Paris Olympics Fun Patch Program®
This 2″ iron-on embroidered patch is part of our patch program®.
Did you know that the 2024 Summer Olympics start July 24th? Although the opening ceremony isn’t until July 26th, there are competitions taking place prior to the start of the opening ceremony
Check back each day during the Summer 2024 Olympics. New suggested activities for your girls to earn the Paris Olympics Fun Patch will be added daily, to correspond with the start of each event.
Suggestions for how girls can earn the Paris Olympics Patch:
Olympic Events Starting July 24th:
Football (Soccer): Competition and awards continue until August 10th.
Your girls might expect American football but in the Olympics, Football is actually what we call Soccer. The rest of the world refers to it as Football and since the games are international, American names for Olympic events are not the standard.
Suggested Activity: What if soccer was played with 3 teams? How would work? Try it with your troop.
Rugby Sevens: Competition and awards continue until July 30th.
Rugby is similar to football and soccer. In the Olympics, Rugby Sevens is played. It’s similar to Rugby but instead of 15 players on the field, there are 7. Each half of the game is 7 minutes instead of 40 minutes. Scoring in rugby is similar to football. Getting a ball past the try line is worth 5 points. Kicking it between the goalposts is worth 2 additional points. There are also penalty and drop goals which are worth 3 points each.
Suggested Activity: As your girls get to know the sports in this year’s Olympics, ask them if they see any other sports that are a combination of games or activities they are familiar with.
Olympic Events Starting July 25th:
Archery: Competition and awards continue until August 4th.
Suggested Activity: Make and use homemade bows and arrows. The girls can color a target to tape to a tree or wall. There are so many ways for kids to make bows and arrows. Try one of these suggestions or have girls come up with their own ideas.
- Thin, flexible sticks on the ground can be used with embroidery floss to create the bow. Pencil cap erasers on an a stick make a great tip for arrows.
- Mini bows and arrows can be made with craft sticks, embroidery floss and q-tips with one end cut off. The end with the cotton swab would be the tip of the arrow.
Make sure to discuss archery safety, even when using toy bow and arrow:
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- never pointing an arrow at someone
- never shoot it in the air
- only pull the bow back when the arrow is facing the ground
- pay attention and listen to adult.
Handball: Competition and awards continue until August 11th.
Your girls might think this is played with a small ball against a wall. Handball in the Olympics is referred to Team Handball in the US and looks more like a combination of soccer and basketball. There are 7 players on each team including a goal keeper. There are two 30 minute halves. The goal is a net, similar to a soccer net. Rules regarding dribbling the ball are similar to basketball. Men and women use different size balls to play.
Suggested Activity: To understand a little about how handball is played, the girls can play soccer but with only hands instead of feet.
Olympic Opening Ceremony July 26th: 
Today is the Opening Ceremony. There are no sporting events starting today. The mascot for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris is the Olympic Phryge. The brightly colored character is based on the Phrygian cap which is a symbol of freedom. The motto of the Olympic Phryge is “Alone we go faster, but together we go further.” This is the first year that the Paralympic version of the mascot features a visible disability (a prosthetic leg).
Suggested Activity: Your girls can make accessories or decorations to add to the fun of watching the opening ceremony. Free printables and craft ideas can be found at FreeKidsCrafts.
Olympic Events Starting July 27th: 21 Olympic events start today.
Artistic Gymnastics: Competition and awards continue until August 5th.
Artistic Gymnastics is one of 3 gymnastics categories at this year’s Olympics. Artistic Gymnastics includes vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise for women and vault, parallel bars, horizontal bar, pommel horse, rings and floor exercise for men.
Suggested Activity: Painters tape on the floor or mats if they are available can simulate a balance beam. Girls can practice trying to walk and doing some simple, age appropriate moves without ‘falling off’ the tape. If your troop has access to mats, they might try somersaults, cartwheels and handstand with a spotter.
Badminton: Competition and awards continue until August 5th.
Your girls are probably familiar with badminton.
Suggested Activity: If you have rackets and shuttlecocks, great. If not, crumble up a piece of paper and have the girls use one hand as the ‘racket’ to see how long they can keep their ‘shuttlecock’ in the air.
Basketball: Competition and awards continue until August 11th.
Basketball is another sport your girls are familiar with. Each team has 5 players.
Suggested Activity: Most girls probably have access to a basketball and an indoor or outdoor hoop. Have them try dribbling, passing and shooting the ball at a basket. If that’s not possible, have them toss crumbled up paper into a garbage pail from varying distances.
Beach Volleyball: Competition and awards continue until August 10th.
The beach volleyball court is slightly smaller than an indoor court. Each team has 2 players. Because each player has more ground to cover, this game requires the players to be very fast and agile. Of course the sand makes a soft place to land when reaching to get to the ball.
Suggested Activity: Players cannot touch the ball 2 times in a row and each team can only touch the ball 3 times when the ball is on their side of the court. Challenge your girls to try to get the ball to the other side (even if you don’t have a net) following these rules. Instead of a volleyball, try using a beach ball which is much softer and easier for girls to hit. If they aren’t playing on sand, remind them that they shouldn’t be diving to get to the ball.
Boxing: Competition and awards continue until August 10th.
Only amateur boxes are allowed to compete in the Olympic Games. Men box for 3 rounds for 3 minutes each. Women box for 4 rounds of 2 minutes each.
Suggested Activity: There are some boxing techniques that kids of any age can practice. Have the kids stand in a line, at least an arm’s length apart, all facing forward one foot slightly in front and one back. Challenge them to see how many punches they can do in 30 seconds. Remind them they aren’t trying to be wild and crazy, but to keep the palms facing down, and punch forward, extending the arms, alternating arms each time. A big part of Boxing is bouncing. After they practice punches, have them practice bouncing, with 2 feet, from side to side for 30 seconds. Ask them how tiring it was trying to do just those moves for 1 minute. Can the imagine the endurance it takes for a boxer to last 2 or 3 minutes with short breaks before going again?
Canoe Slalom: Competition and awards continue until August 5th.
Kayak events are included in the Canoe Slalom events. Canoeists kneel in a boat and use a single blade paddle. Kayakers are seated and use a double bladed paddle. Competitors navigate their boats through a course of gates. Similar to Ski Slalom, missing or touching a gate incurs a penalty. This year Kayak Cross is debuting in the Olympics. It’s a combination of all the canoeing disciplines with 4 competitors. While most Canoe Slalom events start in the water, the Kayak Cross is started on a platform that slants down to put all 4 racers in the water at the same time. Water roll barriers are included in this course, where the kayaker needs to do a 360 degree roll under a barrier.
Suggested Activity: Most girls are not going to have an opportunity to try Canoe Slalom. Watching the Canoe Slalom events would be one suggested activity that the girls will probably enjoy. If your girls want get an idea of how much endurance an athlete needs for this sport, try this activity. Using broom or a wrapping paper roll as the ‘paddle’, have the girls sit or kneel on the floor, more than a broom’s length apart and pretend to paddle for 2 minutes. Did they find it difficult to keep moving for 2 minutes? Can they imagine what it would be like doing that in a boat moving through fast moving water and trying to navigate around gates?
Cycling Road: Competition and awards continue until August 4th.
There are 5 cycling categories. Cycling Road is one of them. Your girls have probably seen cycling races with all of the riders setting off at one time in a mass start, (road race). Cycling Road does include that as well as individual events in which riders set off at staggered times (time trial).
Suggested Activity: Not everyone has a bicycle but if your troop can get access to a few your troop can have the girls take turns with 2 or 3 girls racing at a time. Of course you will want to do this in a closed, paved space or bicycle path. Remind the girls that Cycling Road courses for women in the Olympics are about ¾ of a mile for the road race and about ¼ mile for the time trial event. The road race in particular requires endurance and riders need to conserve energy instead of cycling at full speed throughout the race.
Diving: Competition and awards continue until August 11th.
Most girls should be familiar with Diving. Diving competitions take place on a 3 meter springboard and a 10 meter platform. Men and women compete separately in individual and synchronized events.
Suggested Activity: Diving is not something many girls will have access to. Of course divers do training and conditioning on dry land. Look up Dryland Conditioning Routine for Divers and you’ll find videos of how divers practice their Tuck, Kick, Look and Reach moves before getting into the water.
Equestrian: Competition and awards continue until August 6th.
There are 3 disciplines for Equestrian at the Olympics. Jumping is when the horse and rider jump over 10 -13 obstacles with time penalties for each obstacle that is toppled. Dressage, the most advanced form of horse training, is where the horse and rider perform artistic movements to music. Course Country is a long course of up to 42 obstacles with penalties for jumping errors. The athletes ride the same horse in all 3 competitions. There are individual and team competitions in Equestrian.
Suggested Activity: Riding a horse, especially with such advanced skills as jumping and ‘dancing’, is not going to be possible for most girls. You will find many ideas for creating a DIY Hobby Horse. We’ve shared a few simple ideas here. An empty wrapping paper roll can be used in place of a stick. A sock filled with stuffing can make a great head when you sew on embellishments for the eyes, ribbon for the halter and yarn for the hair. Another idea is to use a large piece of poster board and fold it in half. Trace and cut the shape of a horse head. Glue the two pieces together, leaving the bottom open to attach to the tube or stick. Punch holes the back of the neck to tie ribbon or yarn through for the mane. Draw on a nose and mouth. Use google eyes or markers for the eyes. Have your girls make up routines with their hobby horse for a Dressage Equestrian event.
Fencing: Competition and awards continue until August 4th.
There are 3 different types of blades used, the foil, epee and sabre. The scoring for each blade varies. The first fencer to reach 15 points, or scores the most points at the completion of a 3 minute round, wins the match. There are also team fencing events. In team fencing, the first team to score 45 points, or the team leading when time runs out, wins.
Suggested Activity: There are videos for learning fencing footwork without holding a sword. One shows how to use painters tape on the floor and a jump rope to learn the right timing for fencing footwork. Use the tape to create a row of blocks for the girls to step through as they advance forward in the en garde position. At the end of the row, two people are turning a jump rope for the girls to jump through. If you aren’t familiar with the en garde position or how to advance, there are explanations and videos online.
Hockey: Competition and awards continue until August 9th.
When your girls hear the word hockey, the probably think of Ice Hockey. In the summer Olympics, of course Hockey is referring to Field Hockey. In the Olympics, there are 4 periods, or quarters, in a match of 15 minutes each. Each team has 11 players. The team that scores the most goals wins. Did you know the type of field effects play? After switching from natural grass to heavy turf, the game was slower. Synthetic turf makes the game quicker. The pitch (field) is watered which makes the ball travel at a faster pace. A field hockey stick has a hook, or J, shaped end and is flat on one side, curved on the other. Only the flat side of the stick can be used.
Suggested Activity: Look up Origami Hockey Stick and Hockey Goal online and you’ll find several videos to help your girls make paper hockey equipment for a fun tabletop game of field Hockey at your meeting.
Judo: Competition and awards continue until August 3rd.
This is another sport that your girls may be familiar with. The objective is to throw your opponent to the ground, immobilizing them with a pinning hold or forcing them into submission with a joint lock or choke. Athletes are divided by weight class. Matches last about 4 minutes (with overtime when a match is a tie at the end of 4 minutes).
Suggested Activity: Mats are needed for Judo. Since most meeting spaces won’t have these, and you want to make sure the girls stay safe while learning proper techniques, it’s best to find a local Judo center to see if they will demonstrate some techniques to the girls during a troop trip.
Rowing: Competition and awards continue until August 3rd.
Rowing is unique in that the rowers cross the finish line backwards. The oars are fixed to the boat. In double scull events, the rowers hold one oar in each hand. In sweep rowing, the rowers hold a single oar with both hands. Rowing can be done by an individual or by teams of 2, 4 or 8.
Suggested Activity: We found some really fun ideas by searching Rowing Boat Craft Ideas online. There’s a carboard canoe, a printable rowing a boat craft that is like a moving picture where the girls use their finger to move the rower in the picture and of course, origami boats. Want something more physical for the girls to do? Using broom or a wrapping paper roll as the ‘oar’, have the girls sit on the floor in a row, one behind the other, and row for 6 minutes. Did they find it difficult to keep rowing for 6 minutes? This is the average time for athletes to complete a race of about 1 ¼ miles.
Shooting: Competition and awards continue until August 5th.
The 3 Olympic Shooting disciplines are rifle, pistol and shotgun. Rifle and pistol events take place on a shooting range with targets while kneeling, standing and in the prone position (laying down propped up on elbows). Shotgun competitions take place outside firing at flying targets coming from different directions and at varying angles.
Suggested Activity: Make pom pom or marshmallow shooters and paper targets. Tie a balloon without inflating it. Cut the rounded end of the balloon off leaving a couple of inches past the knot to put around a tube. The tube can be a toilet paper tube, a cup with the bottom cut off or any other kind of round hollow material. Put the open end of the balloon around the tube and secure it with a rubber band. Hang the target(s) the girls made on a wall or tree. Load a marshmallow or pom pom into the shooter, pull back on the knot in the balloon and let it go. How many times can each girl hit the target?
Skateboarding: Competition and awards continue until August 7th.
Skateboarding became an Olympic sport at the 2020 Olympic games, which took place in 2021 due to the pandemic.
Suggested Activity: There are many areas with skateboard parks where girls can learn how to skateboard. If your girls aren’t ready for that, they can set up a finger skateboarding course. Give the girls some cardboard and cereal boxes to let them get creative making ramps, half pipes, quarter pipes and rails. Purchasing a fingerboard for the girls to take turns using on their course is an option. While fingerboards can be made from cardboard, the wheels and axles are something that would need to be purchased. If you want completely DIY fingerboard, you can look online for Origami Fingerboard instructions but of course they won’t roll.
Surfing: Competition and awards continue until August 5th.
Surfing was also introduced as an Olympic sport at the 2020 Olympic games, which took place in 2021 due to the pandemic.
Suggested Activity: Unless you live near an ocean or have a waterpark with a surfing ride, your girls won’t get to experience this sport first hand. Your girls can make a toy surfboard using foam core board. You can search for a printable template or stencil or the girls can design their own. Once the girls have penciled their board shape onto a foam board, and adult can use an X-acto knif or large craft scissors to cut out the shapes for them. Using permanent markers, the girls can decorate their surfboard. If the girls have small figurines they can glue one onto the surfboard. Have the girls test to see if their surfboards float in a large tub of water. Have the girls try different ways of making waves in the water to see how their surfboards handle the ‘waves’. They can blow towards the water with and without a straw to see which works better. They can drop a pebble in the water and see if it works better if they drop several pebbles at one time. Will they get more waves if the container is moved gently back and forth?
Swimming: Competition and awards continue until August 4th.
There are four strokes in Olympic Swimming events. The breaststroke, butterfly, backstroke and front crawl (freestyle).
Suggested Activity: Remember to check safety wise for swimming trip requirements and take the girls to a local pool to try some of the strokes they have seen on the Olympics. If your troop isn’t ready for a troop swimming trip, ask the girls to share pictures of them swimming with their family. For dry land only activity, have the girls practice swimming movements such as arm rotations in the air, kicking on the floor or rotational breathing (turn head to side and take a breath, hold breath and turn head down, repeat several times).
Table Tennis: Competition and awards continue until August 10th.
Table Tennis and ping pong are the same game. So most of your girls will already know this sport is played with paddles, a small ball and a table. Because London based Hamley Brothers trademarked the term Ping Pong, Table Tennis is the official name of the sport in most of the world. Table Tennis athletes train and compete at national and international tournaments while ping pong players are usually playing for fun.
Suggested Activity: Don’t have a net to put on a table? Try lining up objects such as books on their side or set up a row of cans (such as vegetable cans). What creative ideas will your girls come up with to use as a net? Now you need paddles. The girls can draw paddle (with handle attached) patterns on cardboard for an adult to cut out. For each paddle, glue two of the cut out cardboard paddles together. Cut two pieces of sandpaper to fit on the paddle from the rounded top to a straight line above where the handle portion starts. Glue these to each side of the paddle. Cut two more pieces of cardboard of just the handle of the paddle, extending the handle into part of the curve of the bottom of the paddle. Also cut out two pieces of rectangle from the cardboard, the length of the handle portion of the paddle. Glue one piece of handle to each side of the paddle handle. Glue one piece of rectangle over the handle on each side of the paddle. You can also find video tutorials online. The ball is something that would need to be purchased if no one has one to borrow.
Tennis: Competition and awards continue until August 4th.
Tennis is one of the few sports that features mixed doubles as an event. Badminton and Table tennis also have mixed doubles events.
Suggested Activity: If your troop can borrow a couple of rackets and a ball, take them to a nearby court to try tennis for themselves. If not, there’s always paper plate tennis. Glue a popsicle stick to a paper plate and have the girls hit a crumpled piece of paper back and forth. The girls can decorate the plate with lines using crayon or marker. If you want a tennis racket with yarn or string, you can cut out the middle of the plate and punch holes through it for the girls to string their racket. This method would also work if they want to make a cardboard racket.
Volleyball: Competition and awards continue until August 11th.
Volleyball is played with 2 teams of 6 players each. The first team to score 25 (but they must win by at least 2 points) wins the set. Best of 5 sets wins the match.
Suggested Activity: If you can’t play volleyball, have the girls use a beach ball. How many times can they get the ball back and forth without it touching the ground?
Water Polo: Competition and awards continue until August 11th.
Two teams of 7 play against each other. There is a goal at each end of the pool. There are 4 eight minute quarters. The players may only hold the ball in one hand, except for the goalkeeper. The ball can be moved by swimming with it in front of them or passing it to another player. Athletes are not allowed to touch the bottom of the pool.
Suggested Activity: The pool used for Water Polo is almost 10 feet deep. Can your girls imagine trying to tread water for a long time? The most common way for players to tread water is the eggbeater kick. Your legs make large circles in towards each other one at a time like an eggbeater. The upper body stays upright. Your thighs are at a 90 degrees angle from the torso with the knees bent and feet hanging down. Since the position is like sitting in a chair, have your girls try doing the eggbeater move while sitting on a chair. How long do they think they can keep doing this move? Remember to check safety wise for swimming trip requirements if you plan to take the girls to a pool to try this.