2010 Olympic Games Montessori Classroom Activity Guide

The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well. ~ Bishop Ethelbert Talbot, 1908 Olympic Games

These words, first spoken by Bishop Ethelbert Talbot during a speech given to Olympic athletes at the 1908 Olympic Games, became the creed for the modern Olympics. Meant to spur athletes to live up to the Olympic motto of “Citius, Altius, Fortius” (Faster, Higher, Stronger), men and women around the world train their bodies, minds and spirits to compete in hopes of becoming an Olympic athlete.

Montessori classrooms and material support and encourage learning. Montessori believed that education must be authentic and appeal to children. By bringing the Olympics into your classroom, you are providing appealing, real-life examples which will stimulate the imagination and learning of your students.

Here are just some ideas on how to incorporate the Olympic theme into your Montessori environment.