Do you have a champion pillow-wrestler? Round-the-couch track star? Bathtub backstroker? I don’t know about you, but my family has been glued to the summer Olympic games in Rio this week—we’re loving the coming together of nations, and we’re cheering our hearts out for Team USA.
I’ve found the kids mimicking the gymnastic prowess of Simone Biles and pretending to be Michael Phelps in our pool, so I thought to myself, what better way to encourage growing athleticism than with some sweet DIY Olympic medals!
Materials: cardboard, ribbon, puffy paint, metallic spray paint (or craft paint), glue gun (or Elmer’s glue), scissors, pencil, oblong hole punch (or Xacto knife), drinking glass
Create three circles by tracing your drinking glass on the cardboard. I just happened to have this postal shipping box laying around, but cereal boxes, Amazon boxes or any type of cardboard will work great.
Use scissors to cut out the cardboard circles.
With your pencil, lightly draw your medal design onto the circles.
Trace your designs with puffy paint. I used blue for the visibility of this tutorial, but white paint would be easier to cover in the next step. Wait 3-4 hours for the puffy paint to dry.
Cover the medals with your metallic paint (one gold, one silver, one bronze). I had spray paint on hand and did two coats, but you could also use a paintbrush and a few coats of metallic craft paint if you prefer.
After the metallic paint has dried, use a hole punch to create an oblong hole at the top of each medal. If you don’t own a hole punch, you could try using an Xacto knife or scissors.
Cut three pieces of ribbon, each one measuring approximately 25″ long. Overlap the ends and thread them through the front of your hole.
On the back side of the medal, glue the ribbon ends down (I used a glue gun, but Elmer’s glue would also work great).
These DIY Olympic medals are perfect for your pint-sized champion!
I love seeing my little ones inspired by the world’s best athletes. And who knows…maybe a little cardboard gold will encourage a new generation of Olympians!
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