In just under two weeks, athletes from around the world will be marching into Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, carrying their nations’ flags.

Christ the Redeemer Statue, Rio de Janiero. Wikimedia Commons: Artyominc
 
Can you already hear the booming, brass-filled Olympic theme song playing in your mind? Me, too.

Montreal Olympic Stadium. Wikimedia Commons: abdallahh
 
For athletes, the Olympic Games are the ultimate test of their prowess and a chance to show their skills to the world. And they offer an opportunity for viewers to live vicariously through them – cheering on their celebratory moments or feeling their pain during tough losses.
 
I still remember watching Mary Lou Retton, donned in an American flag leotard, nab the women’s individual all-around gymnastics title during the 1984 Summer Olympics. She became the first woman outside of Eastern Europe to earn the title. At the time she was recovering from a knee injury.
 

 
Or what about Greg Louganis, the famed American diver, who in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, hit his head on the diving board? He finished the competition and went on to win a gold medal.
 

 
Then there’s the quieter moments, like when North and South Korea shared flag duties during the opening ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
 

 
And I remember blotting away a few tears after seeing Muhammad Ali, the affects of Parkinson’s disease apparent, lighting the Olympic torch in the 1996 games in Atlanta.
 

To encourage your kids to catch the Olympic spirit, here are five fun ideas to try out around your house.

#1 Hold Your Own Games

No need to get down the right technique for steeplechase in track or start lifting barbells to become a champion weightlifter. Brainstorm with your kids your own versions of events or make up some that are completely your own. For example, you could create an obstacle course in your backyard with hula hoops and boxes that participants need to jump over or crawl through. Keep it simple by pairing your wannabe Olympians against each other to see who can jump the most times in a minute or who run in place without stopping the longest. Once your kids start coming up with ideas, you’ll find you have enough to fill up an entire night of “games.” You might even want to have them invite over friends to participate.

Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics. Wikimedia Commons

#2 Watch the Opening Ceremony with a Map

The Opening Ceremony is always a highlight of the games for our family. While we’re always excited to see our own country’s flag take center stage, we also like to check out flags from across the world. Often we discover countries we’ve never heard of. As you watch the Parade of Nations with your family, keep your Google maps at the ready so you can look up the different nations. Take a few minutes as the commercials are running or the athletes are still walking out to find out different facts about the nation, like its official language.

World Map. Wikimedia Commons: CIA 

#3 Share Your Favorite Olympic Memories

I’ve included several of my favorite Olympic moments, but you probably have plenty of your own. Go online and search for video clips to share with your kids. Talk about why that memory stands out. You might search together for “top Olympic moments” and learn more about the history of the Games together.

Tower Bridge with Olympic Rings, London. Photo Wikimedia Commons: David Holt

#4 Root for a Team

Declare yourself the unofficial cheering squad for a particular country – it doesn’t even need to be your own. Since I have Czech heritage, I like to follow what athletes from that country are doing, the events that they’re participating in (often they aren’t the ones making it to medal podiums so it takes a little online digging). Maybe you want to root for a country you’ve always wanted to visit, or one with only a handful of athletes in attendance.

1980 Parade of Nations, Moscow. Wikimedia Commons: Vladimir Rodionov 

2012 Parade of Nations, London. Wikimedia Commons: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport

#5 Make a Brazilian Feast

Look up recipes from Brazil to make and eat before the Opening Ceremony or maybe sometime during the Games’ stretch from August 5 through 21. You might get inspiration from these ideas. Or what about making a Brazilian-inspired smoothie (see the recipe below)?
 
The Olympics represent an amazing time to celebrate the achievements of athletes across the world. And it doesn’t take much to spark your kids’ interest not just in the Games, but in having a broader perspective of the world around them through the eyes of the Olympians.

 
 
Brazilian Inspired Coconut Mango Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients
1 13.5-oz. can coconut milk
1 16-oz. bag frozen strawberries
1 cup fresh mango chunks (or other fruit like pineapple)
1 cup water
2 tbsp. honey
 
Directions
Place all the ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. 

Want more Brazilian recipes? Here's one for Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts (Peito de Frango com Toicin), from Churrasco: Grilling the Brazilian Way - an excellent cookbook I shared last month - with an author interview!

Kristen J. Gough is the Global Cuisines & Kids Editor for Wandering Educators. She shares her family's adventurous food experiences--and recipes--at MyKidsEatSquid.com.