DIY Mini-Fig Winter Olympics Activity

2/11/14 - By Anna Fader

Last week we posted ideas for hosting a kids' Winter Olympics party at home that showed how to use plastic toy figurines to play your own Olympic Games. The post inspired me to think of some more ways to create Olympic play, especially using Lego mini-figs to actually recreate the Olympic sports competitions. We had so much fun with this: first building our Olympic arenas and athletes out of Lego, then competing in our own Olympic games. If you don't have Legos you can do this with other types of toys. Read on to find out how we did it and then add your own ideas.

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Bobsled, Luge and Ski Jump If you have race car tracks at home these would be perfect for creating your runs. We used a wrapping paper tube cut in half for the bobsled runs and a slice of a pizza box for a ski jump. Kids will get a little physics lesson as they experiment with different angles and curves to create the best runs. They can do the same as they design their athletes and bobsleds to get the best performance and then race them against each other. Figure Skating and Ice Dancing This one is actually pretty magical and kids will love it. Use a bit of clay or tape to attach a magnet to the bottom of your mini-fig's foot. We used a pyrex casserole dish for our ice rink, but you can use just about anything from a shoe box top to a glass pie dish. Put you mini-fig skater on the rink and then hold another magnet under the dish so that it attracts your skater. By moving your magnet the skater will magically move on the skating rink surface. If you like you can choreograph performances and compete for the best routine. Here's what it looks like:

These ideas will get you started, but once your kids start building with Lego they will surely come up with their own ideas. You could really get into creating the ultimate snowboarding arena with rails, stairs and other obstacles, for instance. I also love that the mini-figs usually have these intense looks of concentration on their faces that are perfect for competing. We have a lot of Star Wars mini-figs and it cracks me up to imagine the Star Wars characters competing in the Olympics. I'm pretty sure Chewbacca would be a snowboarder. Don't forget to have your mini-figs wear helmets. Safety first!

Find more fun things to do in Boredom Busters Activities Guide.

About the Author

Anna Fader

Founder & CEO of Mommy Poppins
Anna was born in Park Slope, spent her early years in the West Village. By the time she graduated high school, she had lived in 4 of the 5 boroughs. Growing up in NYC in the '70s meant the streets were her playgrounds. Museums and avant garde music venues were the kid-friendly activities. And living downtown taught her the importance of creating community for families in NYC.

Now, raising her own two children in the city, she tries to create the same sense of magic and community she felt growing up, despite today's more commercialized version of kid-friendly New York.

She started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to share a more artsy, educational, uncommercial, community-oriented vision of raising kids in New York City. Today Mommy Poppins is relied on by millions of families as the authority on the best things to do with kids beyond New York City: from Boston to Philly, Los Angeles, Houston and travel guides for dozens more cities and destinations.