Things to Do with Children While Babysitting

This article isn't for babysitting children under the age of four. This is written for babysitting children four years old and up. I use to be a nanny for seven years, so I know this works very well.

Play games with the children while babysitting. I have found the best games are learning games. Such as Guess Who, Uno, or Sorry Card Revenge. Though the packaging says other ages, you can teach a four-year-old how to play them. I know because my brother's family has done so. It's a great way to teach colors and numbers.

If you aren't into purchasing and playing those types of games, you can always play "I spy." I spy is a free game and very easy to learn and play. I spy also travels very well as it's all in your eye's view. I spy if you don't know already how to play is you pick an object, say "I spy a" and then you list the colors of the object. The other person tries to guess what you picked. This doesn't work well though if any party is colorblind.

Clean the place up. If the house you are babysitting in isn't exactly clean you can turn cleaning into something a child can help you with. For example, you need or want or wish even to do the dishes. You can ask the child or children if they would mind keeping you company while you did the dishes. Pull up a chair beside you which they can stand or sit on. If you wish them to help you by drying the dishes, (as long as there isn't glass) you can ask them to assist. While doing the dishes, carry on a talk about something they enjoy. Cartoons, snacks, school, toys, etc. The goal is to keep THEM entertained while you get some housework done. This also works well for mothers, though it is harder with more than three kids.

Watch a movie while babysitting. I have also found bringing movies to the house the children haven't seen before or in a very long time, will keep them entertained while you do some other work. Just be sure to clear the movie with the parents first. Some parents don't approve of certain types of movies.

Talk Geek to them while babysitting. For older children who are less likely to be interested in helping out, playing games, or watching films, you can always ask them about their homework, Myspace, or some game they are into on the computer. Older kids tend to be more into computers. So you could even bring a computer game with you. Once again, clear it with the parents as some parents may not want certain types of games brought into their house. There are multi-player computer games out there.

Take them to the park or just for a walk. Another idea to check is where the house you are babysitting at is located. If there is a park nearby you could walk the children to it and let them play there. This will wear them out if they are hyperactive. If there isn't a park perhaps a small store where you can grab a pack of gum or something else small and low in sugar.

Play ball while babysitting. You could play any type of ball, monkey in the middle, also known as keep away, dodge ball (not too hard!), catch (if trapped in doors you can roll the ball back and forth). Any of those can be really fun if there is a dog involved.

Read to them while babysitting. This works well if you can add to the book you are reading, because the chances are they read it before or someone else has read it to them. Be creative.

Listen to them. Ask them about their life, truly listen to them. If you are a new babysitter or a stranger, they might not open up. So you will have to share something about your life of common interest to them.

Photos. Ask to see the family photo album and inquire about pictures you see that might lead up to interesting talks with the child. Or ask about the photos on the walls. If the family album is put up you don't want them to get it out. It's put up for a reason.