The Olympic games start Aug. 5 and we are so excited to watch! We find the olympics inspiring and love watching the athletes compete in swimming, gymnastics, soccer, and all of the other great sports in the summer games!
The Olympics are so much more than just entertainment. We think there are valuable life lessons that kids can learn from watching these incredible events. Here are just a few of those life lessons.
Never Give Up
These athletes give everything to the sport they compete in. They train day in and day out for most of their lives. They don’t stop when they are tired or switch sports when their friends do. They are committed to their sport and they work to improve themselves daily.
Once in awhile a truly inspirational moment occurs, like in the 1996 Olympics when Kerri Strug, who after injuring her ankle, fought through the pain to land her vault, ultimately securing the gold medal for the women’s US Team. Talk about pushing through and not giving up!
Introduction to New Sports and New Cultures
Some of our kids may have never heard of sports such as badminton, rowing, or handball. They may think they are stuck playing basketball or football forever. It’s fun for kids to see how many different options there are in the world of physical activity. Additionally, kids can see new cultures, countries, and traditions by watching the Olympics. You can have a lesson in cultural diversity without flying them across the world.
We Can’t Always Win
This is a harder lesson to learn, but one that kids will have to realize eventually. Not every athlete who competes in the Olympics will go home with a gold medal. And many athletes will leave without any medal at all. Sometimes we give it our best effort, and we still go home without a tangible trophy.
Teaching our kids that not everyone can win is an important life lesson. They will not win every competition they enter, score every job they interview for, or win the heart of every crush they have. It’s okay though! Life goes on and we learn from the experience.
There are many more life lessons we can pull out from the olympics including determination, perseverance, dreaming big, and having courage! We hope you can watch the olympics as a family this summer and use it as an opportunity to teach your kids valuable life lessons.
Leave us a comment on Facebook sharing what your favorite Olympic sport is to watch!