You’re babysitting and wondering how to keep the kids busy for the next few hours. There are many ideas for games.

The most classic games are always fun for the kids. However, you can revisit them.

1. Play outdoors: good use of energy

Hopscotch

If you can draw with chalk on the ground, this is a great way to burn off energy and have fun.

Racing

Spoon/egg races, three-legged races, and wheelbarrow races are no better ways to exercise and have a good laugh!

Hide and seek

This is a great classic, absolutely timeless. Beware, children know the house better than you do!

Treasure hunt

During the children’s nap time, organize an actual orienteering race in the house’s garden.

If the children are small, they can choose to go on a color hunt: in the garden, they have to find one element of each color of the rainbow: a green leaf, a yellow flower, a red pillow, etc.

Good to know: the treasure hunt is a great way to motivate the troops to read! Curiosity wins out, and children will happily decipher the little bills folded in 4.

2. Cooking

With the parents’ permission, you can use the kitchen as an occupation area to:

• make a cake;
• prepare the evening meal with the children.

The children learn the names of the ingredients and enjoy getting their hands in the flour.

3. Read books

Forget the little books full of pictures and opt for a great classic of children’s literature:

You’ll have to put them in the mood: comfortably seated on a couch, with a blanket and cushions, or flat on a rug in front of the stove or fireplace. Ritualize this moment so that they will ask for a story on their own!

Practice your storytelling skills: read slowly, articulate well and work on your intonation.

Get the children’s attention with eye contact to help them get into the story. Look at them from time to time as if you were talking to them without reading. Once they are captivated, you can continue reading more fluently.

4. Makeup stories, and why not start a blog?

If your children are older and have a vivid imagination, you can let them express themselves on the web by creating a blog or a website if you are familiar with this tool:

Deciding on the framework of the site:

• How many sections?
• What subjects should be covered?
• Fictions or diaries of outings and discoveries made together?
• One page per child, or co-writing?

Attention: parental authorization is essential.

5. Encourage their creativity

Forget the traditional drawings with crayons and markers!

Help the kids to create original sculptures. How to make paper sculptures? The method is simple: superimpose several layers of paper strips impregnated with glue on support, let dry, and get a light and easy to decorate sculpture. You can create a paper bowl, a chandelier, a trophy…

For this, you need:

• wallpaper paste, about $5 per 200-250 g;
• newspaper;
• molds (bowls) or objects to cover or assemble to create shapes: packaging, empty medicine tubes, etc.
• Have the children make a creation with the wrappers and tape it up.
• Soak newspaper strips in glue and apply them to sculpture skeletons. Do at least 5 layers for a solid object.
• Finish with a layer of white paper.

Good to know:

1. Mix 1 glass of glue with 10 glasses of water.
2. Start with the water and pour the glue into the rain.

The drying time is a bit long (48 hours), but they can then paint or decorate their sculpture.

You can also opt for salt dough or cold porcelain!

Read more:

• Tips on Infant Feeding;
• What Are the Child Awakening Stages;
• How Quickly Do Babies Pick Up Languages;
• How to Potty Train Kids?

Hope this post helps you babysit the kids. Remember to share your experience in the comments below.