A Nursery Rhyme Olympics is an enjoyable event!  I believe the original idea came from the 1996 May/June issue of the Copycat magazine, but I have adapted many of the activities and added a few new ones. Let the games begin!

Nursery Rhymes Game Descriptions
Nursery Rhyme Rap
Olympic Medals
Printable Resources

Nursery Rhyme Game Descriptions

 

Hey Diddle Diddle Spoon Race

Directions:
Each team stands behind its hoop. One team member balances one ball on his/her spoon- without actually touching the ball with his/her hands! They walk as fast as they can to the cone, around the cone, and back. The Olympian places the ball into their team's hoop, passes the spoon to the next team member, and sits down.

The first team with all the balls in their hoop wins!

Depending on your group of students, you may want to make it more difficult by saying that if the ball falls, that team member must start at the beginning again.

Materials Needed:

  • 1 large serving spoons per team
  • 1 hula hoop per team
  • 1 cone per team
  • 1 small ball per person

 

Hickety Pickety Egg Counting Race

Directions:
Each team stands behind its bowl/basket. One team member crab walks to the other bowl/basket where there are eggs in the 'nest'.  He/she takes out 1 egg and crab walks back to the other end. How do students get the egg back safely? (They may balance it on their stomachs, place it between their neck and chest, place it between their neck and shoulder, etc.) The Olympian places the ball into their team's nest and the next player begins.

The first team with 10 eggs in their nest wins!

Materials Needed:

  • 10 plastic eggs per team
  • 2 bowls/baskets per team

 

Humpty Dumpty Puzzle Race

Directions:
Each team stands behind its cone. One team member gallops like a horse to the awaiting mixed up puzzle. He/she fixes the puzzle, has it checked, mixes it back up, and then gallops back to gently tag the next team member.

 The first team to have all the members complete a puzzle wins!

Depending on your class (size and/or ability), you may want to let two students gallop down at a time and work together on the puzzle.

Materials Needed:

  • 1 small puzzle per team
  • 1 cone per team

 

Baa Baa Black Sheep Sack Race

Directions:
Each team stands behind their cone.  When it is their turn, the Olympian steps into the bag (both feet) and bunny hops to the cone, around, and back.  The Olympian steps out and helps the next team member into the bag.

The first team to finish wins!

Materials Needed:

  • 1 burlap bag per team
  • 2 cones per team

 

Peas Porridge Hot Hula Hoops

Directions:
Have half of the class sit down and chant the nursery rhyme. The other half of the class does the following and sees if they can continue the movement with their hoop until the end of the rhyme.
-jumping in and out
-twirling on arm
-spinning around waist

Materials Needed:  1 hula hoop for half of your students (or smaller groups if needed)

 

Jack Be Nimble Hurdles

Directions:
Students take turns running and jumping each cone/hurdle!

Materials Needed:   4-6 cones spaced in a line

 

Mary Had a Little Lamb Follow the Leader

Directions:
We used this one as a transition to our break time (rest rooms, drinks, popsicles).). All students follow the movements of the teacher. (slide steps, marching, skipping, walking kicking leg, just about anything- have fun!)

 

Old Mother Hubbard Doggy Doggy Game

Directions:
Students play the game 'Doggy, Doggy' sitting in a circle. One student is chosen to be the dog, hides the bone behind them, and closes their eyes.  The teacher silently chooses one other child to sneak behind the 'dog' and take his bone.  On the signal, all the students chant "Doggy, doggy where's your bone? Somebody stole it from your home!"  The 'dog' opens his eyes and gets three chances to guess who stole his bone.  After three guesses, the hider becomes the new 'dog.'

Materials Needed:  'bone'

 

Jack and Jill Water Relay

Directions:
Each team stands behind its empty, masking taped bowl and smaller cup. One team member runs up the hill with the cup, dips out water, runs back (without spilling the water nor breaking their crown!), places the water in the masking taped bowl, and hands the cup to the next Olympian on their team.

The first team to fill their bowl to the masking tape line wins!

Materials Needed:

  • 2 pails/bowls/or buckets per team with one on each team marked with masking tape (the same size for each team!)
  • 1 smaller bowl or cup per team (the same size for each team!)
  • water
  • a slightly elevated/hilly are
  • (if possible)

 

To Market To Market ABC Order Relay

Directions:
Each team stands behind their jump rope (home). The first Olympian on each team skips to the hula hoop (the market where all the letters or pictures are spread out) and selects the first letter or picture of the alphabet. He/she runs back, places the letter/picture on the jump rope (left to right), and then tags the next person.  The relay continues in this manner until the teams have all of their letters/pictures in ABC order!

The students not going to the store can cheer their team mate on, tell them which letter they are looking for, etc.

Materials Needed:

  • 1 hula hoop per team
  • 1 jump rope per team
  • 1 complete set of letter or ABC picture cards per team

 

Diddle Diddle Dumpling Sock Race

Directions:
Each team stands behind their cones.

The first Olympian on each team puts one large sock on over his/her shoe. They then run down and around the far cone and run back.  The runner takes off the large sock and gives it to next person. They then sit down.  The first team to complete the relay wins!

Materials Needed:

  • 2 cones per team
  • 1 extra large sock per team

 

Simple Simon Pie Plate Balancing

Directions:
Each team stands behind its cone. One team member places and balances the pie plate on top of their head, walks to the cone, around the cone, and back.  The trick is to remember that you may not touch the pie plate with your hands!

The first team to finish wins! You may want to give an extra award/praise for those students who don't drop the pie plate!

Materials Needed:

  • 1 pie plate per team
  • 2 cones per team

 

Mother Goose Waddle Race

Directions:
Each team stands behind their cone.  The first Olympian places the ball between his/her knees, waddles to the cone, around the cone, and back -without holding the ball with their hands. The Olympian passes the ball to the next team member and then sits down.

The first team to finish wins!

Materials Needed:

  • 1 ball per team
  • 2 cones per team

 

Nursery Rhyme Rap

This was sung, as a transition, between events! Just substitute the name of the next nursery rhyme event!   Note: The original song can be found on Jean Feldman's CD 'Jean Feldman and Friends'.

(Tune: 100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall)

Jack and Jill went up the hill
to fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown.
And Jill came tumbling after.

Chorus:
Oh, A,B,C,D,E,F,G,
H,I,J,K,L,
M,N,O,
P,Q,R,
S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z

Medals

After our Nursery Rhyme Olympics were completed, students made their own medal necklaces. Each child cut apart a pre-made set of nursery rhyme pictures, hole punched each one, and strung them onto a plastic string, placing two to three beads between each picture.  This type of medal gave students a small token to take with them from our Olympics games and could also serve as a way to elicit conversation about the days events at home!

I knew we would have time to complete these and it would allow the students a chance to rest and wind down some.  However, if you are short on time, you could have the medals pre made (maybe a yarn necklace with an elision ribbon attached or a sticker to attach to their shirt) and ready to distribute after the games.

Olympic Resources

Printables from Hubbard’s Cupboard
Olympic Sign
Tickets
Drink Labels
Welcome/Olympic Creed
Running with Perseverance
Colossians 3:23


Classroom Olympics- printables from abcteach

 

Suzy Zoo graphics are from...