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Contributor: Danielle Childers. Lesson ID: 10452
Are you old enough to compete in the Olympics? You are if you create your own! With videos and articles, learn about the ancient and modern Olympic games and start your own competition, with medals!
Have you ever watched the Olympics on TV? What is your favorite event to watch? Does watching it make you want to learn a sport? Did you know the Olympics were first held almost 3,000 years ago and that the competitors did not wear any clothing?
Watch a video of the Greatest Olympic Moments and learn more about the games:
The Olympic games have changed a lot in 3,000 years; and thankfully, everyone has to wear clothes now.
The spirit of the games and the sportsmanship is still very important. In ancient times, if a war were going on that hindered the games, a truce would be made. A truce is an agreement between enemies to stop fighting for a certain amount of time.
The Olympics first started as a religious ceremony to honor their highest god, Zeus. The first Olympics only featured one event, the foot race. More events were added over time. The Olympics were held every 4 years, just like they are in the modern-day Olympics. Those 4 years helped keep time for the Ancient Greeks. The Olympics were stopped in 393 AD when Emperor Theodosius believed the games were against the Christian religion and called for them to end. They were started back up 1,500 years later in 1896 and have continued every 4 years. The Winter Olympics was added in 1924.
Watching The ancient origins of the Olympics (TED Ed, below) will help you get a better understanding what they looked like back in ancient times:
You can continue learning about the Olympics in this article about The Ancient Greek Olympics for Kids (mrdonn.org).
Continuing your research, you can use the following site:
Now, run on over to the Got It? section to compare the ancient and modern games!
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