Have your kids keep track of how your favorite team is doing with these fun Olympic Medal Count Printables from create.craft.love. She has printable sheets for Team USA, Team Canada, and even a blank one for any of your other favorite teams! You can find official medal tallies at SOCHI2014.com.

4. Pick a new event to watch together.
Watching your favorite events together is always fun, but this year try branching out and watch an event you might normally watch. This year I’m looking forward to checking out Skeleton. Yes, they totally have an event called Skeleton and it sounds crazy! You can find a complete list of events and times for each of the events at SOCHI2014.com.

5. Create your own Olympic games or events.
Why let the professional athletes have all the fun? Encourage your kids to create their own Olympic games with activities around the house or outside. I happen to know we have plenty of snow here in the MidWest for some interesting snow and ice events. But regardless if you have snow or not, let their imagines run wild with new events and competitions. Have them take turns running the Olympic torch. Create your own Parade of Nations with costumes they create. Then you can use those Olympic medals you created (see #2 above) and hand them out after each event.

We’d love to hear how you are celebrating the 2014 Winter Olympics with your family! Do you have a favorite event or family tradition?