“Just like the Summer Games, the Winter Olympics have their legends as well.”
The following activities and resources encourage students to research the 2022 Winter Olympics, its host city Beijing and the different types of sports featured as part of the Games.
An Introduction to the Winter Olympics
The Olympic Games were traditionally held only in the summer, but in 1924 the Winter Games were added. The first Winter Games were scheduled for 1924 in Chamonix, France and they have been held every four years thereafter.
The Winter Olympics include sports such as biathlon (skiing and shooting), bobsledding, curling, ice hockey, ice skating, luge, skeleton sledding, skiing, ski jumping and snowboarding. Like the Summer Games, the Winter Olympics have their legends as well, including Norwegian figure-skating sensation Sonja Henie, who won three gold medals (1928, 1932, 1936) and American speed skater Eric Heiden, who sped to five gold medals at the 1980 Lake Placid Games.
Resource Packs
This Britannica School (Australia) Primary level resource pack ↗ includes age-appropriate articles and images to support students as they complete the following activities. For more advanced learners, a Middle school version↗ of this resource pack is also available.
Teacher Tip:
Schools subscribed to the New Zealand or Asia version of Britannica School can also access these resource packs at:
Britannica School (New Zealand) Primary level resource pack↗
Britannica School (New Zealand) Middle level resource pack↗
Britannica School (Asia) Elementary level resource pack↗
Britannica School (Asia) Middle level resource pack↗
Britannica School (Asia version in China) Elementary level resource pack ↗
Britannica School (Asia version in China) Middle level resource pack ↗
Activities
The following activities can be completed using resources found in the Britannica School ‘Winter Olympics’ resource packs.
- Using Britannica School, research Beijing, the host city of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games. Create a city profile (download worksheet) about Beijing. Include information about the location of Beijing, interesting places, its people and culture, the economy and its history.
- The medals created for Beijing 2022 have been named “Tong Xin”, meaning “together as one”. Learn more about their design and symbolism on the official Olympics website. Explore other medal designs using the materials in the Britannica School “Winter Olympics” resource pack, then use these designs to create your own medal (download worksheet). You also need to create a motto or significant meaning for your design.
- The Winter Games consists of many unusual and interesting sports. Research an example and create an informative text (download worksheet) describing the sport, its origins and history.
Featured Image from BRITANNICA SCHOOL: Aiko Uemura of Japan competes in the women’s freestyle moguls event. Photo by: Janerik Henriksson—EPA/Shutterstock.com. Accessed 14 Jan. 2022.
These activities and resources have been created using content from Britannica School, the go-to site for safe, comprehensive student research. Contact your librarian to find out if your institution already has access. Find out more about Britannica School or set up your own free trial.
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