Three kid-friendly crafts to celebrate the Summer Olympics

For the first time in the history of The Olympic Games, international fans won’t be in the stands cheering on athletes as they compete in Tokyo. And even though we’ll be sleeping when they’re competing, that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the games with your family. Get in the spirit and craft some cheer to root for Team Canada from home. 

Potato stamp flag

Make a flag to cheer on Canadian athletes using a potato stamp to print the colourful circles of the Olympic flag on paper. With its distinctive rings, the Olympic flag is an iconic symbol of the unity of the participating countries and represents the five regions in the world that participate in the games. 

What you’ll need:

• medium to heavyweight paper
• scissors
• glue
• ruler
• pencil for marking measurements
• paintbrush
• paint – blue, black, red, yellow, green and gold
• potato
• carving tool such as a paring knife
• paper straws
• wooden bead
• ribbon

How to make it:

1. Start by drawing the flag shape onto paper. Use a ruler to draw lines on the paper, creating a triangle with two equal sides. The long sides on this flag are 9” and the short side is 6”.

2. To make a potato stamp, cut a small potato in half and carve out the relief of a circle (get help from a grown-up).

3. Now it’s time to stamp the circles onto the flag. Before you start, wipe off the potato stamp with a rag to make sure it’s dry. Apply paint evenly to the carved area. Press firmly onto the paper surface. Let colours dry between applications. Make sure to wipe the stamp thoroughly to remove paint after each colour is stamped.

4. Glue the straw to the back of the flag. We used two straws to make the handle longer. Don’t forget to leave a little excess straw at the top to attach a wooden bead.

5. Glue a wooden bead to the tip of the straw, pressing it gently while it sets.

6. Paint the bead gold and let dry.

7. Add a ribbon.

Camp-style merit badge

Make a camp-style patch or merit badge inspired by the Canadian Olympic Team’s official closing uniform—a denim jacket adorned with Japanese street art-inspired designs. Draw the symbol for your favourite Olympic sport, the name of an athlete you’ll be cheering for or something iconic to Tokyo onto the felt, and use it to create a patch you can wear on your own jean jacket.

What you’ll need:

• sheets of craft felt
• scissors
• scrap fabric, we used white cotton
• embroidery floss
• embroidery needle
• heavy paper for creating a template
• pencil for tracing
• glue
• safety pin

How to make it:

1. Begin by making a paper template. We made our patches circular but you could use any shape. One circle should be smaller than the other. Cut out using scissors.

2. Use the templates to trace your circles onto the felt and fabric, then cut out using scissors.

3. Draw a symbol onto felt and cut out using scissors. Younger kids could draw the symbol onto the fabric with markers instead of cutting out felt shapes.

4. Use glue to adhere the smaller fabric circle onto the larger felt circle, then glue the felt symbol inside the smaller circle.

5. Older kids can use a needle and thread to add a decorative stitch to the patch. We used a simple straight stitch.

6. Add a safety pin to the back of the patch so you can attach it to clothing or use an iron-on adhesive, and wear it with pride.