Activities with Children

To Help You Get Acquainted with a Child

You don’t need to go anywhere far away or do anything complex to have a great time with a child with whom you are  getting acquainted - grandchild, nephew or niece, child you are babysitting, child you are mentoring. Try some of these activities when you don’t really want to travel. Most of these are also great for a first meeting; the child will be comfortable on his or her home turf and will be more relaxed.

Family Snapshots

Compare photos of family and friends. This is a great way to get to know each other and learn about the people who  are important to you and the child.

Match Scrapbook

Gather keepsakes and take photos of activities that you and the child do together. From time to time, devote a day for the two of you to put the scrapbook together.

Drawing

Draw cartoons of each other or go somewhere and sketch together.

Pets

Visit a local pet store. Sometimes you’ll be allowed to pet the animals, but it’s fun just to look.

Haircuts

Take the child to the hairdresser or barber with you.

Manicure

Treat the child to some special pampering: get a manicure together!

Play Games

Visit local video arcades or play simple games like hangman. Board games like checkers, Monopoly or chess and car games can be a great activity too.

Baby Pictures

Look at pictures of each other as babies. Do you look the same now? (a funny icebreaker)

Poetry

Write autobiographical poems:

first name____________________
wishes that __________________
is good at ____________________
loves _______________________
hates _______________________
last name ____________________

Work

Take the child to visit your job or office. If the youngster is interested in another career, try to bring them to the office of someone in that field.

Baking/Cooking

Visit the supermarket with the child to gather ingredients. Then prepare them together.

Age: Depends on the complexity of the recipes. Younger kids (8-10) will enjoy baking cookies, older ones will like making an entire meal.

Walking

Take a long walk together. Ask the child to give you a tour of their neighborhood. This is a great first activity!

Eating Out

Try all different kinds of ethnic restaurants. Kids will probably like Chinese lo-mein, Japanese sukiyaki, Indian tandoori  chicken, Middle Eastern falafel and shish-ka-bob, Greek souvlaki, Mexican tacos, Afghan kebabs, Italian pasta, and Cuban rice and beans. Don’t forget American ethnic food like southern cooking, soul food, barbecue and New York deli and bagels.

Talking

It’s great just to sit, talk and get to know the child. Try asking questions to get started. The best kinds of questions for this are ones that require more than a “yes” or “no” for an answer. These are great for discussing:

• What would you do if you had a million dollars?
• What if you couldn’t spend any of it on yourself?
• Do boys or girls have it easier?
• What was the bravest thing you ever did?
• What’s the luckiest thing that has ever happened to you?
• Would you like to have an identical twin?
• What do you think you might do when you grow up?

Sledding

If there’s snow, you should be sledding. No need to get a fancy sled, a tray is just as good and a garbage bag is fine too.

Library

Visit the local library and get library cards. Check out some of the local libraries for special events.