Week 8 — Mini Olympics
A full, joyful — and our most active — week of little athletes who master the one hard move that runs all week: Ready… set… WAIT for it… GO! The half-second of not-yet, right before the burst, is the whole skill. Every day the wait gets braver: we hold the start, we freeze on the whistle, we wait our turn — until Friday, when each child runs their favorite event, steps up for a handmade medal, and their classmates cheer. July 20 – July 24 · Bigs classroom, ages 3.5–5.
This guide pairs with the General Planning Guide — that's where the planning principles, the energy arc, and the full executive-function primer live. This Week 8 guide applies them to Mini Olympics, built around the Bigs (3.5–5) daily schedule. The whole week builds toward Friday's Closing Ceremony: the children practice the athlete's hardest move — the held pause before the burst, "Ready… set… WAIT for it… GO!" — one new event each day, and on Friday each child runs their favorite event, steps up for a handmade medal, and their classmates cheer. This is a full five-day week, July 20–24, with no closures — and the most active week of the summer, so the heat plan below is not optional. Start with the prep block just below — the EF lens, the checklist, and the supplies — then run the days.
Week Snapshot
Before You Run the Week
Four things to take in before the day plans: how this guide works, the one skill we're watching for, what to prep, and what to have on hand. Read these first; the five days follow.
How to use this guide. Each day below is the full run-sheet — every block of the Bigs schedule, in order, so you can print a single day and run it from the page. Transition and fixed blocks are kept brief; the active blocks carry the detail.
The 📸 Brightwheel moments are built in. Look for the warm camera callout inside each day — it sits on the block where the photo naturally happens, with the shot to grab and a ready-to-post caption. Goggle-free but gear-on little athletes — headbands, a torch, a medal on the podium — are the summer's most shareable photos, so these lean visual.
One Teacher Move a day. Each day carries a single 🏃 Teacher Move — a quick coaching note on the day's highest-leverage moment. It's the one thing to nail today; the rest of the day supports it. As the team gets fluent, you'll need it less.
A note on the events. Six events anchor the week — a torch relay and Ready-Set-GO animal-walk sprints (Mon), Red Light / Green Light and a freeze-at-the-cone obstacle course (Tue), beanbag target toss and soft-mat long jump (Wed), and a multi-event mini-meet that runs them all in order (Thu). Every one carries the same held-start rule — Ready… set… WAIT for it… GO! — so the event does real self-control work, not just burns energy. Each day deposits a repeatable event the children can choose from on Friday — that's how the Ceremony works without a scramble. The event board (which events we've "unlocked") and the GO paddle (a red-STOP / green-GO paddle the starter holds) are the week's threads.
About Friday's Closing Ceremony. No vendor, no field trip, no outside visitors — the Ceremony stays inside the classroom. Each child picks a favorite event, runs it with a clean held start, steps up to a simple podium, and gets a handmade medal while classmates cheer. Half compete while half cheer, then they swap. It's a celebration, not a competition — every athlete earns a medal. Keeping it in-class means no parent invitations and no cross-room coordination — just your own athletes cheering each other on.
Printing. Use your browser's Print — each day breaks cleanly onto its own sheet.
This Week's EF Lens — Inhibitory Control
Ready… set… WAIT for it… GO!
Inhibitory control is the brain's ability to stop an impulse — to hold still when everything in you wants to bolt, to freeze on a signal, to wait your turn. A sports week hands us this on a plate: you can't jump the start, you stop on the whistle, and you wait behind the line for your turn. So the week's throughline, narrated every day, is one held move: Ready… set… WAIT for it… GO! That half-second of not-yet — the pause between "set" and "GO" — is the whole skill, and it shows up at every start line, every whistle-freeze, and every take-a-turn line, not in an isolated "EF block."
At this age children move from reacting to anticipating — a Big can hold the start on purpose, bracing for the GO before it comes (that's proactive control). The week is built to escalate that muscle: Monday they practice one clean held start; Tuesday they stop a moving body on the whistle in Red Light / Green Light and freeze at the cone; Wednesday they wait their turn behind the line; Thursday they run several events in order and take turns being the starter who holds the whole group with their call; Friday they run their favorite event with a clean held start under all the excitement of the Ceremony. Your job is warm and steady: always give the "wait," celebrate the ones who don't jump the gun as loudly as the fast ones, and keep the games rule-bearing so the self-control is the point.
Watch for it when a child… (these are the behaviors to name and, if you like, jot down)
- Holds the start — braces at "set" and waits for "GO" instead of bolting early.
- Freezes a moving body the instant the whistle blows or the light turns red.
- Waits behind the line for their turn and cheers instead of pushing in.
- As the starter, withholds the "GO" until everyone is ready — controlling the moment, not just reacting.
- Keeps a held start even when excited — at the Ceremony, with the class cheering.
Before the Week
A little setup makes the whole week run itself. Get these squared away over the weekend or Monday morning — and the order-early items (ribbon and medal blanks) should already be on their way.
Supplies — Check & Request
Scan this against what's already in the room. Anything you're short on, send the checked list to Amy early — ribbon and medal blanks especially, since those have the longest lead time. Items marked (parent) are family-supplied; on hand means it's already here; Fri means it's needed for the Ceremony.
Athlete Gear & Field Setup · order early
- Ribbon / yarn for medals (order early)rolls
- Cardstock medal blanks / circles (order early)1–2/child
- Cones (obstacle course, freeze points)6–10
- Hoops (obstacle course)few
- Play tunnel (obstacle course)1
- Soft mat (under long jump — required)1–2
- Painter's tape (start / finish lines)rolls
- Whistle (teacher — used gently)1
Event Gear · the six events
- Homemade torches (paper roll + tissue flame, Mon)1/child
- Beanbags (target toss, Wed)set
- Soft / lightweight balls (toss + rolling)set
- Target buckets / hoops (toss targets)few
- Red Light–Green Light / freeze music (indoor fallback too)ready
- GO paddles (red-STOP / green-GO, class-made)1/child
- Simple podium (sturdy boxes / steps)1Fri
Medals, Team Colors & Making · the keepsakes
- Paper headband strips (team colors)1/child
- Markers / crayons / stickersset
- Red & green cardstock (GO paddles)reams
- Craft sticks / paddle handles1/child
- Hole punch (medal ribbon)few
- Glue sticks / tape1/child
- Child-safe scissors (supervised)1/child
- Construction paper / cardstockreams
Music, Movement & Manipulatives
- Scarves / shakers / instruments (freeze & go songs)class set
- Building blocks (freeze tower, build-it)sets
- "Coach Says" / opposite picture cardsset
- Event sequence cards (hold-the-order, Thu)set
Print Materials
- "Ready… set… WAIT for it… GO!" start-line signsset
- Event Board "unlocked event" cards6
- "Wait behind the line" floor markersset
- Ceremony event labels (name + event)1/child
Heat, Safety & Ceremony Day
- Water bottles + hydration station (scheduled breaks)stock
- Sunscreen + sun hats (morning events)stock
- Closed-toe shoes (parent — for running)parent
- Change of clothes (parent)parent
- First-aid kit + cool packscheck
Five Days That Build Toward Friday
A full week that escalates the wait — first learn the held start, then freeze on the whistle, then wait your turn, then run a whole meet and take turns leading, then run your favorite event at the Ceremony. Each day deposits a repeatable event, and Friday the children pull it all back out for their classmates.
The Daily Rhythm
Every day runs the identical clock, and each day plan below carries it in full, block by block. Four blocks are fixed — the two snacks, lunch, and quiet time. Everything else is flex: that's the curriculum.
Five Days, Fully Planned
Each day is the full run-sheet — every block of the Bigs schedule, in order. The 📸 Brightwheel moment and the day's one 🏃 Teacher Move are tucked into the blocks where they happen.
Combined arrival care. All classrooms together — circulate, narrate the quiet play and books, and offer warm welcomes until the Bigs room opens.
Opening Circle — We're Athletes This Week!
Kick off the week: this week we're athletes at our own Mini Olympics, and athletes have one big, hard move — we get Ready, we get Set, we WAIT for it… and only then, GO! Reveal the team headbands and torches and let each child claim theirs. Teach the throughline as a call-and-response, drawing out the "wait": "Ready… set… WAAAIT for it… GO!" Then one tiny live demo: everyone crouches at the tape line — build the pause long ("wait… wait… still waiting…"), then "GO!" for one short dash to a cone. Celebrate the children who held the start as loudly as the fast ones. Preview Friday: our Closing Ceremony, where you run your favorite event and get a medal.
Handwash / bathroom. Sunscreen + hats + closed-toe shoes on at the door before heading out.
Outdoor Play · Torch Relay & Ready-Set-GO Animal Sprints (anchor)
The first held starts, in the cool morning. Start with the torch relay: teams line up, and each runner may only GO when the torch is in their hand and the coach says "GO" — the handoff plus the held start is the whole game. Then Ready-Set-GO animal-walk sprints from the taped line: bear crawl, bunny hop, crab walk to the finish — the coach draws out "Ready… set… WAIT for it…" and the sprint only begins on "GO." Rotate quickly so everyone runs a few. Mark a clear start and finish; water break halfway. Keep it joyful and loud — cheer the held starts.
Materials — homemade torches, painter's-tape start/finish lines, cones, start-line signs, the event board, water & shade, hats.
Teach the held start in three steps: first you model it and over-act the wait — freeze your whole body at "set," hold a beat too long, then explode on "GO." Then run one together as a group, all holding the pause with you. Then hand it off: let the children take the start on their own, and (soon) let a child call it. Handing over the "GO" — instead of you always calling it — is what turns following a rule into owning the self-control. Fade your prompts as they hold the start without you.
Fixed
Morning Snack
A calm reset and a big drink of water after the active morning. Chat the table: "Who waited for GO? What was your animal-walk?"
Handwash / bathroom. Into the indoor blocks.
Craft · Team Gear (Headband & My Torch)
Children finish their team headband (team color + their name) and decorate their own torch — the gear they'll wear and carry all week and at Friday's Ceremony. The rule that keeps a little self-control in it: the shared supplies (markers, the tape) pass around the table on a "wait for GO" turn signal — you hold your hand until the coach says "GO, next athlete." Decorating is the fun; waiting your turn for the good marker is the quiet rep.
Materials — headband strips, paper-roll torches + tissue, markers/crayons/stickers, glue, child-safe scissors (supervised).
Music & Movement · Freeze Dance
Dance big while the music plays — and FREEZE and hold the instant it stops (or the whistle toots). Stopping a moving, happy body on a signal is the held-start move in a new shape. Start easy, then stretch the frozen holds a little longer each round, and add "freeze in a champion pose!" Keep the whistle gentle.
Guided Centers
Teacher-shaped centers with an athlete thread — a mini start-line dash ("wait for GO"), a torch-relay handoff practice, a beanbag drop-and-freeze, and a headband-finishing table. Circulate and cue the move: "Are you ready? Are you set? … wait for it!" Watch for the children who catch themselves before they bolt — name it.
Handwash / bathroom. Wash up for lunch.
Fixed
Lunch
A calm, social meal. Narrate the afternoon to come.
Handwash / bathroom. Before heading back out.
Outdoor Activity / Play (hot window — no running)
Peak heat — keep it shaded, still, and light. A calm "red light / green light" walked slowly in the shade, or a quiet target-toss sit-down game; on a hot day, an indoor version. No sprinting in this window — save the running for the cool morning. Water available.
Fixed
Quiet Time
Rest, books, soft music. A picture book about a race or a team is a lovely pre-nap read. Bodies rest even if not everyone sleeps.
Wake-up · handwash / bathroom. Slow, gentle transition back; water.
Fixed
Afternoon Snack
Refuel and rehydrate for the afternoon.
Manipulative · Coach Says (Simon Says)
Play "Coach Says": do the action only when it starts with "Coach says." When the coach just says "touch your nose" with no "Coach says," everyone must hold still — the fun is in not doing it. Catching yourself before you move is inhibitory control at the table, calm and giggly. Keep it slow and kind; no one's ever "out."
Cleanup & room reset. Everyone helps; sing the cleanup song; stow the headbands and torches for tomorrow.
Handwash / bathroom. Tidy up for closing.
Closing Circle
Add the first card to the event board: "Today we unlocked the Torch Relay and Sprints!" Recap: "What's the champion move? Ready… set… WAIT for it… GO!" Plant tomorrow: "Tomorrow we play the biggest freeze game of all — Red Light, Green Light!"
Combined Active Engagement — Departure. Classrooms combine; stay present — circulate, narrate the calm play, and share warm handoffs to parents.
Combined arrival care. Quiet welcome until the Bigs room opens — circulate and play alongside.
Opening Circle — Recall, Then the Whistle
Open with recall: "What's our champion move? Ready… set… WAIT for it… GO!" Then add today's twist — STOP. Teach Red Light / Green Light: green means go, red means FREEZE — instantly, like a statue. Do a tiny live round in the circle. Then preview the obstacle course with its own rule: freeze at every cone until the coach waves you on. Remind them the whistle is our "red light for your whole body." Point at the event board: "Today we unlock two events!"
Handwash / bathroom. Sunscreen + hats + closed-toe shoes at the door.
Outdoor Play · Red Light / Green Light & the Freeze-at-the-Cone Obstacle Course (anchor)
The week's marquee, in the cool morning. Play Red Light / Green Light for real: children move on green, freeze the instant you call red (or toot the whistle). Then escalate to keep it honest — change the rule mid-game: add "yellow = tiptoe slow," or flip it so red means go and green means freeze. Then run the obstacle course — cone, hoop, tunnel, cone — with the rule that they freeze at each cone until waved on. Small groups so waits are short; water break halfway; keep the whistle gentle.
Materials — cones, hoops, tunnel, tape lines, whistle, the event board (post the course order), water & shade, hats.
Pitch the freeze just above where they are, then dial it. Start with an easy version (short green stretches, an obvious red). As they nail it, raise the challenge: longer green runs so the stop is harder, a surprise red, then the rule-flip. For the child who keeps sliding past the freeze, scaffold — stand near them, catch their eye, freeze with them — then fade that support the moment they hold it alone. The skill grows right at the edge of "almost too hard," so keep nudging the challenge up as the group succeeds.
Water & shade cool-down. Pull everyone to the shade for a full water break and a body check before snack — flushed cheeks, big breaths. Hats stay on; catch our breath after the most active block.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Settle, cool down, and rehydrate. Quiz the table gently: "How fast could you freeze? Which was harder — go or stop?"
Handwash / bathroom. Into indoor blocks.
Craft · GO Paddles & the Event Board
Children make their own GO paddle — green "GO" on one side, red "STOP" on the other, on a craft-stick handle. Then, together, add today's cards to the event board ("Red Light–Green Light" and "Obstacle Course — unlocked!"). The rule that makes it more than a craft: once paddles are made, practice being the starter — one child flips their paddle to green and the others may only "go" (a hand-clap, a stomp) when it's green. Whoever holds the paddle holds the power to say GO.
Materials — red & green cardstock, craft sticks, glue, markers, the event board + "unlocked event" cards.
Music & Movement · Red Light / Green Light with Instruments
Hand out shakers and bells. Play your instrument on green, silent freeze on red. The music version of the morning: a whole body (and a noisy instrument!) stopped dead on the signal. Change the pace so the greens get longer and the reds sneak up. A joyful, loud rep of the brake.
Guided Centers
Teacher-shaped centers: an obstacle-course corner (freeze at the cone), a Red Light–Green Light spot run by a child with a GO paddle, a beanbag-toss preview, and a build-a-course-with-blocks table. Circulate: "Who's your starter? Are you watching the paddle?" Nudge children to take turns holding the paddle and calling the go.
Handwash / bathroom. Wash up for lunch.
Fixed
Lunch
Calm, social meal.
Handwash / bathroom. Before heading out.
Outdoor Activity / Play (hot window — no running)
Peak heat — shaded, still, and light. A slow, seated "freeze on the whistle" hand game in the shade, or quiet play; indoor on a hot day. Keep the running Red Light–Green Light in the cool morning. Water available.
Fixed
Quiet Time
Rest, books, soft music.
Wake-up · handwash / bathroom. Gentle transition back; water.
Fixed
Afternoon Snack
Refuel and rehydrate.
Manipulative · Freeze Tower
Build a block tower together with a rule: add a block only on "green," freeze your hands on "red." A child holds the GO paddle and calls it. Stopping your hands mid-reach — block in hand, not placing it — is the held-start move, quiet and focused at the table. When the tower's tall, cheer and rebuild.
Cleanup & room reset. Everyone helps; reset the cones and course bins for tomorrow; stow the GO paddles.
Handwash / bathroom. Tidy for closing.
Closing Circle
On the event board: "We unlocked Red Light–Green Light and the Obstacle Course!" Recall: "What did the whistle mean? FREEZE!" Preview tomorrow: "Tomorrow it's all about waiting your turn — target toss and the long jump — and we make our own medals!"
Combined Active Engagement — Departure. Classrooms combine; stay present, circulate, and warm handoffs.
Combined arrival care. All classrooms together — circulate, narrate the quiet play, and offer warm welcomes until the Bigs room opens.
Opening Circle — Today We Wait Our Turn
Recall the week so far: "We learned to WAIT for GO, and we learned to FREEZE on the whistle." Then name today's new wait — the trickiest one for a Big who's excited: waiting your turn behind the line while a friend goes first. Preview the two new events: beanbag target toss and the soft-mat long jump, both run one-athlete-at-a-time. Teach the turn-taking chant: "I wait behind the line… I cheer my friend… then Ready… set… WAIT for it… GO — my turn!" And the big news: today we make our own medals for Friday. Point at the event board: "Two more events to unlock!"
Handwash / bathroom. Sunscreen + hats + closed-toe shoes on at the door before heading out.
Outdoor Play · Beanbag Target Toss & Soft-Mat Long Jump (anchor)
The wait moves off the start line and into the turn-taking line, in the cool morning. Set two stations with a clear "wait behind the line" floor marker. At the target toss, one athlete steps up, the rest wait and cheer: "Ready… set… WAIT for it… GO" and the beanbag flies at the bucket or hoop. At the long jump, one at a time onto the soft mat — hold behind the line, wait for GO, then a two-foot jump. The self-control is in the waiting your turn and the held start, not in how far it goes — so celebrate the patient waiter as loudly as the big jumper. Small groups so waits stay short; water break halfway.
Materials — beanbags, target buckets/hoops, soft mat (required under the jump), "wait behind the line" floor markers, tape lines, the event board, water & shade, hats.
The waiting is invisible work, so make it visible. As a child holds behind the line, narrate it in real time: "Look at Sofia — she wants to go SO badly, and she's waiting. That's a champion's self-control." Catch the moment a child stops themselves from cutting in and name it. Labeling the held urge — "you wanted to rush, and you waited" — teaches children to notice their own brake, and gives the quiet, patient athletes the same spotlight the fast ones get. Say it more than feels necessary; this is the day it does the most good.
Fixed
Morning Snack
A calm reset and a big drink of water after the active morning. Chat the table: "Was it hard to wait for your turn? What helped?"
Handwash / bathroom. Into the indoor blocks.
Craft · Make Your Own Medal (the keepsake)
Every athlete decorates the cardstock medal they'll wear at Friday's Ceremony — color it, add stars and stickers, write their name on the back, and an adult (or a careful Big) threads the ribbon. The rule that keeps a little self-control in it: the best stampers and star stickers are shared — "wait your turn, then stamp on GO." A proud keepsake that makes Friday feel earned. Tuck each finished medal somewhere safe until the Ceremony.
Materials — cardstock medal blanks, ribbon/yarn, hole punch, markers/crayons, shared stamps & star stickers, glue.
Music & Movement · One-at-a-Time Solo
A dance circle with a turn-taking twist: the group holds a gentle sway while one athlete at a time steps into the middle for a four-count solo move, then passes it on. Everyone else waits their turn on the edge — moving, but holding back the big move until it's theirs. Add a "freeze in a champion pose" between solos. Joyful, and a real rep of waiting for your moment.
Guided Centers
Teacher-shaped centers with a wait-your-turn thread — a beanbag target-toss lane (one at a time behind the line), a soft-mat jump spot, a medal-finishing table, and a "cheer squad" corner with pompoms for the friends who are waiting. Circulate and cue it: "Whose turn is it? What do the waiters do? We cheer!" Name the children who wait without being asked.
Handwash / bathroom. Wash up for lunch.
Fixed
Lunch
A calm, social meal. Narrate the afternoon to come.
Handwash / bathroom. Before heading back out.
Outdoor Activity / Play (hot window — no running)
Peak heat — keep it shaded, still, and light. A calm, seated beanbag drop into a bucket passed one at a time around a shady circle — waiting your turn, sitting down — or quiet play; indoor on a hot day. No sprinting in this window. Water available.
Fixed
Quiet Time
Rest, books, soft music. Bodies rest even if not everyone sleeps.
Wake-up · handwash / bathroom. Slow, gentle transition back; water.
Fixed
Afternoon Snack
Refuel and rehydrate for the afternoon.
Manipulative · Take-a-Turn Target Drop
A calm table game: a small tower of cups or a target bucket, and players take strict turns dropping a beanbag or pom from up high to land it. The whole game is waiting for your turn — hands in your lap until the player before you finishes. Cheer each drop; no one's ever "out." Quiet, giggly turn-taking practice to close the day.
Cleanup & room reset. Everyone helps; sing the cleanup song; stow the beanbags and mat, and keep the finished medals somewhere safe.
Handwash / bathroom. Tidy up for closing.
Closing Circle
Add today's cards to the event board: "We unlocked the Target Toss and the Long Jump — and we made our medals!" Recap: "What's the hardest wait? Waiting your turn behind the line." Plant tomorrow: "Tomorrow we run all our events in one big Mini-Meet — and YOU get to be the starter who says GO!"
Combined Active Engagement — Departure. Classrooms combine; stay present — circulate, narrate the calm play, and share warm handoffs to parents.
Combined arrival care. Quiet welcome until the Bigs room opens — circulate and play alongside.
Opening Circle — Read the Board, Meet the Meet
Gather at the event board — it's full now: torch relay, sprints, Red Light–Green Light, obstacle course, target toss, long jump. Today we run them all in one Mini-Meet, in order, like real athletes. Read the order together, pointing to each card — that's the sequence to hold in your head. Then the big role: today you don't just wait for the starter — you take turns BEING the starter, holding the GO paddle and keeping the whole group waiting until you call it. Practice one round in the circle: a child holds the paddle, everyone freezes, and only the starter's "GO" releases them.
Handwash / bathroom. Sunscreen + hats + closed-toe shoes at the door.
Outdoor Play · The Mini-Meet (anchor)
The week comes together, in the cool morning. Run the events as a circuit in the posted order — torch relay → animal-walk sprint → target toss → long jump → freeze-at-the-cone — small groups rotating through, holding the sequence with help from the event board. The new layer: at each station, a child is the starter, holding the GO paddle and keeping their group behind the line until they flip it to green. Being the one who withholds the GO — and choosing to release it fairly — is the biggest self-control ask of the week. Rotate the paddle so everyone gets a turn to lead. Water break halfway; keep the whistle gentle.
Materials — all the event gear (torches, cones, hoops, tunnel, beanbags, buckets, soft mat), the GO paddles, the event board (posted meet order), tape lines, water & shade, hats.
All week you've been the starter. Today, truly give it away. Coach the child with the paddle in a whisper — "make sure everyone's ready… now YOU decide when… say GO when you're ready" — then step back and let them run it, even if their timing is quirky. Resist calling GO for them. The child who can make a group wait and then release them fairly is doing self-regulation at its highest level for this age. Support the shy starter with a quiet cue; let the confident one own the whole moment. Fading yourself out is the lesson.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Settle, cool down, and rehydrate after the big meet. Ask the table: "What was it like to be the starter? Was it hard to make everyone wait?"
Handwash / bathroom. Into the indoor blocks.
Craft · Finish the Podium & Event Labels (ceremony prep)
Ready the room for tomorrow. Children decorate the podium (paper stars, team colors, a "Champions" banner), make their own event label — a card with their name and the one event they'll show at the Ceremony — and add any last touches to their medals. Choosing your event is a real decision: "Which one do you love most?" Post the labels by the event board so tomorrow runs itself. Shared supplies pass on the "wait for GO" turn signal.
Materials — sturdy boxes/steps for the podium, construction paper, markers, star stickers, the medals, ceremony event labels (name + event).
Music & Movement · Be the Conductor
A child holds the GO paddle and becomes the conductor: the band plays instruments on green and freezes silent on red, following their calls. Pass the paddle so everyone leads. Being the one who starts and stops the whole band — and holding a beat before the "go" — is yesterday's freeze game with the child in charge of the signal. Loud, joyful, and a big self-control turn.
Guided Centers · Mini-Meet Warm-Up
Bring back the favorite stations — torch relay, sprints, toss, jump, obstacle course — so each Big can revisit and settle on the one they'll show tomorrow. Circulate: "Which is your event? Show me your clean start — Ready… set… wait for it…" Let children run mini-rounds as starter with the paddle. Rehearse a clean held start at each, and cheer the choosing.
Handwash / bathroom. Wash up for lunch.
Fixed
Lunch
A happy, social meal — lots of "I'm going to do the long jump tomorrow!" chatter.
Handwash / bathroom. Before heading out.
Outdoor Activity / Play (hot window — no running)
Peak heat — shaded, still, and light. Sit in the shade and walk the meet order together with the event cards ("what came first? what's next?"), or quiet play; indoor on a hot day. Save the running for the cool morning. Water available.
Fixed
Quiet Time
Rest, books, soft music. A picture book about a big race or a team is a lovely pre-nap read.
Wake-up · handwash / bathroom. Gentle transition back; water.
Fixed
Afternoon Snack
Refuel and rehydrate.
Manipulative · Event Sequence Cards
Lay out the six event picture cards, shuffled, and put them back in the meet order together — relay, sprint, toss, jump, freeze — taking turns to place one card each. Waiting your turn to place a card and holding the whole order in your head are the day's two skills, side by side at the table. When it's built, "read" the meet aloud like a program. Calm and focused.
Cleanup & room reset. Everyone helps; set out tomorrow's Ceremony stations and the podium near the door so they're ready; tuck the medals somewhere safe.
Handwash / bathroom. Tidy for closing.
Closing Circle
The event board is full and the podium's built: "We ran the whole Mini-Meet and we were the starters!" Recall: "What's the biggest job? Being the one who says GO." Plant the payoff: "Tomorrow is our Closing Ceremony — you'll run your favorite event, step up for your medal, and we'll all cheer!"
Combined Active Engagement — Departure. Classrooms combine; stay present, circulate, and warm handoffs.
Combined arrival care. Happy Ceremony-day energy building — circulate, narrate the play, and offer warm welcomes until the Bigs room opens.
Opening Circle — Set Up the Ceremony
A warm, proud circle to frame the day. Look back at the whole event board — every event we unlocked this week — and remind them how the Ceremony works: half the class competes while the other half is the cheering audience, then we swap, so everyone gets a turn to run and a turn to cheer. Confirm each child's event from their label. Practice the magic words one last time: "Ready… set… WAIT for it… GO!" Set the tone: it's a celebration, not a competition — every athlete earns a medal.
Handwash / bathroom. Sunscreen + hats + closed-toe shoes on at the door; team headbands on.
Outdoor Play · Athlete Warm-Ups & Final Practice (get ready — the Ceremony comes at 10:00)
Use the cool window to warm up, not to peak — the Ceremony itself lands at 10:00. Headbands on, a gentle group warm-up, then one calm practice run of each child's chosen event with a clean held start — you model it first, then let them try their own "GO." Keep bodies loose, proud, and unhurried; save the big energy for the podium. Water and shade; a quick check that everyone knows their event and where their station is.
Materials — team headbands, the favorite-event stations, event labels, water & shade, hats.
Fixed
Morning Snack
A calm snack and a big drink of water to fuel up right before the Ceremony. Keep the energy warm and settled.
Handwash / bathroom. Wash up and gather — it's almost time.
🏅 The Closing Ceremony · Run Your Favorite Event (anchor · the payoff)
The big moment, in our own room (or the shaded yard just outside), with our own class as the crowd. Set up two or three favorite events from the week. Half the athletes compete while the other half cheers; each child goes to the event on their label, sets up behind the line, and runs it with a clean, waited start — "Ready… set… WAIT for it… GO!" — on their own, while classmates cheer their name. Then swap: the cheerers become the athletes. No child has to perform — a walk-through counts, and "GO!" is enough. This is the week paid off: they wait for GO, take their turn, and hold their bodies until the signal, all by themselves.
The audience is their own classmates and coach — the Ceremony stays right in the room; no parents invited, no visiting rooms. Celebrate every athlete warmly and equally. Water nearby; soft surface under any jump; Brightwheel photos carry it home.
Materials — the favorite-event stations, GO paddles, event board, event labels, water & shade, whistle (gentle).
All week you've called the "GO." At the Ceremony, pull back the whole way: give a warm "Ready… set…," then pause and let each athlete find their own GO. This is the "you do" — the proof they own the wait after five days of practice. Step in only for the child who still needs the cue, and keep the celebration warm and equal so the quiet athletes feel every bit as much a champion as the fast ones. Your job today is to cheer, photograph, and get out of the way.
🏅 The Ceremony · Medals & the Podium
The victory lap. One at a time, each athlete steps up to the decorated podium (an adult spotting, soft surface around it), gets their handmade medal placed around their neck, and holds a proud "champion pose" while the whole class cheers their name. Waiting your turn for the podium is the last held-start of the week. Everyone medals; everyone cheers. This is the photo families will treasure — take your time and make each child the hero for their moment.
Guided Centers · My Olympics Book
A calm wind-down while the Ceremony's still glowing. Each Big fills in a little "My Olympics" book — draw or sticker your favorite event, your medal, and "the time I waited for GO" — with a spot for the podium photo to be added later. Open centers alongside (blocks, the "gym," quiet toys) for anyone ready to move on. A proud keepsake to carry home with the medal.
Materials — "My Olympics" book pages, markers/crayons, stickers, glue; open centers.
Handwash / bathroom. Wash up for lunch.
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Lunch
A happy, social meal — lots of "I got a medal!" chatter. Let them relive it.
Handwash / bathroom. Before heading back out.
Outdoor Activity / Play (hot window — no running)
Peak heat — shaded, still, and gentle to close the week. Quiet play or one easy seated freeze game in the shade if they're up for it — no sprinting in this window. Water available.
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Quiet Time
A deep rest after a big, joyful week. Bodies rest even if not everyone sleeps.
Wake-up · handwash / bathroom. Slow, gentle transition back; water.
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Afternoon Snack
Refuel and rehydrate.
Manipulative · Champions' Reflection
A calm, glowy table to end the week: sort the event cards into "my favorite / also fun," or draw one thing you're proud of, and take one last quiet turn on "Coach Says." A gentle, low-key wind-down — no new skill, just savoring. Hands in your lap until your turn; giggly and kind.
Cleanup & room reset. Everyone helps pack up the "gym" — cones, beanbags, mats, torches; send the medals and "My Olympics" books home.
Handwash / bathroom. Tidy up for closing.
Closing Circle
A proud goodbye: "What a week of games — you were all champions who waited for GO!" One last recall — "Who waited for GO all by themselves this week?" — and a wave. Send them off happy with their medals and books, and remind families next week's adventure is coming.
Combined Active Engagement — Departure. Classrooms combine; share Ceremony photos and warm handoffs to parents. Stay present and circulate.