School holidays can seem interminable to many parents and boring for the kids, but a day of racing, jumping and throwing will blow away any cobwebs and hopefully inspire and excite them

London will host the 2012 Olympics. The athletes, swimmers, cyclists and sports people from all disciplines who take part in the world's biggest sporting event are highly competitive, dedicated and inspirational. But don't just sit and watch, why not hold your own mini Olympics and see which of your children or their friends have got what it takes to be a champion.

Who will take part?
Gather together your children's friends of all ages and sizes (depending on how many children there are you may need to enlist the help of other parents to help organise the events and act as umpires and referees etc). The offer of a glass (or two) of chilled wine will undoubtedly increase the number of willing volunteers. Make a day of it, pack a picnic with lots of goodies and don't forget to take along plenty of water and a bottle of sunscreen for your mini-athletes.

Where to hold it
You can simply go to your local park or a nearby field or common. Or you could ask your children's school whether you can hire or use the playground/playing fields. If you're lucky enough to have a big garden, you can turn it into your own mini stadium.

Competition: Individual or team?
Although competition can be healthy and highly motivational for some children, you may prefer to keep the individual competitiveness to a minimum. Divide your children into groups or teams and include children of all ages in the groups (each team should wear a different colour bib or t-shirt for easy identification).

To reward the winners and all the others who have taken part, award points to everyone in the race. For example: award four points to the winner, three for second place, two for third place and one point for everyone else. When all the races are over, total up the points and find out which is the winning team. Present a cup to the winning team or individual and medals for second and third. Have plenty of treats at the ready to hand out to all the other competitors.

What events?
Organise events for all ages. Have a look at the events at the real Olympic Games and adapt them to suit your mini athletes and the location of your games.

The very littlest children can throw, jump and run like the older kids, just make the distances shorter and the balls lighter. You will not need lots of props; a few skipping ropes, some hoops, balls, bean bags and sacks, plus some sticks or batons for the relay races will suffice.

Setting up the course
Once you have decided how long you want the races to be, mark out the start and finish points with masking tape or string (held down with bags or stones) across the track. Try to space the children out on the start line so they don't get in each other's way, and ensure that there are parents or older children at the finish point of each race to note down the winners.

Running events

• Straight running races Simply mark out the start and finish lines, changing the distance of the course according to the age group. For example, four- to five-year-olds could run about 20m, six- to seven-year-olds 30m, and eight- to nine-year-olds up to 50m. You could even include a mini marathon for the older kids - once around the field or twice around your park stadium.
• Relay races You will need up to four athletes in each team. The first runners from each team begin at the start line and the others are spaced out at even points along the course. Each runner passes the baton to the next member of his team and the last runner has to run it over the finish line. This event is particularly good in inspiring teamwork. Try to ensure your teams contain children of the same sorts of ages. Let them run in the same leg as their counterparts and adapt the length of each section to suit their ages.
• Obstacle race (steeplechase) Set the length of your course as before, but this time include some obstacles. These can include skipping ropes (skip ten times or skip to the next obstacle), bean bags, (throw it up and catch it ten times, or throw it into a box), sacks (hop to the next marker), hoops (skip with them or jump in and out of them). Space these obstacles out evenly along the course and keep a close eye on your athletes to make sure they are not cutting corners!

Jumping and throwing events

• Throwing Start all the children at the same point and let them throw the bean bag or ball as far as they can (decide whether they throw over- or under-arm), mark each distance with tape and write their name on it. The younger children can throw a beanbag or light rubber ball, while the older ones can use a heavier ball, such as a cricket or boules ball. Make sure everybody keeps their distance when the heavier balls are being thrown. You could even try a discus event using a Frisbee.
• Jumping Instead of taking a long run up and leaping into a sandpit (unless there happens to be one at your venue) the children simply stand on a marker and, with their legs together, jump as far as they can. Replace a high jump event with a 'limbo': two people hold a long stick and the children lean backwards and manoevre themselves underneath without touching the stick.

These are just a few suggestions, but the Olympic Games contain hundreds of different sports most of which can be adapted easily for children, so take your pick and let the games commence!