12 Fun Family Olympic Games

Get ready for the upcoming Olympics by setting up your very own family Olympic games! These fun Olympic party games are perfect to play while watching the Olympics opening ceremony or just to enjoy the Olympics throughout the season!

Family Olympics Idea

With the 2026 Milano Winter Olympics just around the corner, I thought it’d be fun to share a bunch of games you can use to host your own family Olympics or just enjoy during the two week winter Olympics.

This post is full of all sorts of random Olympic themed games – this other one is full of winter party games (for a Winter Olympics party).

I remember watching the Magnificent 7 perform back in 1996 when I was just 11 and thinking that I wanted to be a gymnast someday. I wasn’t in gymnastics nor could I touch my toes (still can’t), but I just remember thinking I wanted to be that awesome.

My dad’s a huge fan as well. In fact, he actually took us all out of school for two weeks to take a family trip to watch all of the festivities in Salt Lake City in 2002. Watching the Canadian pair figure skating team get awarded the second gold medal because of the controversy with the Russians judging was something I’ll likely never forget. So many emotions at that moment, and I’m not even Canadian.

Family Olympics Game Ideas

To get ready for the Olympics next month, we setup a family Olympics including adult Olympics games, minute to win it games, and games for the kids, and more!

I put together eight different competitions inspired by some of our favorite events. Each player was on their own (no teams), and I kept a running scorecard for everyone to keep track of scores from our go for the gold party games!

And at the end, the top three received their own type of medal – a jar full of chocolate. Bronze colored Rolos for the third place finisher, silver covered Hershey Kisses for the second place, and gold Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Minis for the gold medal winner.

#1 – Bouncing Basket Ball

Everyone is given ten ping pong balls, all a different color. Place a bathroom sized trash basket in the center of a room with bounceable (so not carpet) floors and then have all players stand in a circle perimeter around the trash cans.

Players have ten chances (their 10 ping pong balls) to bounce a ping pong ball into the trash can in the center of the circle. Players get one point for each ball in the basket at the end of the round.

#2 – Balance Book

Before the game, tape a 10 foot line on the floor and gather together a bunch of books, trying to stick to the same size if possible.

Players have to walk from one end of the tape to the other (without falling off) while balancing a book on their head. If the book falls off or they step off the line, they receive no points. If they make it across with one book, they receive one point and can try again with more books.

They can continue walking back and forth until the books fall off their head, up to a total of three books (for 5 points). Points do not accumulate, so if they eventually can do three books, they receive a total of five points, not nine.

Scoring:

• One book – 1 point
• Two books – 3 points
• Three books – 5 points

#3 – Cool in the Pool

Before the game, gather together a bunch of small pool toys (like 25). They can be anything from pool noodles to puddle jumpers to splash balls. Put them all in a big bucket at one end of a room or field and put a line of tape or spray paint on the other end.

For this game, players have to race from the starting line to the bucket at the other end of the room. They can use their hands to get items out of the bucket but cannot use their hands to hold the pool toys to return back to the starting line. Players have one minute to go back and forth collecting as many pool toys as possible, carrying as many toys back from the bucket on each turn as possible.

Players get one point for each item they get back before the minute runs out.

You could also try any of these water games as a “swimming” option as well.

#4 – Table Tennis Toppling 

Setup plastic cups at the end of a table about 2 inches apart. At the other side of the table, place a basket of ping pong balls.

Players have to roll (not bounce or throw) the ping pong balls from the basket on the end of the table to knock the cups off the other side of the table. Players have a minute to see how many cups they can knock off and receive a point for each cup knocked completely off the table.

#5- Household Triathlon 

Setup three different stations that players will have to compete as quickly as possible to finish their household triathlon. Players can either go all at once (if you have enough supplies for that) or can go one at a time and just time them. Fastest player gets five points, next fastest gets three points, and third fastest gets three.

Event #1 – Rug Run

Players have to sit on a bath mat (rug) and scootch their way from a starting line to finish line and back again. This also works with towels if you have more of those available.

Event #2 – Swim Like a Fish

Players have to use just their mouth to pull three plastic toys (preferably fish) out of a bucket of water.

Event #3 – Spin Cycle 

Players have to search through a basket of unmatched socks to find five mates, then must mate the socks and place them on the ground to finish.

#6 – Giant Golf

Tape two long horizontal parallel lines on one end of the room, spaced about a foot apart from one another. Tape another long horizontal line about twenty feet from the first two lines, on the other side of the room. Players will each be given five golf balls and a broom (or mop).

Using just the mop/broom as the putter, players have to try to putt the golf balls to land in between the two lines. They can’t be touching the line, they have to be in between the two lines. Players receive one point for any golf ball that lands in between the two lines.

#7 – Ball on the Wall

Place two large baskets or buckets near an empty wall. Players have 10 tries to toss a crumbled up piece of paper ball off the wall and into the basket from a designated spot across the room.

Players receive one point for every ball that lands in the bucket. If you’re going to do multiple people at once, give them different colors.

#8 – Plate Toss

Before the game, tape down three paper plates on one side of the room, one with a 1, one with a 2, and one with a 3. Then give players five paper plates and standing on the other side of the room, players have to toss the paper plates toward the taped down ones to try and get them to land touching the point plates.

If the plate they toss lands touching a plate with a number on it, they receive that number of points. Count up the total number of points at the end for their total number of points.

#9 – 100 Meter Dash

While not creative, this is always a fun option to add to any Olympics. Setup one big race where winner takes all! Or if you want to make it a little more creative, you could do any of these races instead of just running:

• Crab or bear walk race
• Classic picnic races like a three-legged race, potato sack, or egg roll
• 100 meter relay

#10 – Best Aim Archery

Setup targets with different points on them. Then give competitors a Nerf gun with a certain number of darts. Let them shoot all of the darts, keeping track of points until they’ve shot all the darts.

#11 – Break Dance

Give everyone 30 seconds to do whatever break dance they want and have judges give out scores based on the certain categories like most creative, most active, and best theme.

#12 – Discus

Grab some disc golf discs and see who can throw them the furthest to win. Or set up targets in the yard and see who can toss the discs closest to each of the discs to win points! This one is a great Olympic games for adults and kids because they’re small enough kids can toss them but adults can throw them more strategically.

Free Olympic Games Scorecard

I’ve created a free printable scorecard (click here to download) you can use to keep track of points. At the end of the competition, give the player with the most points the gold “medal,” second place the silver, and third place the bronze. My brother was not too excited that my sister-in-law beat him.

Or you can just write down each event and track the winner on your own written out scorecard! We did this for our kids family Olympics, making sure that everyone got a medal at some point!

We do themed family Olympic games all the time! If you need more ideas, try any of these fun games – perfect for adding to your own Olympic games!

• Candy cane Olympics – a whole set of games using just candy canes!
• Tournament of Terror (Halloween themed Olympics)
• Nutcracker games – just switch out the nuts for something else!
• Conversation heart games – an entire set of games that would work for a February Olympics!
• Easter egg Olympics – tons of games using just Easter eggs!