June 23, 2021
After a much-anticipated wait, the Tokyo Olympics 2020 are finally coming, starting on 23rd July and running all the way until 8th August. The Paralympic Games follow and will be held from 24th August, through to the 5th September. The Olympic Games happen every 4 years and is an international multi-sporting event, celebrated globally. The Olympic Games are held in both summer and winter, with the ultimate goal being to promote world peace through sport.
The Paralympic Games, featuring athletes with an impairment, take place shortly after every Olympic Games in the same host city. The history of the Paralympic Games dates back to 1948, when Sir Ludwig Guttmann, a physician working at a hospital in Stoke Mandeville, England, organised an archery competition involving World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries as part of their rehabilitation programme. In 1952 the event became an international competition, and from the 1960 Games in Rome, they were held in the same host country as the Olympic Games. Since the 1988 Games in Seoul, they have been held shortly after the Olympic Games using the same venues and facilities.
We have several resources that you can use to celebrate both the Olympics and Paralympics using Purple Mash and our PE and wellbeing platform, Striver.
In Purple Mash, we have several resources you can use to explore the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Find them all here. Use our History of the Olympics templates to compare the Modern and Ancient Olympic Games.
You could also test your knowledge using our Ancient Olympics Quiz. Create an information leaflet about the events that are held at the Olympics or Paralympics.
You can write a newspaper article about a local hero winning a gold medal using our Paralympic and Olympic templates. Choose a picture of your favourite sport and write about it using this template.
The Olympics and Paralympic Games are both held in Tokyo. To celebrate the Tokyo games, we have several resources on Purple Mash to learn about Japan. You can use our Postcard from the Games Olympics and Paralympics templates to tell your friends and family how you are enjoying the Games and Tokyo. You can also use our fact file to learn all about Japan.
We have several paint projects to paint some Olympic and Paralympic scenes. Paint an Olympic Swimmer using this template. You could also paint some Athletics runners, or paint yourself your winning gold medal! You can also use our Swimmer Mashcam or Sprinter Mashcam to become one of these Olympians.
If you are a subscriber to Purple Mash, click the button below when logged in to access all our Olympic and Paralympic resources.
If you don't subscribe to Purple Mash, start your 14-day free trial here.
Striver is our PE and wellbeing platform which aims to improve primary aged pupils' long-term physical and mental wellbeing. It aims to achieve this by ensuring children of all abilities feel motivated and engaged, and teachers of all experience levels feel confident and in control.
Within Striver, there are several resources which link to the Olympics.
We have created a free downloadable sample pack from Striver which includes lesson plans for Athletics and Football alongside our Progression of Skills document and Knowledge Organisers for the lessons.
This year, we are also offering you the chance to win a year's subscription to Striver and a free sports kit of your choosing, by entering our #SummerOfSport competition! This competition asks you and/or your learners to answer the question 'What does sport mean to you?' Our aim is to encourage conversations about the physical and mental benefits of sport and celebrate how it positively impacts our lives.
To enter, simply tweet @2SimpleSoftware answering the question with the #SummerOfSport. You can submit as many entries as you would like from your school, however, the school will only be represented once in the random draw. For example, this might be by videoing a PE lesson from our free Striver pack or showcasing a sport that is special to you/your learners, and even writing about what sport means to you.
Let us know how you are getting involved in the Olympic and Paralympic celebrations by tweeting us, or sharing your work on Facebook.
