The Olympics can inspire an entertaining storytime. You can easily adapt this to any day celebrating sports and games. Break into groups for some active play:
- walk along a bright piece of tape along the floor
- play catch with a Nerf ball (or other soft indoor toy)
- toss cotton balls at a line on the floor for the shotput
- toss paper plates at the line for the discus
- toss drinking straws at the line for the javelin
- make a simple obstacle course
Make Olympic medals or other crafts seen here.
Bradfield, Roger. THE PICKLE-CHIFFON PIE OLYMPICS. Various knights join in the Olympics to win the hand of Princess Sierra.
Bridwell, Norman. CLIFFORD’S SPORTS DAY. Clifford joins in the activities at Emily Elizabeth’s school’s sports day.
Carlson, Nancy. LOUDMOUTH GEORGE AND THE BIG RACE. George brags about winning the big race but doesn’t train.
Fox, Mem. KOALA LOU. Koala Lou enters the Bush Olympics to get her mother’s attention.
Herzog, Brad. G IS FOR GOLD MEDAL: AN OLYMPICS ALPHABET. Facts about the Olympics, from Ancient Greece to the present, are highlighted in this ABC book.
Jamieson, Victoria. OLYMPIG! Boomer trains for the Olympics but misses out on a medal.
Jordan, Deloris. DREAM BIG: MICHAEL JORDAN AND THE PURSUIT OF OLYMPIC GOLD. Written by the basketball legend’s mother, this picture book describes Jordan’s dream of playing basketball in the Olympics.
Lester, Helen. TACKY AND THE WINTER GAMES. Everyone’s favorite penguin trains for the Winter Olympics.
Malaspina, Ann. TOUCH THE SKY: ALICE COACHMAN, OLYMPIC HIGH JUMPER. A picture book biography of the first black woman to win Olympic gold.
Rex, Michael. DUNK SKUNK. Various animals engage in sports, with alliterative names such as “Hurdle Turtle.”
Yoo, Paula. SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIXTEEN SECONDS: THE SAMMY LEE STORY. A picture book biography of the noted diving coach, this is great for primary grade storytimes.