Here’s an open letter to my 6-year-old nephew, Bertie. I sent him a postcard from the Olympic Park in Beijing with a link to this blog post written on the postcard. If he receives it, it will give him some fun themed activities he can access himself or with his class mates if his teacher thinks it might be relevant. I sent the postcard to him via his school.

This blog is part of a series on a similar theme. If you would like to read another blog post in this series, click here: A postcard from the Summer Palace, Beijing.

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Have you ever been to a stadium like this? What do you think it might be like to play a game on a pitch of this size?

I have a fun activity for you to play with your friends. It’s a variation of shove-ha’penny, but I’m sure you have played it, or something like it, with your friends before. Just in case, here are the rules:

• Play the game in pairs.
• Players face each other at different ends of a table.
• Decide which player goes first.
• Place a coin hanging over the edge of the table.
• Using your hand, hit the coin so it moves down the table.

• You can flick the coin a further four times in order to get the coin to land so it’s hanging over the edge on the opposite side of the table.

• Using your fingers, flick the coin up and catch it with the same hand.
• If you catch the coin, place your hands vertically in the middle of the table at an equal distance with your ring and middle fingers touching the table. Place the coin between your thumbs.
• Your opponent should copy the same hand formation to form a goal at the other end of the table.
• With the coin, pivot your thumbs backwards and fire the coin towards the goal. If you score, you get one point.

• If after a total of five attempts, you fail to get the coin to the opposite side, or if the coin falls off the table, you should pass it over to your opponent. This is the end of your go.

I have created some Olympic themed questions for you to answer during the game. Print, cut the question cards out, and place them face down on the table. Before each go, turn over a card, read it aloud, and invite your opponent to answer the question. Place any used cards to the back of the deck. You can download the questions here: Olympic Games question cards.

Take care and I’ll send another postcard soon!

Uncle Oliver x

References:

50 Captivating Olympics Facts You Should Watch Out For – Facts.net

10 facts about the Olympics! – National Geographic Kids (natgeokids.com)

Interesting Facts About the Olympics (thoughtco.com)

24 facts about the Olympics that will blow your mind ‹ GO Blog | EF GO Blog

Are you a teacher? If yes, you might be interested in these adaptable games and board games, including a language dominoes template: Games and board games