15+ Fun Summer & Winter Olympic Writing Prompts for Middle School

The Olympic Games are a great time to add some fun to your school days. Get writing with these Olympic writing prompts.

When the kids were little, I was focused on turning out kids that had a strong education. Too focused. And bringing in something like Olympic activities definitely didn’t meet my idea of a strong education.

But over the past couple of years, I’ve really embraced a way of bringing themed learning into our homeschool in a way that works for us. (Themed mini-units like Fat Bear Week & our recent Luca-inspired unit have been especially big hits.)

And with these units, I’ve snuck in themed writing prompts. Previously, they’d stare at the screen when we tried prompts. But now? They get right to work & often ask for more time. (Thank you, Don’t Forget to Write, for helping my boys love writing!)

So, with the Olympics nearly upon us, I knew prompts were going to be a must-have.

Writing Prompts: What It Looks Like

Here’s a quick overview, but, if you want to know more about how we use them, I dig into the details of how we use writing prompts over here.

“Five minutes, GO!”  I give the prompt, let them read the prompt, and maybe toss a few ideas out.  IMPORTANT:  I give a bit of thinking time before the timer begins.  The goal is that their fingers are moving as much of these five minutes as possible.  

On Friday, after doing a few of these, they pick one of them to improve. I set the timer for 10-15 minutes and they work through a checklist of ways to make their writing better. While I don’t expect them to cover every item on their list, just having a list provides them a concrete way to improve their writing.

3 Servings of Popcorn  This collaborative approach is new for us.  For three minutes each, we’ll take turns building on each other’s story.  We find 1-2 rounds of this is great for non-fiction writing, but 2-3 rounds are best when we’re writing a story.  One benefit of this approach is the modeling you can do when it’s your turn.  
Go Longer When I want to focus on endurance, I set the timer for 15-20 minutes and encourage their fingers to move for at least half of that time. (Fiction pieces are the easiest type of long writing for my boys.)

Encourage your kiddos not to worry about errors, at least during their first go-through. These prompts are meant to help your students just get started & confidently fill those blank sheets of paper.

Scheduling Your Olympic Writing Prompts

During the last winter games, we scheduled our writing prompts to start a week or two ahead of the games. We did a couple each week from then through the end of the Olympics. It was perfect because we had flexibility in the timing & my boys didn’t feel like we were doing the same thing every day.

You can even schedule them into the Paralympics which happen the following week.

Summer Games Writing Prompts

1. Los Angeles will, once again, welcome the summer games in 2028.  In which event will you go for the gold?
2. Design a summer triathlon. (Use existing Olympic sports or use your imagination!)
3. Not for a million dollars would I want to try _______!
4. I’d be extremely nervous, but for a million dollars, I would try _________.
5. Swoosh!  Uh-oh.  One of my skis is still at the gate ________. (finish the story)
6. My favorite summer sport to watch is ________.
7. Which Olympic mascot is your favorite?
8. “Dear IOC, my state would be a fantastic choice for the 2030 Winter/2036 Summer Olympics. Here’s why I think you should choose us.”
9. “I’m too tired,” you sigh as you sit down at the starting line.  (finish the story)
10. Invent a new summer event.
11. “Dear IOC, my state would be a terrible choice for the 2030 Winter/2036 Summer Olympics. It would be a mistake to choose us & here’s why.”
12. Tomorrow is the big day — we fly to Paris.  What’s in your carry-on bag?
13. Pick a country and create a new flag for them. Explain the meanings of the colors & emblems. (This is a great page to learn about the meaning of current flags.)
14. From AD 394 – 1896, there were no Olympic games. (Roman emperor Theodosius I banned pagan celebrations, thus ending the ancient Olympics.) But what if there had been Olympic events during the Middle Ages? Brainstorm Olympic events that would have been perfect. (Fighting windmills? Castle storming? Jousting in full knight gear?)
15. Create an A-to-Z list of 26 items you’ll bring on your family’s trip to the 2024 Paris Olympics. (Zebra-striped pants? Karate uniform in case they call an audience member up?)
16. Find a video on YouTube of your favorite summer games event from a previous year. Watch it a few times. Now, ‘tweet’ it out as if you’re watching it live. Don’t forget — tweets are only 180 characters!

Winter Games Writing Prompts

Would you like a printed list for easy offline use? Grab your writing prompts here.

1. The 2026 winter games will be in Milan & Cortina, Italy.  In which event will you go for the gold?
2. Design a winter triathlon.
3. We know the surprising stories of the first bobsled team from Jamaica, the first skier from Haiti, and the first skier from Senegal. You’re the first Winter Olympian from _______.  What are you competing in?  How did you learn about this sport?  Where did you train for it? 
4. Not for a million dollars would I want to try _______!
5. I’d be extremely nervous, but for a million dollars, I would try _________.
6. Swoosh!  Uh-oh.  One of my skis is still at the gate ________. (finish the story)
7. My favorite winter sport to watch is ________.
8. Which Olympic mascot is your favorite?
9. “Dear IOC, my state would be a fantastic choice for the 2030 Winter/2036 Summer Olympics. Here’s why I think you should should choose us.”
10. “I’m too tired,” you sigh as you sit down at the starting line.  (finish the story)
11. Invent a new winter event.
12. “Dear IOC, my state would be a terrible choice for the 2030 Winter/2036 Summer Olympics. It would be a mistake to choose us & here’s why.”
13. Tomorrow is the big day — we fly to Beijing.  What did you pack in your carry-on? 
14. Pick a country and create a new flag for them. Explain the meanings of the colors & emblems. (This is a great page to learn about the meaning of current flags.)
15. From AD 394 – 1896, there were no Olympic games. (Roman emperor Theodosius I banned pagan celebrations, thus ending the ancient Olympics.) But what if there had been Olympic events during the Middle Ages? Brainstorm Olympic events that would have been perfect. (Fighting windmills? Castle storming? Jousting in full knight gear?)