Babysitting Games
Fun Babysitting Games for the Provider and the Child
If you care for a child, it is important to play babysitting games throughout the day to keep the child entertained, stimulated, and educated. You can always depend on the old standbys or consider newly developed games. We wanted to provide you with some options for babysitting games that will keep you and the child busy while having fun for hours.
- Crafts – Most children love making things and homemade projects do not have to be expensive. You could visit your local hobby store and for less than $10, purchase a variety of supplies to make something fun. To make craft time even more enjoyable, you could create a storybook. With this, the child could show mom and dad the finished craft project while they read along in the book, which also makes a great keepsake for the parents.
- Homemade Bubbles – Most kids love blowing bubbles so the two of you could make your own. Babysitting games using bubbles will provide tons of fun, whether indoors or outdoors. To make bubbles, mix one cup of water with one/third cup of Ivory or Dove dish soap and two tablespoons of light corn syrup. You can purchase inexpensive plastic bottles with bubble blowers. To make the games more fun and education, try using different items found around the house such as a slotted spoon, potato masher, apple corer, etc.
- Homemade Play dough – You can also have a blast playing different babysitter games with homemade play dough. For this, you would mix two cups of flour with four teaspoons of cream of tartar, one cup of salt, one and one/half cup of boiling water, three tablespoons of vegetable oil, and food coloring of your choice. After mixing all the ingredients, the two of you can create farm animals, space creatures, cars, etc. Babysitter games could also be devised by rolling the dough out with a rolling pin and then using cookie cutters to make shapes. To store the play dough, simply keep it in an airtight container or zip-lock plastic bag.
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Salt Clay – If the children are older, then you could make salt clay to create necklaces, pretend houses, refrigerator magnets, Christmas tree ornaments, picture frames, key chains, and so on. With this material, you could come up with a variety of fun babysitting games. To make salt clay, mix two cups of flour, one cups of salt, one and one/half cups of cold water, and two teaspoons vegetable oil. Mix and kneed to form a soft ball. Line a cookie sheet with foil, make the desired shapes out of the dough, place on the sheet, and bake at 300 degrees for about an hour or until hard.
- Horse Rides – Children of all ages love babysitter games that involve bouncing. If the child were smaller, you would place him/her on your lap facing you. With your hands providing support on the torso, bounce up and down while making clicking sounds of a horse’s hooves. For older children, you could strap a pillow on your back with a belt, create a faux “bridle”, and give the child a horseback ride.
- Itsy Bitsy Spider – One of the older babysitting games that smaller children love is this one. Use your fingers to make a “spider” and then starting at the toes, begin singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider song while moving up the leg and to the tummy. At that point, a little tickle will guarantee a giggling child.