The Olympic Games are a wonderful authentic tool from which our children can learn, especially during this summer break. Olympic athletes represent how adopting meaningful life values can propel you to the top of the podium of any dream or aspiration. 

Once every four years, on a global stage, we witness the physical and mental capabilities of the world’s top athletes and experience historical moments full of emotion. Despite the concerns over excessive screen time during the summer break, the next three weeks offer us a chance for quality screen time, with immense potential to disconnect children from screens in the long term. Competitions across a vast range of sports open the window to the powerful experiences that the world of sports has to offer. 

The Olympic Games are a wonderful authentic tool from which our children can learn, especially now during the summer break. Olympic athletes represent how adopting meaningful life values can elevate you to the top of the podium of any dream or aspiration. 

Once every four years, on a global stage, we witness the physical and mental abilities of the world’s top athletes and have the privilege of watching historical, emotional moments unfold. Despite the concern of excessive screen time during the summer break, the next three weeks offer an opportunity for quality screen time, with enormous potential to help children disconnect from screens in the long term. The vast array of sports competitions opens the door to the powerful experience the world of sports offers. 

Not only does it teach adopting a lifestyle of health and physical resilience, but the Olympic Games are also one of the most authentic lessons our children can learn! Olympic athletes exemplify how embracing meaningful values in life can place you at the top of the podium in any dream or goal. 

Here are a few suggestions on how to leverage Olympic viewing as a lesson in values: 

Lesson in Perseverance and Determination 

Olympic athletes commit to a long and challenging process, involving years of intense training, patience, and a constant drive for improvement to achieve optimal results. To reach their goals, they dedicate most of their time to training, even at the expense of other aspects of their lives, including family and friends. Their determination and perseverance are reflected in their strict routines, strict attention to proper nutrition, and structured rest hours. 

Perseverance is the key to success in any area of life. It teaches us to fight for what we want and to maintain motivation even when we face challenges and obstacles along the way. With teenagers, you can have a deep conversation about their personal experiences—challenges or successes they’ve encountered in school or other areas. How did they react when they faced a challenge, or what led them to success? You can also encourage them to think about goals for the coming year. Encourage them to share what they usually do to achieve their goals and whether they need help or support from others, including you as parents. 

Lesson in Courage and Coping with Failures 

Courage and the ability to deal with failure are vital and inevitable parts of Olympic sports. Olympic athletes train intensively for many years, investing and sacrificing greatly to compete in a sport event that can end in a few seconds—standing proudly on the podium with a medal or experiencing a painful loss that sends them home empty-handed. The courage to cope with failures and use them as a stepping stone for growth is essential for every Olympic athlete. They must learn to view failures as opportunities for improvement and to move forward with their heads held high. 

The ability to cope with failure is crucial for personal growth. It requires the development of mental resilience and cognitive flexibility and teaches us that failure is not the end of the road but an opportunity for improvement and development. Use situations that arise during the Olympic Games as a springboard for discussions where you can address an event or project at school or in a social setting where your child did not achieve their goals. During the conversation, emphasize the effort and investment, and stress the importance of the process, not just the result. A conversation about the actions taken along the way to the goal—what worked and what didn’t– can be a great foundation for a re-evaluation and planning for improvement. 

Lesson in Fairness and Respect (or in One Word: Sportsmanship) 

In the Olympic Games, athletes from various countries and cultures compete against each other. They are all expected to compete fairly, demonstrating respect and support for other participants. Examples of this include the historic embrace between Israeli judoka Sagi Muki and Iranian Saeed Mollaei (formerly), contrasted with Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby’s refusal to shake the hand of his Israeli opponent, Or Sasson, after losing to him in a match. These moments serve as highlights of the intercultural interaction fostered by the Olympic competition. 

Fairness and respect are fundamental values that contribute to creating a positive and inclusive environment, and they form the basis for creating friendships and relationships in all areas of life. Use the international encounters during the Olympic Games as a foundation for conversations about respectful handling of complex situations. This is a great opportunity to ask thought-provoking questions, such as “What would you do if you were in their place…?” and explore ways of handling complex situations respectfully. Of course, it’s also recommended to share your personal experiences from the past and how you dealt with similar situations. 

The 2024 Olympics could be the perfect family and educational time– not just entertainment, but a life lesson. Beyond that, in the complex period we are currently in, watching our athletes compete with the world’s best is a source of national pride that our country desperately needs!