Sites help kids gear up for 2012 Summer Olympics

Check out these Olympics-related sites and activities for kids and families.

Posted 11:56 p.m. Jul 26, 2012 — Updated 11:56 p.m. Jul 26, 2012

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

The 2012 Summer Olympics in London open officially on Friday. My older daughter is looking forward to watching the opening ceremonies and some of the competitions. I think it's a great way to expose her to world cultures, along with amazing stories of hard work and determination.

I was searching around for some fun Olympics-related sites online geared for kids and I thought I'd share. Here's what I found:

London 2012 mascots: Since the 1960s, each Olympic Games has had a mascot. This year, they are Wenlock (mascot for the Olympics) and Mandeville (mascot for the Paralympics). This site has crafts, games and other activities. I wish is was more directly related to the actual games ... maybe it will change as they begin. But it's still a fun site for kids to explore.

Time for Kids: This site, written for kids, includes some good newsy information about the teams, sports and games. There are slideshows of athletes, the venues and more. For grade schoolers and up.

Team USA: I couldn't find a page here that was specifically just for kids, but it does include the stories of each of the athletes on Team USA and more. Kids will find a lot of inspiring stories here.

Hold your own Family Olympics: I love these ideas from Family Fun, which include a race where parents must hold all of their own kids and a relay race that includes cartwheels. If you don't want to hold your own, Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh will help you out from Saturday to Aug. 4.

Get crafty: My two-year-old went to a summer games-themed camp last week and has since been proudly wearing her homemade "medal" and pointing out the Olympic rings when we see them. Here is a British site with some very easy Olympic-themed crafts.

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