It’s only natural for some children to feel a bit wary of spending time with a babysitter while Mum and Dad are away – especially if it’s their first time being left with the caregiver. One way sitters can help put the child at ease is by coming prepared with some age-appropriate games and activities.
Engaging little ones with a creative craft or a good old-fashioned round of hide-and-seek will help them focus on having fun, rather than on missing Mum and Dad. These games and activities can be especially helpful for first-time sitters, but also for those with years of experience. Parents can suggest some to a sitter ahead of time to help break the ice and ensure a smooth experience for all. From educational to engaging, here are 25 fun babysitting games and activities to do with children.
Traditional games
1. Hide-and-seek
Sometimes tried-and-tested games are a big hit, so brainstorm a few spins on the classics. For example, play hide-and-seek in the dark with older children. For the little ones, even a quick round of peek-a-boo might be enough to bring them out of their shell.
2. Simon Says
Simon Says is a game that children have likely played with teachers and classmates at school, so what better way to kick off your babysitting adventure than with some familiar fun? This is also an amusing learning activity to teach younger children about where their hands, feet, toes, shoulders and head are.
3. Jigsaw puzzles
Bring over a few age-appropriate jigsaw puzzles to do with the children. While jigsaws might not be the first babysitting activity you think of, they can certainly be one of the most educational, engaging and rewarding. Finishing a jigsaw together will provide the children with a sense of achievement, giving them the confidence to open up and bond with you while Mum and Dad are away.
Educational and brain-boosting games
4. Animal sound and movement activity dice
Bring out their personality with this activity. Draw or write the name of an animal on each side of a small, square-shaped cardboard box. Ask the child to gently toss the box like they are rolling a dice and to make the sound and movement of the animal named or pictured on the side of the dice that’s facing up.
5. I Spy
Have a shy little one on your hands? Encourage them to open up with a fun round of I Spy. Start off by playing the game in a room they are most comfortable in, like their bedroom or playroom, or go for a walk outside and see what you can find together.
6. Giant Scrabble
If you’re looking after a budding wordsmith, then a game of Giant Scrabble is an excellent way to exercise their mind and let them show off their language skills. On printer or construction paper, take a marker and clearly write one large letter per sheet. You’ll need to come up with a list of basic words before writing out each letter to ensure that you have enough. Think basic sight words that the child is currently learning, like: is, the, dog, she, cat, him, mat and other age-appropriate words.
Music and acting games
7. Lip sync competition
The perfect game for Friday nights, lip sync competitions get all the children in the house involved. Just put on child-approved music and have them take turns rockin’ out to their favourite tunes. You can even encourage them to play air guitar on a broom or break out the pots and pans to add to the fun!
8. Charades
Babysitting multiple children? This interactive game works best for teams of two. Grab a pen and paper and write down a few child-friendly topics, like popular movies, cartoons and TV shows. Cut the topics out and place in a bowl. Have one team member select a topic to act out while the other team member has a few attempts at guessing what it is. Ask one child to be in charge of keeping the time (by counting or using a stopwatch on a mobile phone) and another to keep score.
9. Storytelling
Children young and old love to tell stories. They’re so animated! A great way to engage children is to have them make up their own storyline and act it out. Pretend you are part of a large audience and watch as the children show off their creativity. Encourage them to dress up and use props to enhance their performance. If your little one is still feeling shy, reverse the roles and let them watch you tell a silly story and act it out. This will help them feel more at ease around a new person.
10. Musical statues
Break the ice and get children moving with a game of musical statues! Play a child-friendly song and stop the music. Each time the music stops, the child must stop or freeze in position until the music starts up again.
Sports and outdoor games
11. Fun with chalk
Chalk offers endless playtime possibilities for all ages. While many children have chalk at home, bring some with you just in case. For older children, fun chalk games include hopscotch, four square, pavement Twister and more. For younger ones, simply colouring might be enough to keep them occupied, or for an educational twist, write out a handful of numbers and letters and allow the children to trace each one.
12. Balloon tennis
This is exactly what it sounds like! Best of all? It requires only four supplies (paper plates, tape or glue, lollipop sticks, and balloons) that can easily be packed in your bag. Oh, and did we mention that it’s easy to clean up afterwards, too? To make the racket, tape or glue lollipop sticks to the back of a paper plate. Blow up one or two balloons to use as the tennis balls, and voilà! This game is good for toddlers still developing and perfecting their fine motor skills or older children who love to compete.
13. Paper towel roll ring toss
At the end of the paper towel roll? Save it! Grab three or four paper plates and cut out the centre of each plate to make the rings. Take the paper towel roll and make four little cuts to the base. Fold the four flaps back and apply glue to secure the roll to a piece of cardboard, a cereal box, or any other sturdy base. While you’re building the ring toss, have the children colour the paper plate rings different colours. Play a few rounds to determine the winner.
14. Pop the bubbles
Grab the bubbles and get a-poppin’! Go outside with the children in your charge and tell them that whoever pops the most bubbles wins. Then, you blow bubbles into the air. They can all pop bubbles at once or take turns, it’s up to you!
15. Bowling with plastic cups
Who says you need to leave the house to go bowling? Use plastic cups or bottles as bowling pins. Let each child take a turn to try and knock down all the cups using a regular-sized ball. For a fun twist, stack the cups in different ways or create side-by-side lanes. This game is great for children of all ages.
Creative games
16. Drawing Challenge
There are no winners or losers in this game. The drawing challenge allows children to think creatively, but also follow directions. Make 10-15 cards that instruct the children to draw pictures of specific things. Examples include: ‘Look out the window and draw what you see’, ‘Draw a creature with six legs’, or ‘Draw something red’. Any topic that is relevant to children will work. To add an extra element of fun for older children, set a timer for each topic and tell them that they only have 60 seconds to draw each picture.
17. 100-cup challenge
This game will kick-start their engineering minds! Bring over 100 plastic cups and let the children build a structure of their own creation. If babysitting just one child, make it a competition between the two of you. Whoever creates the tallest structure wins! Don’t forget to bring a measuring stick or tape!
18. Paper Tetris
Draw a table that is seven 1-inch squares across and nine 1-inch squares high. (You might be able to find a printable paper Tetris table online.) This will be the game board. Make several copies! Then, use construction paper – or other coloured paper – to create the pieces. Each piece should be made up of four 1-inch squares, to match the paper Tetris puzzle, and cut into the following configurations: S-shaped, Z-shaped, T-shaped, L-shaped, line-shaped, mirrored L-shaped and square-shaped. You could even ask the children to help you cut out the shapes! This game can be played between sitter and child, multiple children or even in teams! Set a timer to see who can clear four lines the fastest.
19. Make your own board game
Who needs to buy an expensive board game when you can make your own? All you need to get started is several sheets of paper, some pens, some tape and a dice. Write a different action on each piece of paper, like ‘hop on one foot’ or ‘tell us a secret’. Then, tape the paper to the floor in a line or square. Each player takes a turn to roll the dice and move around the ‘board’ as a living game piece.
Sensory development games
20. Build a fort
Take a peek in the linen cupboard, grab a few spare sheets, and let the little ones get involved! Building a fort together not only encourages them to be creative, it also teaches them team-building skills as they learn to work together and come up with a sturdy fort to call their own. Just make sure to clean up the mess before their parents get home!
21. Scavenger hunt
Grab a pen and paper and write a list of items from around the house that can be used in a scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt can be played between the sitter and one child or between several children. Start by making a list of non-breakable items from around the home, such as something soft, an item of clothing, something small, something green and other easy-to-find items. See who can locate the most treasure the quickest!
22. Tape shape game
Parents, leave out a roll of painters tape the next time your sitter is over, because your kids will love this game! On a large, flat flooring surface, such as tile or wood, tape out a rectangle, triangle, circle, and square. Instruct the children to crawl to the circle or tiptoe to the triangle. You get the idea. Make sure you allow enough space between each shape to avoid any collisions because these children will be moving fast!
23. Obstacle course
Get creative with soft, non-breakable items, like sofa cushions, boxes or chairs, to create a small obstacle course for the children to navigate. This can be a simple course for the little ones, or, if you’re babysitting older children, throw in a few zigzags for even more fun! Make sure you do this in a large space where nothing can be broken.
Bedtime & tidy-up games
24. Tidy-up game
The sign of a good time is a big mess, right? There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you get the children to tidy up before Mum and Dad arrive back home. Make it a competition to see who can put away the most toys in a certain amount of time, or whoever tidies up the fastest (and neatest) wins! Children of all ages love a good game, and they likely won’t even realise that they’re tidying up their mess.
25. Silent count
The silent count game is the perfect way to calm everyone down for bedtime. To play, get the children to sit or lie down with their eyes closed. Then, take turns counting one number at a time. So, one child says ‘one’ and the next says ‘two’, and so on. Only, the order of who speaks next isn’t predetermined. This game is best played with more than two children, so they need to pay attention and be patient in order to not talk over one another. If two children say a number at the same time, the game starts all over again.
At the end of the day, the games you play won’t matter all that much, but what does matter is that you are present and in the moment with the children. Doing so shows them that you enjoy spending time together and value them as people. Plus, if they’ve had such a good time with you, they might even go out of their way to tell their parents how much fun they had and you’ll be asked to babysit again in the future!