I need good baby sitting ideas please??

Question

hey guys this summer i'll be babysitting 4 kids 2-3 days a week and when ever i have a suggestion on what we should do, one of them doesnt want to be involved. then of course the tears and the fights start so i need ideas!!! they range from 3-7 years of age and most are open to new things but not all the time! i would like to get them out of the house because they get a little crazy and their mom would rather them be outside instead of watching TV all day. they also dont stay still for very long so bordgames dont really work. thanks!

Answer 1

I have four god children in that exact age range...

Here is what you do and NO they are not too young!

Sit them down and agree to a (kid friendly) contract where they all get to choose an activity for the week.  You write them down, and place them in a bowl.  Then when you are ready to do the activity, have someone pick one of the papers.

The idea is, and here is where the contract part comes in, before they get to put an idea in the bowl, they HAVE to agree to play for all the other idea's as well.  If they decide they do not want to play for the other ideas thereby breaking the contract, then if their activity was not chosen yet, you remove it from the bowl, if their activity has already been played, then they get a time out or some other negative reward, or possibly they dont get to choose an activity the next week (until they demonstrate further willingness to participate).

Have fun!  Again, no they are NOT too young to reason with.  Its all about consequences!

Answer 2

Children love it when you play with them, interact with them.  So, every week or so introduce a new outdoor game.  It doesn't actually have to be new, but something maybe they haven't played in a while.  Hide-and-seek, tag (their are many different versions), baseball, kicking a ball around.  Create your own games.  Some you can bring, others you have them help create the rules.  

Have play time where imagination rules and things change as you go along.  Read a story to them and then re-enact the story.  Let them read a story to you (even those who are below reading age can tell you stories from pictures, or from memory).  

Do arts and crafts activities.

Have a general plan, but be flexible.  But let them know that this is the activity we are doing and in a few minutes we will change and do something else, but for now we are doing this.  Keeping to a schedule will allow them to know what to expect, but also that they will be doing something else after this period is over.  Also, transition them from one activity to another (I.e.  in five minutes we're going to read a book.  Just remember that your five minutes doesn't have to equal what's on the watch.  Sometimes my five minute countdown takes two, others it takes ten.  But the countdown lets them know the time is coming to an end).

Allow them to take turns making choices.  Whether it's choosing the activity, or choosing the vegetable that goes with lunch.  It allows them to feel they have some control.  

Hope this helps.  Good Luck.

Answer 3

well if u want them to be out side and they rly dont need to be out there alone find a game like tag or hide and gose seek. or when it gets dark catch lighting bugs.they will rly get into that. but make sure its a game that u cn interact with them.