The Games are back! The Games are a great opportunity to celebrate culture, history, sports, and healthy competition with your kids. Every family has their favorite sport to watch during these events, whether summer or winter. Gather the kids and celebrate the Summer Games with Chalk Pastel Art. Enjoy Ancient Greece lessons for the history of the Games. Then illustrate important aspects and moments of the modern Games! It’s a fun I Drew It Then I Knew It experience.
Ideas to Celebrate Summer Games with Chalk Pastel Art:
The boys and I went through a “mock Games” celebration to create activity and art ideas to go along with this summer’s games. We had so much fun learning, painting, and acting out various Games’ moments! Here’s how we enjoyed our home-grown sporting event.
Pass the Torch Relay!
Historically, the torch relay connects the initial Games of Ancient Greece with today’s version of the Games. The torch is lit and the flame passed from Olympia, Greece, to the current host location.
Symbolically, the passing of the Flame represents handing down knowledge and life through generations.
With Nana’s Ancient Greece lessons, my son drew the Torch on larger 12×18″ construction paper on a diagonal. He positioned the bottom of the handle about two-thirds across the bottom of the paper, then drew the torch across the paper so the flame would end up in the upper left corner. Then, we rolled the paper into a conical shape, so the bottom narrowed, and the torch was visible on one side of the cone. A little tape will keep this torch nicely rolled!
The boys ran around the house, passing the torch, symbolizing the Torch Relay that begins the Games. (During the actual Torch Relay, you can watch LIVE and recorded clips on the official Games site!).
The Games Torch Video Art Lesson
You can enjoy this sample lesson, The Torch. This is one of the many lessons for both summer and winter games included in The Games Clubhouse Edition in the You ARE an ARTiST Complete Clubhouse.
Opening Ceremonies
This might be my favorite part of the Games. I love the parades and choreography, the anthems, and colorful flags and uniforms! The purpose of the Ceremonies is to learn about the culture of the host country.
In 2021, we drew a map of Japan and looked at various geography books about Japan. You might even want to trace the path of the torch using Nana’s map of Japan!
Learn About Paris, France with Art for Summer Games 2024
For the 2024 Summer Games, you can enjoy amazing geography as you learn about France and the famous landmark, The Eiffel Tower.
Ancient Greece Lessons
After painting the Opening Ceremonies lesson (use Nana’s Coliseum lesson to hark back to Ancient Greece as another option!), we hung the boys artwork up and marched around to classic fanfare music from past games. Leo Arnaud’s Bugler’s Dream and John Williams’s “Olympic Fanfare and Theme” combined is a classic and well-recognized opening song. Nana also has a John Williams composer art lesson!
Let the Games Begin!
Now the real fun starts! There are so many sports represented at the Games, it’s hard to pick a favorite.
Archery, swimming, volleyball, diving, sailing, gymnastics, running, surfing. Nana has any number of sports-themed lessons for kids to enjoy. Pick a favorite, or draw them all!
I had the boys pick a few to draw, then set up mini Games competitions.
Archery – We made a bow and arrow out of a plastic hangar and chopstick, then tried to hit a paper plate target.
Sailing – The boys launched paper boats (which they made beforehand) in a kiddie pool and raced to blow them to the other side.
Tennis – The boys competed to see who could bounce a tennis ball off their rackets the most times.
Get together with the kids and invent more “Games” ideas based on their favorite sports, Nana’s art lessons, or just whatever you have around the house. Make silly versions of popular games to keep it short and light.
Medals Ceremony
The top three winners at the Games receive gold, silver, or bronze medals. In ancient times, winners received a Laurel Wreath to symbolize victory. Kids will enjoy hearing about the history of these awards during Nana’s lessons. If you have any old medals or trophies, let your kids receive them like the athletes do; we dug around and found old running medals to wear!
When my boys do chalk pastel lessons, I feel we’re all winners! Nana includes so many little details and facts as she demonstrates, that kids walk away with knowledge as well as a beautiful piece of artwork.
Every piece of art is a victory for our little artists, isn’t it? Nana champions every artist as they paint along with her. And the best prize is kids are learning while they’re painting with chalk pastels!
After the boys completed their victory pictures, we hung all our Games drawings up to enjoy. They are excited for the real Games to start this summer!
Drawing with Nana embodies the same ideals as the Games themselves: excellence, friendship, and respect. With Nana as your art teacher, your children will be encouraged in all three of these areas to create with excellence, enjoy the friendship of a delightful art teacher, and to respect their work, because they ARE artists!
Enjoy the upcoming Games by using these art lessons to connect kids to the historic and symbolic nature of the world’s greatest competition!
Nana is adding many new lessons to The Games Clubhouse Edition for your celebration!
Julie is a teacher, writer and homeschool mom. Her blog Happy Strong Home shares encouragement for cherishing children, enjoying motherhood, and growing strong families. Discover homeschool resources, natural living tips, and family activity ideas. Julie has been featured on Million Praying Moms, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, and the Melissa and Doug blog. She offers writing workshops and a “homeschool neighborhood” community to support parents in their homeschool adventures. Find Julie on Instagram to be the first to know when new workshops and community events are available.