Here are 5 games we’d like to share with all babysitters.
Game #1 to learn English: the Touch and Feel box
To play this game, all you need is a box and different objects such as pens, apples, plastic bottles etc…
In order to win, the child must recognize and name the object he is touching.
This game is designed to enhance children’s sense of touch and capacity to identify objects but it can also be an opportunity for them to learn the English names of the objects around them.
Tweli’s tip 1: The younger the child is, the more you should try to use easy and big objects or ones that they're familiar with. A four-year old child will probably recognize easily their cuddly toy, for example.
Tweli’s tip 2: To make it funnier at teatime, you can opt for a snack hunt. You will only have to put some cookies or candies into the box. And the good thing is: kids can eat it as soon as they recognize it (They will probably recognize it really fast!)
Game #2 to learn English: the Listening Game
This game is a bit trickier than the Touch and Feel Box because this time the child has to remember the objects. How does it work? You have to put a few objects on a table. After showing all the objects to the kid, you need to pick one up (without him seeing you obviously) and ask him which one is missing!
Tweli’s tip 1: Don’t forget to adapt the objects’ difficulty to the age of the child. And to make it easier for them, don’t hesitate to give names to the different objects such as “Mister Pen”, “Mister Apple”, “Miss Bottle”…
Tweli’s tip 2: You can also put objects on the table according to a theme. For example, if you just read Goldilocks and the Three Bears (“Boucle d’Or et les ours” in French), then you can put different kinds and sizes of bowls on the table and ask the child which one Goldilocks stole!
Game #3 to learn English: the hot potato game
If you have to babysit a group of children, here is a nice game you can play. It works this way: each participant has a potato in his hand (If you run out of potatoes, use a little ball) and there is music playing. When the music stops, everybody has to let his potato fall down.
The one who is still holding his potato leaves the circle! In France, we play a similar game called the “Chaise musicale”. Only when the music stops, everybody has to sit on a chair. There is one chair missing in the circle (e.g 3 chairs if 4 participants) and the one who is not sitting when the music stops has to leave the circle.
Tweli’s tip: At the beginning, you should let the children win a little: they’ll probably enjoy it more!
Game #4 to learn English: Simon Says
The rules are simple. Someone has to play “Simon” (It’s better if it is you). “Simon”, the leader, stands in front of the kid (or the kids), and has to give instructions to the rest of the group. To be obeyed, Simon has to start all his sentences by “Simon says….”.
If Simon gives a command without first saying, “Simon says…” the players must not do what he asks. Simon’s goal is to eliminate as many players as possible by having them incorrectly obey or not obey its commands.
Tweli’s tip: This game is particularly relevant if you want to teach the child some English vocabulary linked to the human body. For example, Simon can say: “Simon says to touch your hair” or “Simon says “Raise your arm”… You can give a reward to the child if they do it right!
Game #5 to learn English: treasure Hunt
The Treasure hunt game is a famous game you probably played as a kid. The principle is simple. You hide something (a “treasure”) in the house and the kids have to find it by following several clues.
Tweli’s tip: It’s a great game to play during a party with groups of three or four children. The clues can be in English, if you want them to learn this language. Again, don’t forget to adapt the clues’ difficulty to the age of the children.
