Things for Nieces and Nephews to do

[followyourarrow]

I need suggestions for things we can keep at our house for the nieces and nephews to do when they hang out at our house.  I'm not opposed to (highly controlled) tablets and noise cancelling headphones, but I'd like some things that are not screentime.  Kids are 4, 8, 11, and 16.  The 8 year old likes coloring books, but specific suggestions would be appreciated! Let's say our budget is $300 ish for things to keep at our house to entertain them.  I have a huge assortment of baking type things that we can do together.

[sproctopus]

Mondo Llama kits from Target
Lego brick set (not a kit, just generic for imagination)
Watercolor paper & paints
Hot Wheels & hot wheels tracks (they can make courses using tables, cushions, etc)
Puzzles ($5 Below has a good selection)

[pixy0stix]

Games like Connect 4 and Uno, along with a few unique games (like the Throw, Throw Burrito) are always a hit among the cousins.

[lo]

Magnatile blocks

[sproctopus]

Sept 24, 2024 16:27:54 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Games like Connect 4 and Uno, along with a few unique games (like the Throw, Throw Burrito) are always a hit among the cousins.

Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is another big hit here.

[ellipses84]

Random free build legos. We have a drawstring bag with attached blanket so you essentially open it, all the legos stay on the blanket, if any fall off, you throw them back on the blanket and when you pick it up the legos all slide back into the bag so it’s easy to take out and clean up. It’s also more novelty when it’s out because they don’t have it out all the time. Magnatiles are good too. Find It is a good game that doesn’t take a lot of room and doesn’t have pieces to lose (like a 3d seek and find in a contained tube of sand). We have lots of trivia and get to know you types of games we can play at the table, card games, apples to apples, beat the parents (you can do this with aunts/ uncles). Lots of sports equipment / balls. Anything they don’t have at their house will be good because it will be a novelty.

[Deleted]

Is there outside space? Maybe some lawn games like spike ball or cornhole, a soccer ball, a basketball….badminton….

[meanie]

A set of those plain blocks for the littles, like these tinyurl.com/5n8uzwu6
Lots of white printer paper and stuff to draw with
Lego bin - not sets, just bricks for free play and boards to build on

[ellipses84]

My 13 yo doesn’t really play with toys anymore, but he does love games like risk, chess, trivia, get to know you type games, puzzle games like Rubik’s cubes or Perplexus maze balls. He loves reading, sports, music and movies… you might be able to bond with the teen over something you liked when you were a teen that you can share with them.

[fernweh]

5 below has a really good selection of stuff. Jewelry making kits, candle making kits, different puzzles and games

[countthestars]

- Magnatiles (specifically Picasso Tiles, which are much more affordable and have held up just as well for us)
- Diamond art

[Patsy Baloney]

Sushi Go and Cards Against Humanity family edition.

[meowmaps]

Play-doh and kinetic sand (I’d have them do this outside) are always hits at our house.

[sdlaura]

I second the outdoor activities.

This could blow your budget, but my parents got a Pop a Shot (I gave it as a gift) and an air hockey table (free from Buy Nothing) for their basement for the 7 cousins ages 4-13 to play with.

My kids enjoy going to the library to pick out books and then read them at home.

Lego kits are a hit, too.

But honestly, my older kids (10+) spend a big portion of their at home time on screens, including us watching movies/series together. We just keep them very busy outside the house so there's not all that much time sitting around on screens.

[keyslover]

Younger ones can get away with magna tiles and play mobile are good.

I’m not a fan of playdough or kinetic sand- for me it’s texture issues, mixing colour, and messy. Yes I do realise this is a me thing!

Fun games like Meme this or kids against maturity are good for a variety of ages.

[sadlebred]

Sept 24, 2024 16:41:12 GMT -5 @villainv said:

Is there outside space? Maybe some lawn games like spike ball or cornhole, a soccer ball, a basketball….badminton….

Lawn Darts. IYKYK

[oregonpachey]

Are you taking them to archery?

Get a really good potholder loom and let them create. The Harrisville friendly looks are the best.

Pottery? Is there an art studio or paint your own pottery place nearby? Or lots you can do for in your house?

[countthestars]

My kids love to blow up balloons and either play the game where they keep them in the air or they draw faces on them and name them. (?? I’m not sure why). It entertains them for hours.

Slime is also a hit. It’s messy to make, but pre-made
Is still fun.

[followyourarrow]

Sept 24, 2024 20:01:15 GMT -5 oregonpachey said:

Are you taking them to archery?

Get a really good potholder loom and let them create. The Harrisville friendly looks are the best.

Pottery? Is there an art studio or paint your own pottery place nearby? Or lots you can do for in your house?

Two are interested in archery and we’ll do that with them. We recently set up an area in our backyard for it. We’ll definitely be taking them out to do stuff, but also needing some at home stuff. They’ll probably be here fairly often.

[penguingrrl]

My kids love playing board games. Uno is a huge hit, as is Cards Against Humanity. One loves chess, but the other two don’t so he only gets to play if H is available. They all like quirkle a lot, too.

I know you’re trying to limit screen time, which is great, but my middle absolutely loves drawing in her iPad using the ProCreate app. She spends hours a day, and I’m fine with her doing that since it’s still highly creative and artistic even if it’s on a screen.

[nicolewi]

4, 8, 11 and 16. Okay, my kids are currently 9, 11, 13 and 15. I mean..some of these ideas seem like you are fully stocking up. Is this just for short visits?? or like they will be there for a week in summer playing badminton, croquet, lawn darts, etc?

You really won't need all that much.

I would consider these things...
--Johanna Basford MINI coloring books (on Amazon) or other coloring books, and a nice thin marker set with lots of colors
--Uno Attack (always a hit; easy to play)
--This quick card game called "No Thanks" that initially may seem lame but is actually fun to play and super easy to learn with any groups (4 year old could play on a team)
--Sushi Go card game
--plain white paper and crayons (my aunt always had new, sharp crayons instead of our usual dull worn out ones!); some stickers from Dollar Tree
--maybe a Color Wonder book and Color Wonder markers for the little one (and 8 year old would probably do it)
--sidewalk chalk if you have a spot, and bubbles
--For the 4 year old (and maybe 8?) one nice play food set. This one has been a huge hit for years for us.
www.kohls.com/product/prd-2200991/learning-resources-play-pretend-rise-shine-breakfast-set.jsp?skuid=99526556&CID=shopping30&utm_campaign=TOYS&utm_medium=CSE&utm_source=google&utm_product=99526556&utm_campaignid=20407235163&CID=shopping30&utm_campaign=SSC&utm_medium=CSE&utm_source=google&utm_campaignid=20407235163&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxsm3BhDrARIsAMtVz6NlBEigwSP_j1CBCBOk3KbnsPie1hBQ9XCZd6CMtm4kbnfBdmAIxpMaAvqIEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Magnatiles are amazing but not sure you really need a huge expensive set. The big kids are getting out of that stage.
--maybe Mancala game? and/Or Mastermind.


Optional--Just a little bit of anything they are really into. I.e. one Barbie set that comes with a couple Barbies if they like those, some plastic dinos or sharks, maybe one fun Playmobil set, etc.

[gt7301b]

My 8 year old loves game these are some of our favorites: Sleeping Queens, Zeus on the Loose, Rat a Tat Cat, Quixx, Uno/Flex, Monopoly Deal, Exploding Kittens, Azul. Most of these game could be played with the older kids but probably not the 4 year old.

My son also loves the Melissa and Doug cardboard blocks, he got these at 4 and still plays with them. He also likes art kits (we just finished a 9.99 dinosaur kit) and science kits.

[186momx]

We played bucket golf over the weekend and it was a hit with my 13yr old. If you have room for archery that might be fun ans you can make it super easy or hard.

Domino's and regular playing cards are two things our kid free friends keep around to play with DD.

[heygrey]

If the 8 year old is into art and you're okay with screens - Art Hub for Kids on Youtube is a great channel. It's step by step drawing tutorials for dozens of different things. We use it at school and I often put it on at home if I have a group of kids over in the winter and they are cooped up. The videos are usually 10-15 minutes and kids love it.

If you have a tree, a large saucer swing to lay on.

[expectantsteelerfan]

Are they all siblings? My kids and their cousins have that age range, but because they aren't siblings, my DD loves the novelty of playing with her younger cousins and will 'play' with stuff she has long since outgrown on her own. My ds is the oldest, and he ignores all of the younger ones and goes off on his own on his phone/computer.

But don't be afraid to go simple. For outside, things like a frisbee, a ball of any kind, chalk can be entertaining because they are new and different. But I agree with pp that if they are staying for longer periods of time, like for a whole week or more and not just a day or two, more elaborate stuff might be worth it too. I 2nd a large saucer swing if you have a tree to hang it from, or something like a standing hammock if you don't.

For inside, mine like silly games. A stuffed 'hot potato' that you squeeze to start and then pass until the music stops is a favorite. Uno attack, electric Simon games, a plain deck of cards are also good.

[shauni27]

outdoor games and indoor games. We have a pop-a-shot, air hockey and foosball table inside the playroom. We have all the other fun outdoor things mentioned above, too (squirt guns are a huge hit, too). Plus all the games like taco cat goat cheese pizza, phase 10, skipbo, scattagories, uno, etc.

I recently discovered a great women-owned puzzle company called villagers puzzles. They are $$ but beautiful and we all love those.

Kinetic sand kits are great.

[followyourarrow]

Thanks everyone! They'll be spending an afternoon or a Saturday here every couple of weeks. I don't have kids and FI's kids are grown, so we just don't have much at our house and I want them to be comfortable here.

[expectantsteelerfan]

Sept 25, 2024 8:50:15 GMT -5 followyourarrow said:

Thanks everyone! They'll be spending an afternoon or a Saturday here every couple of weeks. I don't have kids and FI's kids are grown, so we just don't have much at our house and I want them to be comfortable here.

That makes total sense and is very kind of you.  IME, kids will enjoy the novelty of being somewhere other than their normal places, and they will find the most random things to be entertained by.  So my updated advice is to pick up SOME stuff (both indoor and outdoor) to keep them entertained, but don't go overboard, and then replace/get new stuff like once a season to keep things interesting.  Or if you get it all now, put some of it away and only bring out something new if they are having a rough day or seem especially bored.