The Olympic Games are where athletes compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals. The last Winter Olympics were held in Beijing, China in 2022. A record-breaking 109 events across seven sports took place. There were also seven new events introduced at these Olympic games. The next Winter Olympics will be held in Italy in 2026. Let’s look at a few resources you might use with friends, family, and your students during winter with a Winter Olympics theme.
2022 Winter Olympics Digital Breakout
Although the 2022 Winter Olympics have passed, students will still enjoy this digital breakout on the 2022 Winter Olympics that were held in Beijing, China. There are five locks: four Number, five Color, Number Shape, five Direction, and a Word Lock. Remember, you can always email me at preimers@tcea.org for the answers. Please include your credentials in your email signature line.
You can also tailor the following activities to the next Winter Olympics that will be held in February 2026 in Italy.
Roman Numerals Self-Grading Quiz
We have a few events in the world that are notated with Roman numerals. The seven letters (I, V, X, L, C, D, and M) are based on the ancient Roman system. How well do you know this system? Take this five-question self-grading quiz and find out.
Pixel Art with Google Sheets
Eric Curts of ControlAltAchieve.com created Google Sheets Pixel Art in 2017. Pixel Art makes images out of a small grid with a limited number of colors. I’ve always shared Pixel Art throughout the years because it is just a great go-to resource that will fit many different topics. Visit his blog article and make a template. Above, you will see my handiwork of the Olympic rings in Pixel Art. Note in case you give this to your students to do: it was a bit of a challenge to interlace the rings.
Word Cloud Shape Activity
Word clouds are fun for getting students thinking creatively about a topic. Here are a couple of ideas for generating words for an Olympic word cloud:
- Make an acrostic poem out of the word “Olympics” or “Italy.”
- Choose a sport and make a list of associated words for that particular event.
- Make a list of 10 to 15 words to answer: “When I think of the Olympics, I think of…”
The good news? There are tons of winter sports and Olympic images available through copyright-free image websites that you can use to make word cloud shapes. For the skier word cloud above, I went to my favorite free image website, Pixabay, to find images for the Olympics. I searched and downloaded two images: the Olympic Flag and a skier silhouette. I made my word list in Google Docs, and then I transferred both the image and the word list to WordArt.Com.
Here are the quick steps for making the word cloud using WordArt:
- Go to wordart.com. and select the green button Create Now.
- Select the SHAPES Button (bottom left).
- Upload your image with the green +add image button.
- Then select the WORDS Button (top).
- Click on the Import button. I like using this button so you can place all your words at one time.
- Press the red button Visualize. Voila! Your creation is ready to go.
Once you have made one, it’s time to explore size, color, layout, and style.
BONUS: For step-by-step directions with screenshots on how to create a Word Shape, check out my colleague Miguel Guhlin’s blog, Shape Word Clouds Made Easy. When you reach the blog, skip down to the “How to Make Shape Art or ‘Wordmoji’s'” section for the directions and screenshots.
25 Winter Olympics Games, Crafts, and Treats for Kids
There might be a couple of ideas that you can pull from this blog post. I think the little indoor ice luge race could be turned into a fun STEM activity! The blog also has some creative ideas for turning food into Olympic treats.
Social Media and Websites
Check out these social media accounts and websites for information, images, and other interesting data.
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/olympics
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olympics/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Olympics
- Official NBC Coverage of the Olympics and Paralympics: https://twitter.com/nbcolympics
- International Olympic Committee Website
Olympic Hyperdoc
Twitter comes through again. A BIG thanks to Nadine Gilkison who shares an updated hyperdoc on the Winter Olympics. She generously shares and gives you permission to customize as needed, but do not sell.
Three cheers for the Winter Games. Go TEAM USA! And, as always, if you need help with any of the Olympic resources, please drop me an email, tweet me (@preimers), or leave a comment.
This blog was updated with new content on February 4, 2022.
Featured image: created by TCEA staff