Hobbies And Interests
Babies and Toddlers
When babysitting young children, it's important to have a variety of age-appropriate games up your sleeve, as their short attention spans may require you to change games repeatedly. Babies will always respond to a spirited game of peek-a-boo, while toddlers enjoy such movement-based games as Duck, Duck, Goose and Marco Polo, although these are best played outdoors. Toddlers will likely enjoy playing a guessing game, such as hiding an item in a bag and asking them to guess what's inside.
Pre-schoolers
Pre-school-age children can be rambunctious, and tend to enjoy games that incorporate movement and some degree of physicality. Games such as Simon Says, Hide and Seek and Red Light, Green Light can be played with a single child, but work even better with more than one child. Other games for this age group include a treasure hunt, with the babysitter hiding a treat somewhere in the house so the children can search for it, and a silly-face game, in which the babysitter describes emotion such as happy, sad or angry and the children have to make a face that best fits the emotion.
Board Games
Older children may want to spend the night playing video games, but they'll also enjoy an old-fashioned board game, and there are many from which to choose. Trivia-based games such as Trivial Pursuit may be popular with older children, as are memory-testing games such as Cranium, but it's important to ensure that whatever game chosen is age-appropriate for the children being babysat. Still, it's tough to beat the classics, and the Family Education website suggests a list of its top 10 classic board games for kids: Scrabble, Clue, Sorry, Chinese Checkers, Chutes and Ladders, the Game of Life, Chess, Monopoly, Twister and Candy Land.
Where to Find More Ideas
An excellent resource where babysitters can find ideas for games is the Disney-owned Family Fun website, which features numerous games arranged in several categories according to age, indoor and outdoor games, seasonal games and holiday-themed games. Some of these are tried-and-true classics, such as hopscotch or musical chairs, that include a clever twist, such as the inclusion of math problems that must be solved. Others are more practical, such as a Simon Says-style clean-up game that turns the chore of cleaning up toys into an enjoyable challenge.