Re: Ideas for 3 kids ages 6, 3, and 2?

Babysitting Ideas

Ideas for 3 kids ages 6, 3, and 2?

babysitter4ever 11-14-2007, 10:50 AM

i watch 3 kids ages 6 (boy), 3 (boy, has mild autism), and 2 (girl) on a regular basis. they love to play duck duck goose, but can't get a grasp on chasing around the circle and usually chase each other around the house instead. and the youngest 2, usually collide resulting in the youngest screaming for 5 min. they like to get chairs and blankets and make tunnels and tents, but the 3 yo always tears them down and the other 2 get all mad and upset. hide and seek is a fav., but they get stuck in places and then freak out and scream when they can't get out. they like to do crafts and draw, but the 3 yo colors on everything EXCEPT his paper, the 2 yo colors with glue, and gets upset when i won't let her use the scissors. and they like a game i made up called dog pile, one person runs while the other 3 chase him, and then we tickle him when we catch up. but sometimes, the oldest gets a little ruff with the younger 2. and they like to wrestle on the floor, but again, they get to rough.they like to have me lift and swing them in a blanket or jump off a chair and i catch them, but i'm only so strong and can't keep doing that for more than 15 min. and they get upset when i tell them i can't do it anymore. i don't like them watching tv all day, and we can't just watch 1 movie because they can never agree on 1, i have to let them all pick a movie, then they argue over who gets to watch their movie first, and it's a big mess. so if you have any ideas i can do with these kids, so they don't argue, get hurt, etc. please share.

oh and i'm 16 years old, and i can't take them anywhere outside the backyard (which has an ant problem so we can't go there either) and no friends are allowed to come over when the mom isn't home. thanks.

Re: Ideas for 3 kids ages 6, 3, and 2?

Mommy2Lots 11-17-2007, 7:18 PM
Instead of duck, duck goose, try musical chairs because then they are limited to a certain area.

For the tents, if there is a sturdy wooden table, try going under that instead without using blankets to close it off. If there aren't blankets, he can't pull them off and everyone can still play "tent". LOL If they want to close it off, use the chairs. Besides, the chairs make good shelves for the pretend house.

For hide-and-seek, try playing sardines instead, which is reverse hide-and-seek in a way. There's still only one counter, but everyone hides in the same place together. That would reduce the risk of them getting stuck or scared.

For crafts, try pre-arranged crafts, that don't involve glue or scissors. I like stickers. They can make pictures out of them or stick things together with them without glue.

More easy crafts:
-sticky foam shapes
-play-doh
-blocks (okay, these aren't crafts, but it gets them using their hands and being creative)
-bead threading
-sock puppets (all you need is socks and sticky eyes and shapes)

For the coloring problem with the little one: If he takes a nap, do drawing time with the other kids during his nap. You could also try those Crayola things (can't recall the name). They color only on the Crayola paper, but not on anything else. This kind of limits creativity, so it shouldn't be the only thing he uses, but I think it's okay sometimes. Otherwise, just stay near him when he wants to create and maybe help him draw on the paper.

For a wrestling alternative, try a game where hugging is the reward.

For movies, tell them to each let you know what 5 of their favorites are. Then, write them all on bits of paper and fold them and put them in a hat or jar. Each day you should draw one out and that will be the movie of the day.

When the ant problem is gone, whnever they seem to be doing too much arguing, let them loose in the backyard and maybe even go on a nature hunt or something, with jars for bugs and such.

More activities:
shadow puppets (all you need is your hands and a light or flashlight)
sing silly songs
play dress up show (let them show off their dress-up outfits)

Have fun!
Kids are such a joy.
They're even cute when they're mad. LOL

Parenting/Sitting Articles - If you view these, kindly return back to Babysitting Forums. ;-)

2006-2008 (©) babysittingforums.com | used cars