Im babysitting my 4 year old nephew what are some good activities I could do with him?

Question

he gets bored easily

Answer 1

It's always fun to be the "cool aunt/uncle" in your nephew's opinion, so I tried to think of things that are probably a little more exciting or out of the range of his ordinary day at home...
adventures using his imagination... secret agent/spy or pirates searching for treasure, for example. If you don't have spy gear, you can make your own (which will entertain him too - they love to make stuff - and it gives him spygear he can take home with him)
You can also use some things from around the house that you might be able to imagine as spy gear. Look around and see what you find. Or try a dollar store, they sometime have little spy sets or soldier sets that have some things you could convert to spy stuff.

you could make some props together like ...

binoculars - can make out of 2 toilet paper rolls

building plans or neighborhood plans - simply draw out floorplan or diagram of the neighborhood on paper and fold up the paper.

com unit - if you have any kind of communication units like walkie talkies or 2 way radios that would be great. If not, you could try to make some fake ones from juice boxes or some other small boxes. don't forget an antenna.

pda type spy gear --- I can't think of anything around the house in this thin rectanglar shape, but there is bound to be something around your home that is or could be folded or cut to be that size.

maybe a pocket size notepad he can scribble on when you find "clues"

your local dollar store might have moustaches for a disguise

for pirates:
make a telescope/spy glass from paper towel and toilet paper rolls

pirate hat -- I've never made one, but found this online...
http://www.uggabugga.com/Arts%20&%20Crafts/Origami/Origami%20-%20Hat%20Instructions.htm

eyepatch - out of construction paper and string or ribbon. (or any paper - just color it or make skull & crossbones, etc.)

treasure map --- he might want to make his own or you can make one ahead of time. roll it up

on familyfun.com there is a treasure hunt game for a birthday party that you might want to utilize for your babysitting bout:
http://familyfun.go.com/games/indoor-outdoor-games/game/famfgam_pirate/

Food... like mentioned in other answers - kids love to help cook/prepare food. There are some great little food & snack recipes on familyfun.com website. One that could be fun to make together or have ready for him is a snail snack: it looks like a snail and is made of a tortilla, lettuce or baby spinach, sliced deli meat, sliced cheese, gherkin pickle, mayo and chive stalks --- you could adapt it to fit your nephews tastes if he doesn't like all these. Kids love to eat goofy looking foods - the funnier they look, the more fun they are too eat. There is a minute long video on the familyfun.com site at:
http://familyfun.go.com/utilities/global/feature/fftv-archive-video-player/fftv-archive-video-player.html?video=snail_snack
Familyfun.com has all kinds of great ideas for fun things for kids to eat and do. You might want to check it out.

At familyfun.copm there is also a short video showing how to make ice cream in a bag -- you would need: pint size ziploc style bag, gallon size ziploc bag, ice cubes, sugar, half & half, vanilla extract, & salt. You put the ice cubes and salt in the gallon size bag and the ice cream ingredients in the pint size bag. Seal up the pint size bag, then place that bag inside the gallon size bag and seal. You and your nephew can take turns shaking the bag (takes about 5 minutes), then you will have ice cream that you've made yourselves. you could add some sprinkles or whatever his favorite topping is. Recipe & link to video:
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40986

oh, and as mentioned earlier in other answers... forts!!!! this is probably my son's favorite (he is 5) I loved making forts as a kids & so did my husband and my brother. I think that is great fun for all kids. Forts made out of blankets or tableclothes, tarps, whatever you have big enought to make a tent and the more "secret openings" you have the better. If it is big enough to have a little picnic in (and you don't mind that he does that), then you could have a small picnic of a snack and maybe a juice box. kid's love picnics too.

whatever you do, I am sure it will be great fun for both of you!

Answer 2

Outside activities are a great way for you to keep an active boy busy and happy. For example, play tag, or any type of running game or play catch with a baseball, frisbee, etc... If it is hot, let him put on his suite and spray him with a hose. Most four year olds like to blow bubbles or write on the sidewalk with chalk. Show him how to write some letters if he doesn't already know how or allow him to write his name or letters that he may have learned in Pre- K.

If it is raining or he just wants to stay inside, let him use his imagination. Ask him what he wants to be when he grows up, then pretend to be that all day. Also, make "cars" out of things around the house (paper towel or toilet paper rolls, construction paper, or whatever scraps you can find). Put on some kid friendly music and let him dance or jump up and get down!!! Just have fun and don't be afraid to act like a kid too.

Answer 3

Well it does depend on what you and he both like to do, but here are some of the things I do with some of my cousins when I watch them, they are around the same age.

Building forts in the livingroom is probably their favourite. Get some blankets and heavy pillows and drape them over the furniture, then let the kids hide out in the forts. Let them put their toys, some blankets and pillows, and whatever they like inside, and decorate it like their own little hideout. Throw in some colouring books and crayons, and perhaps make some popcorn and put on a movie. The kids I watch can spend all day playing this way. They think it's particularly fun when you crawl in with them and act like you're also 4.

Sidewalk chalk is great. Get a bucket of it and go somewhere and just draw all over the place. If you like, draw little roads over the pavement and let the kid push toy cars along them.

Along the toy car line... if he doesn't already have any car tracks, you can set up some stiff cardboard, or old game boards (monopoly boards etc,) on a ramp (of books or something that you can stack), and then let him race the cars down the ramp and across pavement or a hard floor.

Go to the park! Always fun, and it's nice for the kids to exercise and get fresh air.

Fingerpainting, play doh, blocks, or other hands on activities always seem to please kids, and really they're fun for adults too.

Make costumes from items around the house. Super hero capes out of towels or small blankets, masks out of paper and string... heck let him put his underwear on over his pants if it makes him laugh.

Kids like to create and fantasize. It's both fun and a learning process. I find that nothing entertains kids more than you getting involved and having fun as if you were a kid too. Keep that in mind and activities are easy to come up with!

Answer 4

Most of these are VERY good answers. my son just turned 5 in Feb. A couple of things we did/do that haven't been mentioned yet:

wash the car
plant flowers
find/identify bugs (worms, rolly-poly, caterpiller)
make cookies: he can--
Break the eggs (in a seperate bowl-shells!)
Add measured dry ingredients (baking powder, soda, salt..)
Add the choc. chips, m&m, nuts
Help spoon on the cookie sheet
If sugar cookies-get colored sugars
He can decorate his own cookies.
When done, lick the spoon, and have a treat 30 min later.

My son also likes to help me with chores:
He helps load the dishwasher
He puts the clothes in the dryer ( I take out of the washer, and set them on the open door of the dryer, and he pushes them in..)
Be a spotter when I am vacuuming
Holds the dust pan when I sweep.

Tonight, he discovered kitchen hockey:
Equipment: 1 stick (wooden spoon)
Puck (ice cubes)
That kept him occupied for 20-30 minutes-- forever for his attention span. Then I gave him a towel for clean up.

Just a few ideas. I have found that at that age they want to help. It makes mine feel like a 'big boy' and gives him a sense of accomplishment. After we do our chores, he gets a treat for being a helper.

Answer 5

All, most children become bored easily. Try a variety of activities: coloring books, stacking blocks, playing hide and seek, playing guessing games; take a walk, take him to the park and play on see-saw, merry-go-rounds, swings, etc.

Answer 6

i baby sit a 4 year old boy and he loves playing with train sets and Lego, things like that. i would expect the 18 month old baby would be happy doing anything that her brother wants to do, as long as they both get equal attention and you involve them both in what they are doing. if they want to go and speak to their mom, try and distract them with another game or something like that. good luck, i hope this helped!

Answer 7

coloring
play doh
baking
painting
finger painting
go to the park
play in the sprinkler
go for a walk, collect leaves, pine cones, etc.
play cars
hide and seek (just make sure you are better at the game than he is)

Answer 8

Children's Movies
Go to Park
Coloring/Drawing
Card games
Board games

I loved doing those when I was 4 years old. I hope this helps.

Answer 9

build a tent with sheets, in the living room, play baseball, go for a walk,

Answer 10

drawing, pretend your a truck and "drive around" chasing him, they luv that, lol.
you could also paint with him, or play with clay or playdoe, ask him what HE whants to do and take it from there! lol.
Good Luck!