I usually only take 3-6 year olds during the year. However, I have 3 openings that I just haven't gotten any calls on. I am thinking about taking school aged kids for the summer but I have no idea what to do with them. I advertise my daycare as a daycare/preschool with the main purpose of getting the kids ready for Kinder. What activities do you do with older kids? I don't even know if I have toys they will be happy with. Advice please!!!!!

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SA kids will usually find something to entertain themselves with. Reinforce K concepts with them. Let them bring a toy or two from home to play with. Let them "help" with the younger children - read to them, color with them, teach them songs, etc.

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I think that it would depend on the age of the kids. I don't have SA.
I also have a kinder ready program

However, last summer a friend of mine with two kids asked if I could watch her two kids for two days. Ages 6 and 8.

OH boy was it a disaster. The 8 year old girl tried to treat the 3,5 year olds like babies, wanting to rock them and pick them up. When they screamed at her she got very upset. The rest of the day after that was. "im bored, there's nothing to do here but baby stuff". The six year old was boy and he was ok for about half the day and then started in on "im bored theres nothing to do here" he wanted to play with my older son's (15yr old) playstation. Which I said NO way.

I think that if you can plan out some great activities, you can make it happen. Also, I like the idea of having the olders teach the youngers. Just make sure it's something fun. LIke letting the bigger kids think that they are the teachers. Of course you need to make sure you get these types of SA. Some love this type of stuff and some hate it.

I don't have any advice for you other than wanted to share my experience with you....

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I've done multi age homes for 5 years, ranging from 9 months to 9 years.
I love having all ages. The older ones are such a HUGE help with the younger ones.

During the summer I usually do some type of "schoolwork" each day. I buy a workbook for each child called "summer bridge", it is based on the grade the child will be entering in the fall. We do a page or two each day out of the book. It has lots of activities in it.

I also involve them in storytime and craft time for the younger ones. They read to them, teach them songs and help me with the crafts. This works best if its girls, as boys dont want to do this type of stuff most of the time.

During naptime for the younger ones I let them read, do puzzles, legos or pony beads or perler beads. Things they cant do when the little ones are up. Sometimes they get to watch a movie or play the Wii or computer games.

We also do fun things like scavenger hunts, board games, bingo. I keep a container of dollar store toys and candy and once a week we play games and the winners get to pick a prize. I make sure everyone is a winner so they all get something.

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Eek! Did you want to pull your hair out, too? One of my kids who aged out and went to "pre-school" returned to my daycare for the summer. I had a good system with my younger group and we all worked together like a well-oiled machine most of the time, and then older DCG comes back and she was a holy terror! There was an endless supply of "I'm bored!", "Can I have a snack?", "Do I have to nap?", "When is lunch?", "Can we go inside? I'm too hot!", "I had spaghetti last night, can I have something different for lunch?", "I'm the oldest guys, so I go first"....... and more complaints than I could handle.

My worse problem with her, though, had to be the way she showed my little friends how to improperly use all of my toys from my baby dolls to my swingset. The baby dolls were suddenly allowed to be undressed and my swings were allowed to be stood on while swinging. I repeatedly had to explain the rules of the house and toys to her on a twice-a-day basis and I was ready to pull my hair out come Friday afternoon at pickup on the first week.

Come Monday, I had worksheets printed, workbooks on hand, plenty of "big kid" activities ready for her for the week and I sectioned off the playroom so that she no longer had access to it. My first few days of her second week went like this;

"No, P, these toys are for the babies. You'll be very bored playing with them. Why don't you open up your workbook and work on a "BIG KID" activity."

"Of course you can have a snack, let me go ahead and get some of those yummy radishes from the fridge while you take your seat at the table. It's too bad we have to wait until snacktime to have those bagels, huh?"

"I'm sorry you're too hot in this 75 degree weather, P. You're welcome to take a seat under the umbrella and relax until we go inside. (To everyone else) Who wants to play with bubbles!?"

I learned a very important lesson that day; I am not equipped to care for school-agers.

To original poster, if you had to take school-agers, I'd make sure I had plenty of activities that were directed toward their age. I'd go out and buy more age-appropriate toys that the children would enjoy and would keep them occupied. It definitely takes much more patience and commitment, and prepare yourself for having to explain everything in much more detail. School-agers won't take "Carrots make your eyes see better" any more than they'll take "I'm having water just like you guys!" with a cup that contains something of the colored variety.

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I don't mind school age but I only have MY school age kids. Ones that have left me for big school and came back so they know the routine and rules. They know they get banished to the backyard or the basement at naptime and aren't allowed back in/upstairs until 2pm. They know they are not to interfere with the little ones games and play if they're content, etc, etc.

I let SA bring toys from home which seems to keep them fairly content. I give them 1 hour a day on the Wii during the end of naptime and I always let them do messy crafts (if they want) when the littles are sleeping. I find they are content to entertain themselves if they know they can do fun stuff when the littles are sleeping.

That being said I have let school agers go out of sheer annoyance. I had two of my friends kids here last summer and I could not wait to see them go. They complained all summer long. Too far to walk to the beach (3 blocks), too hot to go in th pool, too cold to go in the pool, too sunny outside, snack is gross, milk is gross, lunch is gross, the list goes on and on. Basically they were two overweight electronics junkies who wanted to play video games and watch music videos all day long. They were 8 and 11 btw.

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I have five boys of my own that are all SA and I find with watching SA its more trouble than its worth. They want to do what I allow my own kids to do when I can't allow it for daycare. I don't have enough to keep them busy and its my new policy I won't take SA anymore

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I watch SA's only and no littles, and even I have to say...Don't do it!!!!

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I'd rather eat bologna every day, instead of having to take SA. I can't deal with the constant I'm bored and the griping about not having video games or being able to watch TV all day. I love the under 4 group and will stick with that. I forgot to mention that I hate bologna.

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I think I would doggie/kitty sit for folks going on vacation, sell avon and get a paper route first

Good luck with your decision, though.

Advice? Um, Bubble wrap your breakables....

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I'm the opposite. I LOVE LOVE LOVE schoolagers. If I could have a whole group of them I would. But my own kids are 5 and 9, so I do a lot of planning and activities for that age anyway.
I would much prefer a group of 5 and up than under 5.

Right now my group of 4, 5 and 6 year olds are playing "power rangers" under a tent we made stretching blankets from the bookcase to the couch. They've been at it for over an hour.

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Thanks everybody. I do have a 6 year old scheduled for the summer...sibling of one of my regular younger dck. We tried it out for a week in March. It was NOT good and I am not looking forward to her coming back but I already promised parents and I am afraid they will pull the other kid too. She was bossy to the other kids, her response to everything "I know this already", didn't feel that she had to listen or clean up but worse was that she picked on the other kids and always excluded at aleast one kid from play. Gpod thing is she naps...requirement at my dc. I am going to get her a workbook...maybe the Summer Bridge recommended above. I will also plan activites to keep them busy. Money is just a problem right now but I don't know if it is worth losing my sanity by getting more sa kids. Thanks for reminding me. I have begun to make hair bows, tutus, toddler belts and diaper cakes to sell. Let's see if I can make some cash off that. AHHHHGHGG

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If you already have the one SA coming, I would add another if you can. The issues with one SA aren't going to change by having another. If you have another older kid for her to play with, maybe she won't be as bossy with the littles.

I have 3 SA this summer and I am trying to adjust my frame of mind. It's only 3 months!! I asked one of the dad's yesterday what SAB likes to do at home, play with toy wise. The response was video games. They told me if i'm ok with it, they will let him bring his DS...while i'm sure that would make my job much easier, i cant stand kids zoned out to a screen all day.

i have my hands full wth a squirmy 1yo right now, so i will post more later on my summer plan.

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Thank you! I would appreciate that because I also have a 1 year old ...my own.

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NO school agers. They are the devil

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So......here is my plan to survive the summer. My own children are 15,12,9, so I don't have little ones of my own. My 12 year old very much enjoys crafty activities, so once a week we will have a craft day. I am not going to do it more then that because for one, it will get expesive, and 2, I have had my families long enough to know they don't enjoy crafts. They look at them as junk, sad but true. I am going to let her run it.

I plan on spending a large chunk of our morning outside. We are going to do a small garden and a small flower bed that the SA can help plant, water and care for. Every afternoon there will be a mandatory quiet time from 1 to 1:45 for everybody!! No looking at books, no quiet activities, they will find a spot and just be. I don't think that that is to long of a time for them to just chill. After that, I will take the SA to the kitchen table and they can draw, write, read or work on a work book of school related activities. If their behavior is good throughout the week, they can earn a Wii party on fridays. Once a week we will have a movie in the afternoon. As I do mainly have little kid toys, I will allow them to bring one toy from home, but it can not be weapon related or electronic. I have legos, marble run, games, SA books, art supplies and that sort of thing that they can use. We will make playdough, and they can choose to help with snack prep if they want to.

I am going to TRY and remove the word "no" from my vocabulary this summer and go with the theory of, if it's doable give it a try. I have a tendency to say no because of the work/mess/time involved, but I am going to try and let the older kids do more of the leading this summer. I am in a bit of a different circumstance because the kids that I have this summer have all been raised with me. So they aren't newbie SA kids coming into the environment. They know my rules and know how we do things around here. SA are not my favorite age by far. This is the last summer I will be doing them as the sibling groups that I have are moving on.

I am just going to try and go with it and not stress over things. Yes they will probably get on my nerves. I will probably get tired of hearing "i'm bored". But with the group I have I need to watch the SA. If it's all you can find, I think you can make it work, you just have to adjust your mindset. Not sure if that' s much help, but it's how I plan on handling things.

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Yikes!!! S/A?..... run for the hills!!!!!

I would rather be poor than care for school agers.

I have a house full of my own!.......... Why would I want someone else's?

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OMG I think the SA were the reason that i had to dye my hair twice in 3 months.
Yes everything she said..
If i ever, which I NEVER want to, I would only do it if something wiped out all the toddlers..... yes never.

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