Sitter Games List

Kids bubbling over with energy? Put these games to use!

When you are totally at the end of your rope or have essentially maxed out your creativity capacity for the week, these games can come in and save the day as fun and easy alternatives to watching TV or playing video games.

From the new and engaging to the completely classic, we've got both indoor and outdoor games to keep the kids entertained during any babysitting job.

MARCO POLO

Best played outside, this game allows kids to run around and stretch their legs while they also get some air. The blindfolded person who is "It" yells, "Marco," while everyone else hides and teases that person by yelling, "Polo," to get his attention in their directions. The kids will giggle and laugh watching the It person stumble around. Be prepared to step in to steer the blindfolded child in a different direction if you see him heading for a tree stump or something harmful.

BANANAMEN

A creation straight out of Ann M. Martin's Baby Sitters' Club series (how much did you LOVE those books?) -- make bananamen to keep your charges calm. Use nuts and raisins to dress up a banana, then have a competition to see who can come up with the most creative story about their bananaman.

DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE

It never gets old. Sit everyone in a circle, then have one person go around tapping everyone on the head and saying "duck" until "goose" sends them running after the person chosen. This game has benefits -- if you are tired, orchestrate a small breather for yourself as the "goose." And consider variations like "macaroni" and "spaghetti" for the duck and the goose to keep the kids on their toes.

EDIBLE PLAYDOUGH

If you combine 1 cup of peanut butter, 1/4 cup of honey, and 1/2 cup of powdered milk, you will get edible playdough! Make creations (snakes are an obvious choice), mush them all around and eat them. It's probably best not to play this with any sick kids, since the germs can spread like wildfire in this little activity.

STACKING DOMINOES

If you can't find the traditional dominoes, try this game with cheese, cookies and anything else you have on hand. You can either stack the objects to see how you're your can get them, or you can stand the dominoes on their sides, and line them up in twists and turns all around the room. If you want to get really creative, attached strings, drops and balls to the game and see if you can make a chain reaction happen.

COLORING, KICKED UP A NOTCH

Most kids love to color. However, some can only color inside the lines for so long. To keep kids quiet for hours, throw out the traditional coloring books and instead tape pieces of paper together to make murals on a grand scale. Make a map of Africa. Or Hawaii. Don't just draw houses and clouds -- those are for amateurs.

ALTERNATE ENDINGS

Read the kids a book, then sit around and make up alternate endings for the story. Planets, sorcery and mystery should always play large roles in this game.

LOST IN A MUSEUM

Take toys that look like museum pieces and set them up around the room, then pretend that you are locked in a museum for the night and have to make do with them until the next morning. This gets fun when there are table and beds that you can hide in and under.

Hide And Seek

A classic, but there are tons of different variations. First, you can follow the traditional rules where one person closes their eyes, the rest hide and the seeker must run around until he finds each of the hidden kids. Another way to do this is to take an object or toy and hide it under something that begins with the letter "t." Tell the children they can look all over the house, but only in/around/under things that begin with that letter -- a great educational experience for younger ones learning the alphabet. A third variation of hide and seek is often called "Sardines." In this game, only one person hides while the rest count and try to find him. Whenever someone finds the hider, she hides with him, until the last person has found the group huddled together.