Entertaining Littles

A couple years ago, a friend asked me to compile things I'd learned about keeping preschoolers busy.  I've been babysitting for about 20 years now, but I was still surprised at all the things I was able to write down.  I'm sharing them here in case you are looking for inspiration.  

Have a ball or object that you pass back and forth.  Before you pass, you have to say something in a list: a number, a letter, a color, a musical instrument, something they're thankful for, a song, a toy, a character from a movie, something you can see, a sport, a type of transportation (cars, planes, trains...), an animal...  You get the idea.  You can practice saying a rhyme, verse, song by passing the ball back and forth and each person has to say the next word before they pass it.  Teach the game using a saying, song or rhyme they already know. 

Set up a tricky way to pass some object to each other: around a chair, under a table, down a blanket like a slide. 

Do simple games where there are two or three things they're supposed to act out, and they must switch when you say the other thing: butterflies and caterpillars; land, water, sky; hills, mountains, plains/fields; (incorporate it into a story or lesson: grasshoppers and giants like the 12 spies' perception when they spied out canaan);

Have a collection of objects.  Name them all together.  Cover the kids' eyes.  Take one object away.  Have them guess/figure out which one is missing.  Play again with a different missing object.

You can do all sorts of things with a deck of cards, things for all ages.  For littles: 52 pickup; cards that are red; cards that are black; cards with faces; cards with numbers; hand them one card and tell them to find one whose shape, color, or number matches; have them practice counting by bringing you whatever amount of cards you say (you'll probably have to help them count).  Lay numbers in order.  You can lay the foundations for odds/evens, addition, subtraction, division.  I've had older kids bring me cards adding up to a certain number - or just an odd number.

Train to be listening: have a code word for the day.  Any time the child hears you say it, they come to you and either get something (cracker, M&M) or do something (high five, hug).

Bat a balloon or roll a ball across a line, no picking up.  Also try kicking.  (Pre-soccer skill.)

Have kids try to stand on one foot without holding on to anything.  Count as high as you can, out loud, until they put their foot down or touch something.  Now have them do it while doing something else, like singing a song or patting their head or watching you do something silly. 

With more than one child, instead of "tag", do "bubbles" and "poppers".  Tag is too abstract.  Tell them that once they have popped, they switch roles.  This works even if you want a number of kids who are "it".  In my experience, kids won't really switch; they'll just pick their favorite role, keep doing that, and most kids will be ok with that.  The others will try to debate with fellow toddlers.  It's kind of hilarious.

Have them balance something on their head.  Then have them walk, or sit down and stand up again (depending on how hard the balancing is).

Set up a bucket or bag (or two for two teams; you can compete, too).  Have the child fill up the bag, bringing only one object at a time.  (Use toys, socks, cereal if it's a snack-size bowl.)  Just make sure the container is rather far away from the objects, so that the kid is using up a bunch of energy. 

Have the child echo patterns of sounds or actions.  Start small.  Clap, stomp, make some noise, wave...

Streamers are super fun and cheap.  Wave them.  Use them as finish-lines.  Use them as lines to "balance" on.  Or to divide a room.  Or as a maze line to follow on a treasurehunt.  Pull off a strip and do something with both you and the child holding on.  If you let go or tear it, you have to start over. 

Teach more basics of soccer.  But break it up.  Try not to put too many rules together all at once.  Have the child try to get a ball past you to a specific wall or basket (using hands or feet or whatever - just can't be holding on to the ball).  Trade places and have them keep you from getting the ball past them. 

"Is it the truth?"  While you're playing, make statements whose truth or falsehood is obvious.  If it is true, the child stands up.  If false, they sit down.  Or have them do some other fun action.  If it's true, they jump up and down...  If it's true, they spin in circles.  They just have to switch once they hear the next statement. 

This one is from a book called "Let's Play!" that's decent for ideas.  It's for a group, not just one child.  Form pairs and give these directions: "touch feet" (kids touch their feet to each other's), "touch wings" (touch elbows like wings), "tweet to your partner".  Then call out "scatter sparrows!"  The children flap like sparrows, tweet like sparrows, while they're either 1) scattering and finding a new partner or 2) scattering, then listening for your call to "touch feet" again when they must find a new partner.

Set up an easy obstacle course... line up objects in one straight line with several feet between each object.  Have the child weave in and out between the objects.

"Bowl" with whatever objects are on hand: cups, books, toys

Pretend you're in a parade.  March.  Wave.  Bring a stuffed animal or balloon.  (Ever seen the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on TV?)  Stay in line and take a tour of whatever place you're at, all in parade mode.  You can even stop at an opportune spot and do a performance.  Make sure to pretend you have a microphone if you're singing!

Use a paper plate as a frisbee.

Put small stuffed animals or soft balls (cotton balls, q-tips, other soft small objects you have are fine; raid your purse) on a large blanket or sheet (larger keeps the things on it better, but if there are only 2 of you, it will have to be smaller so you can hold it.)  You hold one side.  They hold the other.  Then wave it to see them pop. 

Use a ribbon, streamer, jump-rope, narrowly-folded blanket to make a "river" in the middle of the floor.  Jump over the river.  Throw something over the river.  "Swim" under the river. 

Play hot potato.

Go to sleep bunny, bunny.  Say that.  Have the child pretend to be a sleeping bunny.  When you think they won't be able to "sleep" anymore, call "wake up, little bunny! hop, hop, hop!"  They have to get up and hop until you say to sleep again.

Again from Let's Play!: Give the child an object they can toss in the air.  Tell the story of Jesus calming the sea.  Then play the game like this: when you say "Storm!" they toss their object up, over and over.  When you say "Be still!", they must grab their object from wherever it is and sit down quietly. 

Have a bunch of something: crumpled up junk mail, socks, paper airplanes, little balls like in a play-place (soft!).  Split them up evenly.  Make a line out of a streamer, couch cushions, tape in the middle of the room.  Put half of the objects on one side, half on the other.  Half of the children stand on each side (or you on one side, the child/children on the other).  Turn on a song.  While the music is playing, each of you throws as many of the things over the line as possible, even the new things just thrown over your line.  At the end of the song, the side with the *least* objects wins. 

Teach hand signals for sports teams, like the referrees would use (I had to look up on the internet how to do these).  Show them.  Say it.  Have the kids do the motions, and say the phrases, too.  My favorite about this was that for soccer instead of any signals, I just have the kids put their hands in the air and run around like madmen yelling "SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  They like that, too.

Be active: gallop, toe-touch, jumping jacks, spin.

Set up items with only 1 letter on them in different parts of the room.  These could be posters you make or those little blocks with letters on them.  You probably only want to do a few letters at a time.  Call out the letter and have the child hurry to go touch it.  After they're good at that, teach them one of the sounds the letter makes, and have them remember or repeat the sound before they can leave and go to another letter.

Since I was doing Awana, I taught the Cubbies how to stand with their toes behind a line.  I'd have them run, then say, "Line," and they had to all get behind the line, not even touching it, quickly. 

Take a walk and announce a color.  Say the names of things you see that are that color.  Encourage the child to participate.  The next time you take a walk, choose a different color.  It's not guessing one item; it's just identifying.  It's like a preliminary to I-spy.

Kids love bubbles.  Blow bubbles for them.  See if they can catch them without them popping.  See if they can guess where they'll land.   You can also try to catch leaves blown from trees in the autumn.  

To God be all glory.