I'm babysitting a 5th and 6th grader. What do we do?

Question

It's my first time babysitting and I'm really nervous. What are some fun things to do with older kids? I don't want to just play video games and watch TV the whole time.

Answer 1

Trivia games are usually cool for them.  Get's them to think.  It depends on what board games you have.  Another favorite is card games, or the classic Jenga.

Answer 2

they r 2 old 4 games and stuff. they want 2 hang out wit thier friends

Answer 3

Why not get a craft book for kids? There are probably lots of them at the library! This is good to have for rainy days too!

Cooking! My kids are 10, 13, 15 and 17 and they all love to make cookies, fruits and dip, etc...

Cards! Gin Rummy is a great game for this age! My 10 yr old was playing Rummy with his 17 yr old sister and her boyfriend last night for hours! They had a great time and I liked that the TV was off!

Board Games - soooo many good ones!

Paper Airplanes = make it a contest -see whose airplanes fly the furthest!

Popscicle Sticks - you can build a lot of things with these and glue!

Puppets - my teenagers will make puppets all day (if I let them) and laugh really hard at their creations too

Make homemade playdough - flour, salt and water and add a little nutmeg so it smells good. No matter how old they are - this is always fun!

Sculpey - polymer clay that you can make beads or anything out of, you bake it for 20 mins and the creations last forever. Comes in a ton of good colors - plus you can mix colors too. Start with White beads and cover them with bits of the colored clay (make a "snake" out of some and slice it) - add slices, roll and form the hole for a bead. Bake. It's a week-long project in itself. Lots of books on this too! Available online or in craft stores. It's an investment - but it lasts and goes a long way!

Meant to say - we have done sculpey for over 20 years in my family. White is cheapest color. Use for the "inside" of your objects and use thin slices to cover the white. It's a way to save a lot of $$$! It's super fun stuff! My kids LOVE Making things out of it!

Hope I could help!

Answer 4

Hand-Painted Mugs

CRAFT MATERIALS:

Pencil and paper  

Pebeo Porcelaine 150 glaze (sold at many art supply stores)  

Watercolor brush or cotton swabs  

Ceramic mugs  

1. Try out a few designs on paper before decorating a mug. When ready, lay the mug on its side and apply the glaze, which is a little thicker than India ink, with the brush or a cotton swab.

2. Let the painted mug air-dry for at least 24 hours.

3. Set the glaze by baking the mug in a preheated 325 degree oven for 35 minutes.

Tips:

To keep the project cost efficient, pick up only primary colors (red, yellow and blue) and mix them to create a variety of hues.

Classic Egg Relay Game

WHAT YOU NEED:

Hard-boiled eggs  

Spoons (wooden or large metal ones)

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Create two teams of even numbers of participants.

2. Split those teams in two and have each half stand at opposite ends of the room or field depending on where you are playing.

3. Give each child a spoon and each team a hard-boiled egg.

4. Start the relay and then, as the children begin passing the eggs to the other teams, shout out "spin" or "walk like a duck." The children then have to perform this action while crossing to the other player. Switch up the actions as much as you like during play.

Answer 5

well first what time are you babysitting? Also children of that age do not think a baby sitter is cool so they are gonna wanna go a hangout with their friend during the summer. So this is easy for you let their friends come over and play outside or let them go to their friends houses. They are not going to look to you for entertainment they already have their plans for this summer. You just have to make lunch and make sure they go by the rules set by the parents! Don't worry this will be easy! You can still take them places if you want to but I would not suggest forcing them to go because they will rebel. Ask them what they would like to do and they will tell you believe me!

Answer 6

I would do things like maybe playing OLDER kid games like Life or maybe monoply or Apples to Apples. I would also recomend for girls maybe singing and dancing but if yo feel weird doing that then I would go with the games.  Also maybe for guys action figures also you could all paint if the dad/mom is ok with that and maybe you guys could color. You could also make compotitions like who can jump rope that longest or maybe who can run the fastest to where and where.

Answer 7

Cook! Teach them some basic cooking. Or crafts...kids this age really enjoy crafts. Mostly just get out there and have one. At that age, they don't need 24/7 entertainment. Plan maybe one thing for each day. Most seem to enjoy the kitchen..make pizza, a cake, etc. Have fun!

Board games are great too.

Answer 8

If there is a park in the neighborhood...take them to the park and play some outside games with them...or even take some water balloons or water guns and have water fights.  Kids like to have fun and lots of room to roam around...that is what they like to do.

Also on rainy days, board games are fun and maybe cooking some kind of cake or cookies where they are hands on.

Answer 9

ask them what they like to do. maybe they like to play a sport in the garden or go for a walk to the park?

maybe you could help them cook something to eat?

bring round a selection of DVD's you think they'd like, as movies will take up 1 1/2 - 2 hours so they are a good way to pass time. you could also take them on the internet, onto youtube and things like that to watch funny videos etc.