I need help with activities for over 8's please?

[DudleyChildmind]

Most of the children I look after are over 8 and we only have approximately 1-2 hours maximum per day to do activities and I'm running out of idea's. If anyone has any suggestions I'd be very grateful :)

[singlewiththree]

That Gellibath idea sounds good otherwise I would prepare as much as I can before hand and then do

Freeplay!
Nintendo Wii
Colouring
paper craft
playdoh
make plaster of paris one day, paint it the next


To be honest it would be mostly free play for that length of time because by the time they get back from school, had a play and then snack and a chat about their dad it will probably be time to go home.

Paula W

[Dragonfly]

modelling with soap sud ie Lux
colouring
Biscuits ( have dough ready for them to roll, cut out with different cutters)
games Ludo etc
collages dont dAY
eTC

[DudleyChildmind]

Thank you very much for your suggestions :thumbsup:

The problem I've got is I've made a rod for my own back :laughing: I told the over 8's that each time they do crafts or activities that can be put in their journals they will have a smiley sticker to put on the cover of their folders. They are now competing to see who can get the most stickers and each time they come here their first words are "what can I do today to get a sticker?".

This week they have done so many activities and yesterday I had run out of activities for them to do so they did role play instead. I know that on Monday morning at 7:30am they will want to get another sticker so I'm going to spend the weekend thinking up new ideas :D

[crazybones]

How about doing sport activities in the garden to gain stickers;
obstactle course
bounce the ball so many times
throw ball into bucket
whatever other outdoor resources you have could be used for something - that way you can wear them out a bit and they will want to flake out after a while.

[PaulaR]

Hama beads.
Leading up to Christmas there are gazillions of great ideas to keep them busy. Also try and see if there is a birthday in the family, they could make cards, or mine like ti colour in little boxes for putting presents in.

[busylizzie]

I look after a few over eights after school and mine too like to do crafts.I try and have something prepared in the day that they can do with minimum help as its a busy time of day for me and it helps to have something prepared as time is of the essence.

Things that mine enjoy or have enjoyed doing are

Making their own snack ie fruit kebabs or decorating little fairy cakes I have already baked or bought (different themes ie faces,animals or whatever the current thing like halloween etc. Threading cheerios onto strawberry laces to make edible jewellery,frothing milkshakes/smoothies,making homemade lollies from fruitjuice.

We collect the flowers we have grown in the summer (pansies work best) and press them in a heavy book.They use these for lots of pretty and easy crafts they can design themselves ie bookmarks,cards for their families,pen holders etc

They like sewing little gifts (lavender bags,teddies for younger siblings which we simply stuff with cotton wool, bean bags filled with dried peas)Pompoms,dolly bobbin,finger knitting,weaving)

They like designing things to make,They have just finished making miniture gardens and dinosaur gardens. They designed and collected all the stuff from garden or collected things from home.

Clay.....mine have recently made and painted little families of animals and hedgehog pen holders, very simple.

I buy cheap canvasses (the ones for oil painting) and let them do a grown up painting(they design it first on paper ) with acrylic paints and real artist brushes.Oil pastels can be effective.Decorate plant pots with acrylic paints and let them plant a little primrose or something in it.

Mine still like to draw around eachother on a big piece of paper on the floor then fill in their features and paint or colour it.

Little juggling balls made from balloons and filled with rice then make themselves an "Aunt Sally" for them
to throw them in.

know what you mean about the craft thing, mine all like to have something to take home and ask me every night "what are we doing tonight?"!!!!

[DudleyChildmind]

There are some great suggestions here, thank you all very much :thumbsup:

[sarah707]

I look after a few over eights after school and mine too like to do crafts.I try and have something prepared in the day that they can do with minimum help as its a busy time of day for me and it helps to have something prepared as time is of the essence.

Things that mine enjoy or have enjoyed doing are

Making their own snack ie fruit kebabs or decorating little fairy cakes I have already baked or bought (different themes ie faces,animals or whatever the current thing like halloween etc. Threading cheerios onto strawberry laces to make edible jewellery,frothing milkshakes/smoothies,making homemade lollies from fruitjuice.

We collect the flowers we have grown in the summer (pansies work best) and press them in a heavy book.They use these for lots of pretty and easy crafts they can design themselves ie bookmarks,cards for their families,pen holders etc

They like sewing little gifts (lavender bags,teddies for younger siblings which we simply stuff with cotton wool, bean bags filled with dried peas)Pompoms,dolly bobbin,finger knitting,weaving)

They like designing things to make,They have just finished making miniture gardens and dinosaur gardens. They designed and collected all the stuff from garden or collected things from home.

Clay.....mine have recently made and painted little families of animals and hedgehog pen holders, very simple.

I buy cheap canvasses (the ones for oil painting) and let them do a grown up painting(they design it first on paper ) with acrylic paints and real artist brushes.Oil pastels can be effective.Decorate plant pots with acrylic paints and let them plant a little primrose or something in it.

Mine still like to draw around eachother on a big piece of paper on the floor then fill in their features and paint or colour it.

Little juggling balls made from balloons and filled with rice then make themselves an "Aunt Sally" for them
to throw them in.

know what you mean about the craft thing, mine all like to have something to take home and ask me every night "what are we doing tonight?"!!!!

Wow! You are obviously very busy in your house...

You have some great ideas there.

My lot tend to slob out on the sofa after school and demand drinks and toast! :laughing:

[manjay]

Wow! You are obviously very busy in your house...

You have some great ideas there.

My lot tend to slob out on the sofa after school and demand drinks and toast! :laughing:

they sound like my lot!! I think I had rose tinted specs going into this thinking I would be doing lovely crafts every night. Instead I end up with a bunch of boys (lovely. don't get me wrong) who have no interest in making anything whatsoever:laughing:

[maple]

Mine are the same. I have two boys who do not want to do crafts of any sort and all they ask to do is go on nintendo gameboy or ds which I have let them do once or twice, but I don't like them going on them too much as I don't think it would look very good with Ofsted even though it is what they want to do and mum has said she is fine for them to go on them if it keeps them quiet and still.

[Helpinghands]

I'm glad you posted this.

I have one 8 year old boy which I find difficult to entertain as I have him for 4hours a day.

He doesn't like anything arty/crafts and refuses to eat ANYTHING healthy, so I'm pretty limited as to what I can give him to do.

I give him worksheets, wordsearches which he likes and he reads his school book with me. We go to the park and have tried the library but he finds it boring.

Finding them things to do alone is hard as I only have a 10 month old baby and a 17 month old, so he doesn't really interact with them.

[jaz]

I have mainly boys after school so it gets really noisy and they always want to flop infront of the tv. The other day my lo wanted to get his scalextrix out - tv now not been on for days, they dont want snacks they just want to play at having races all afternoon. They think I'm really mean dragging them off to have something to drink/eat etc.

J
x

[kiddiwinks]

Wow! You are obviously very busy in your house...

You have some great ideas there.

My lot tend to slob out on the sofa after school and demand drinks and toast! :laughing:

Mine are the same, but dont slob out they make as much noise as they can