Hobbies And Interests
Dress-Up
Have girls play dress-up with anything they find in their closets to put together the fanciest or funniest costume. Or, let them dress each other up and style each other’s hair to look like favorite characters or movie stars. Wave a wand as they appear in their new attire, pretending to be their fairy godmother who helps them dress for the Royal Ball.
True or False
Tell kids two “facts” about yourself, stating that one is true and one is false, making them both as outrageous or interesting as possible. Let them guess which one is true. They’ll get to know you better and look forward to learning more about you next time. If you're playing with preteen girls, use this game to share embarrassing moments and other personal stories. That helps them to identify with you and realize it's okay to laugh at yourself and at life.
Scattergories
Older girls will enjoy this game. If you don’t have a store-bought version, simply make up your own cards. On each card, write a list of categories, choosing topics they're interested in such as music bands. Pick a letter at random by opening a book and pointing at the page with a pencil. Each player uses a copy of the same card and lists as many items as possible for the letter you’ve chosen, and a player gets a point for each item that no one else chose.
Tea Party
Have an old-fashioned tea party with young girls, as the Labor of Love website suggests. Inviting their favorite stuffed animals will help them to feel relaxed while their parents are away and so will tasty snacks. Bring a “mystery guest” and hold it behind your back, having them guess which stuffed animal it is.
Printeable Games
Print games to bring with you when babysitting, so you'll never be stumped for ideas. If kids are in a quieter mood, or you want to help them settle down for the night, simply pull out these activity sheets. Afterward, kids can color the pictures. See the Kids' Page for games to print.