So just rereading the bog post when i was babysitting for one of the sweetest 5 year olds…. and thought of some other tips and tricks for the babysitting crowd over the holidays….
Bubbles… HUGE hit….. its great for the 2-7 age group but really if you make anything into a game you can almost make anything fun ( don’t test me on this theory.. maybe I’ve been really blessed to have had some great children to watch… and they have been open to games… and puzzles.. and treasure hunts… and keeping busy with activities… and luckily not many who have been in the “I’m bord ” crowd…..
but if you can find it… i bough this great kit… i guess you could call it a kit…called the Thomas and Friends… the bubbling Thomas Dip and Blow…. HUGE HIT!!!!!!!!!! to see the faces on the children when the little blue train makes a sound… then when a bubble appears from the engine…. what a hoot….or should i say… toot..HA! anyway… is been a lifesaver… for when the parents are sneaking out after saying goodbye……. or when you have a little one who tends to cry … or even when you have some really competitive little ones… who even though they say they love their sibling…. would love to outdo them with a “larger” bubble…. HA! then the older ones who are up for a race by blowing the bubbles across the room… you won’t believe it but they actually will sometimes put away their games and get into playing…
Speaking of tried and true games and activities for kids….. how much fun is it to have them bake and decorate cookies…. I’ve actually done all sorts of holiday cookies and even have some cookie cutters that are in the shape of the letters of the alphabet……so the children get to spell their names…. but my favorite …can you guess?…. yes of course.. gingerbread man cookies….HA! Some of the children are so cute… will decorate them as their family members… or what they want to be when they grow up.. even a few children have given me their decorated gingerbread men…. as hopeful future dates HA!
The best and most fun activity… a treasure hunt….. if you get a chance get a real treasure box I bought one called the wooden pirate chest… by Melissa and Doug ( 1800284-3948) Its wonderful… i have added to the original contents…and create these elaborate clues and activities for the children to participate in…. I usually give them some treats ( like a chocolate…. doubloon ) or a real gold dollar…..and this shiny marble/stone that grants wishes… then of course the homemade eye patch..or flag…. and you really can get as elaborate as you want… i often times will throw in a few of the activities…like brushing teeth… and getting into pajamas… and potty time…. between the activities… they often times don’t even realize they are headed right to bed HA!
Another crowd pleaser…. actually not too large of a crowd..HA!! but a great and fun game/activity is this little electronic game of 20 questions…i often get the children to huddle around… and when picking their object …. i tell them to whisper what they want the machine to guess…. but we had to be careful not to let the machine hear…. HA! thy get a kick out of it when after 20 questions the game picks the object… or doesn’t … most times they will want to play again HA! I was told just recently in fact that one boy liked it so much that his parents went and bought him one for his flight back to England!
I could go on and on… about the love for band aids… with their favorite princess.. or superhero… or the numbered 15 puzzle…. remember those.. it is a square with a bunch of movable square that will slide into position… on each of these s1quares is a number from 1-15 and the object is to put them in some sort of order….. great activity when waiting for dinner to arrive…HA!
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