The rings in the Olympic flag symbolize the five different regions of the world and unity. Toddlers can make their own flags with round cookie cutters. Help them drip the cookie cutters in paint and press them into a piece of paper to create the circles of the Olympic flag. Use the original colors, which are red, green, black, yellow and blue. Help the children cut the flags and glue them to drinking straws or craft sticks to complete. You can also teach toddlers unity by instructing them to interlock their arms and form a circle, just like the ones on the flag.
Medals are an important part of the Olympics. Hold a ceremony for the toddlers and give them medals made with frozen juice lids. Paint the lids, make a hole in them and add a ribbon. Give the children medals for the friendliest, most obedient and most helpful, making sure not to leave anyone out . Toddlers can also make their own medals. Cut circles of construction paper in different colors and let the children paint and decorate them. Make a hole in the construction paper and add string or a ribbon so the toddlers can wear their creations.
Plan different competitions for the toddlers. Simple races for the children are a great start, such as a walking backward or on all fours. Another fun competitive activity at this age is to play a fishing game. Laminate pictures of fish and glue a clip onto them. Create the fishing poles by gluing a magnet onto a string and tie the string to a spoon. Spread the fishes on a flat surface and have the children try to catch them. For a less competitive activity, make rhythmic gymnastics ribbons with streamers attached to craft sticks. The toddlers can dance to music with the ribbons.
With watered-down red paint children can create their own Olympic torches. Place a few drops of paint on a piece of paper and instruct the toddlers to blow through a straw into the paint to create the fire of the torch. Then glue or draw a simple torch handle for them on the painting. Another idea is to create a simple obstacle course for the toddlers while carrying a torch. Give one child a torch made of cardboard and have him go through the obstacle course, then instruct him to give it to another child. Have the children continue to pass it to somebody else until everyone has had a chance to carry the torch through the course.