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I have a 10 yr old boy & his 12 yr old sister starting with me next week. In all the years I've been doing this, age 5 is as high as I've gone. My daycare is set up for infants and children 5 and under. I have no idea what to do. Help!
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Arts and craft stuff for sure. Maybe some science type stuff to explore and experiments to do. Outdoor stuff such as hula hoops which mine also love to use for a beanbag toss! -
10 and 12? I was babysitting by 12... I would put them to work
. Sort of kidding... but I would create a schedule for them that alternates exploring a science kit and then reading to the little ones, and then reading and journaling, and then showing the littles how to _____(build a fort, color inside the lines, play with playdoh), and then independent outdoor play etc. I might get some workbooks of age appropriate math and some good older kids books.
Can I ask why their parents chose you? As in what about your program was a good fit for these kids and then expand upon that as far as what you offer them. Not sure if that makes sense. Good luck!
Not that it was a good call - but my mom left us home alone when by younger brother and I were 8 and 10 when she had to work in the summer so its hard for me to get my mind around entertaining one all day
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My kids are about that age.
lego - so many spinoffs you can do from this. Challenges. Charades.
books - mine will read for hours. You could work your way through a book and then watch the movie. I mention Harry Potter a lot but my crew love this series. Percy Jackson, as well. 39 clues. Reading challenge. Read x amount of pages/books/hours and reward with.... ???
Old video camera? Create a movie. Or create a play for the rest of the littles.
Baking. They can choose/make lunch or snack a few times over the summer.
Sensory type stuff. Make goop, ooblek, etc.
Writing stuff/journals/notebooks. One of mine loves to write.
Drawing/sketching. I have 2 artists.
Art projects. I try to come up with a few special things for them to do. This is a good thing to have them do during a rest time. The artful parent (I think this is the name of the book) has some great ideas that my kids have enjoyed.
Carnival. They could set up a carnival with games/activities for the littles and/or themselves.
Gardening. A special little plot or container for them to tend to over the summer.
Make a fairy garden. There's a post on this.
I might set up a station or two outside that would be geared towards them. Mine like to do experiments at the mud kitchen (baking soda, vinegar, flour, food colouring, lots of utensils). It can get really messy but it keeps mine occupied for hours.
Honestly, I have a general inventory of ideas but mostly let them use their imaginations. The first 2 weeks of summer I plan nothing special. It gives mine time to chill out from the school routine and find their groove. If there is too much complaining I will give them a few choices or put them to work.
I don't like to 'do' too much for them, otherwise they become too dependent on me.
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Well the parents and kids came over today to check me out. I guess I didn't hear correctly on the call. The daughter is 7, not 12.Originally posted by Blackcat31 View Post
I think things will work out fine. They start on Monday.
Thank you all for your suggestions. I'll probably be using ALL of them
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One thing my school age kids will do all summer is make God's eyes. I use variegated yarn so it changes colors. You do have to tie on additional pieces, so if you had scrap yarn you could tie on different colors. I just like variegated.
Oh one other thing they love is the small beads they put on a shape and then you iron them. After I pull them off I put a magnet strip on the back. They will do this day after day. They now have those new beads that do not require ironing but they are more expensive.Comment
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I posted this someplace else but search for 'minute to win it' games. Good for lots of laughter and fun.Comment
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