Using themes for kids’ ministry excites kids, teachers and volunteers. An Olympic theme is an especially good theme because it is a topic of excellence and endurance. Use an Olympic theme over an entire quarter or just a few classes in your kids’ ministry. Teach kids about what God thinks about sportsmanship, working as a team and the importance of reaching spiritual goals.
HT: Inspirational story and video to share with kids in your ministry.
Olympic Decorations
Build a small riser for the ‘winners’ to stand on each week. Decorate a room in red, white and blue bunting. Hang flat red, white and blue sheets on clothesline or fishing line at the back of the room. Buy five Hula Hoops and spray paint them gold. Glue them together to make the Olympic logo. Hang the rings up together on your backdrop or on the wall. Use red, white and blue streamers as bright blasts of colors around your room. Display a table of trophies and awards for kids to look at. These could be trophies teachers and volunteers have earned. Visit a party supply store to buy some small plastic trophies to give to kids. Alternatively, you could hand out plastic ‘gold, silver and bronze’ medallions to competitors.
Olympic Games
At the beginning of the quarter, hang up five poster boards side by side on the wall. You will be holding an Olympic Game at the top of each board list during the event. Some examples would be “Bible Scroll Races” or “Bean Bag Discus”. Include games that are not sports related like “Bible Verse Race” or “Strength Training with the Spirit”. Offer kids many fun, wacky races in celebration of the theme spirit.
Olympic Lessons
Teach kids short lessons supported by object lessons. Breaking up the lessons with games and music will keep even the most active children interested in the program. Dress as a runner or a coach complete with whistle and ball cap. Use a clipboard to hold your lesson plan. Do a roll call in kids’ ministry at the beginning of each day. Give kids a run down of the ‘game plan’ and begin to teach. Paul’s passage in Hebrews 12 is the perfect scripture to teach children. Use the child’s story about the Turtle of the Hare to stress the importance of patiently plodding along in God’s race to the finish. Alternatively, you could teach a lesson about 1 Timothy chapter 6,“We must fight, the good fight!” Have workers demonstrate a mock boxing match. Show a fighter not protecting his face and ignoring his opponent. Then show the fighter protecting himself and beginning to work on the offense.
Share Your Ideas
If you are planning to use an Olympic Theme in your children’s ministry or Sunday School, we would love to hear about it. Just leave a comment below to share your ideas.
Don’t miss our resource page featuring children’s ministry games.
Olympic Theme Kids Ministry Ideas
An Olympic theme can be an exciting and engaging way to teach children about excellence, perseverance, and teamwork in a fun and interactive way. Here are some ideas for incorporating an Olympic theme into your kids’ ministry:
- Olympian Program: Envision the Christian life as a race and encourage children to “go for the gold” in their pursuit of godliness. Provide resources, training, and encouragement for leaders to guide children in forming essential spiritual habits[1].
- Olympic-Themed Games: Organize games and activities that are inspired by the Olympics, such as Bible Baton Relay, obstacle courses, and races[2]. You can also include winter Olympic games like ice-less figure skating and human curling[3].
- Summer Games Curriculum: Use a curriculum designed around the Summer Olympics, focusing on themes like “Run the Race” and “Win the Prize”[4]. This can include lessons, memory verses, skits, puppet shows, craft activities, and group discussions.
- Champions Series: Create a 5-part message series for children’s church, VBS, or other programs with titles like “Get in the Game!”, “Prepare for Victory!”, “Play by the Rules”, “Capture the Prize!”, and “Carry the Torch!”[5].
- Olympic Decorations: Decorate your ministry space with Olympic-themed decorations, such as flags, banners, and posters[6]. You can also create a small riser for the ‘winners’ to stand on each week and hang red, white, and blue bunting[6].
- Olympic Lessons: Teach children about sportsmanship, teamwork, and the importance of reaching spiritual goals through Olympic-themed lessons and activities[6].
- Bible Game Olympics: Organize a Bible Game Olympics event with various stations, such as Race to Jerusalem, Noah Needs Help, Happy Birthday Jesus, and Goin’ Fishin'[7].
- Summer Bible Olympics: Set up simple stations for a Summer Bible Olympics event, including activities like racing, pulling heavy weights, moving stuffed animals, and putting out candles with water guns[7].
- Olympic Themed Crafts: Encourage children to create Olympic-themed crafts, such as making salt dough Olympic medals[8] or painting Olympic torches[8].
Remember to tailor these ideas to the age group and interests of the children in your ministry. Incorporating an Olympic theme can create a fun and engaging environment that teaches valuable life lessons and encourages spiritual growth.
Citations:
[1] https://youthministry.wol.org/curriculum/olympians/
[2] https://ministry-to-children.com/olympic-themed-games/
[3] https://juniorhighministry.org/winter-olympics-youth-group-games/
[4] https://www.childrens-ministry-deals.com/products/olympics-childrens-ministry-curriculum
[5] https://www.kidology.org/store/catalog.asp?item=3987
[6] https://ministry-to-children.com/olympic-ideas-for-kids-ministry/
[7] https://childrensministry.com/summer-bible-olympics/
[8] https://www.pre-kpages.com/activities-olympics-preschoolers/