How to Keep a 6‐Year‐Old Busy

Six-year-olds often need a lot of things to do to stay busy. Whether you work from home and need some time to yourself, want to help your child grow and learn, or just have a bored 6-year-old, it helps to give them something to do. Provide your child with several age-appropriate options to fill their time, share time together, and keep both of you happy.

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Exploring the Imagination

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    Encourage role-playing. Children often like to take on different characters. This could include fairy tale characters, superheroes and different professions, like doctors and firemen.[1] Encourage your child to play dress up and pretend to expand their imagination and explore different ideas.[2]
    • Keep props on hand to support pretend play, such as cardboard boxes, community worker hats, puppets, play food, and takeout menus.[3]
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    Twist a new ending to an old story. Help your child be creative by asking them to tell a story that they know and love, but ask them to make up a whole new ending.[4] Encourage them to draw the ending to the story as well. You can repeat this game over and over, changing it up every time.[5]
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    Play charades. This game will get your 6-year-old moving and keep them occupied. The more clues they have, the longer the game will last, so take a little time to write down words or phrases for them to act out.
    • Make sure the phrases you use are not too difficult for your child to understand or act out.
    • The player draws a phrase at random and reads it to himself.
    • Before starting to act out the phrase, they can indicate how many words it involves by showing that number of fingers to the people who will be guessing the phrase, then the player can hold up 1 finger to act out the first word, or 2 fingers to act out the second word, and so on.
    • The group can also agree on gestures which would indicate if the phrase is the title of a book, movie, song, etc…
    • The player must act out the phrase physically, without using any words, until the guessers figure out the phrase.
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    Put it all together in a show. Once kids have started making up stories, exploring different characters, and acting out phrases, they can put all of these skills together by creating a play. They can use puppets or costumes, or create sets. Give them some ideas and let them get to work on their own or with friends. [6]
    • Six-year-olds will likely spend a lot of time creating a show and you will only need to spend a few minutes to watch it.
    • Provide a cardboard box and markers for the child to make props for their play.
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    Inspire your child’s future career with toys which match their interests. Your 6-year-old may be beginning to lean toward certain interests. Allow them to explore these interest with toys which can teach them more and give them a chance to imagine their future. The more interest they have in a toy, the longer it will last. This goes for the day and the years they keep coming back to it.
    • Allow your future architect to build with toys. Try building blocks, LEGOs, Lincoln Logs, and other construction toys. You can also try a tool kit and work bench.
    • Try science kits with your little scientist. You will likely need to help and supervise with experiments, but your child can play with things like microscopes on her own.
    • Provide art and craft materials for a tiny artist. Six-year-olds can move beyond clay and dough to paints and pastels. Buy an art or craft kit and allow your child to be creative.
    • Get cars, model planes, or electric trains for a child who is mechanically inclined.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Enhancing Learning

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    Ask your child to think of a number and then guess it. Your child will be learning important principles to math while staying busy. One person thinks of a number and the other person asks yes or no questions to get clues until they can guess the number. Have your child think of the number first, so you can give them examples of the kinds of questions to ask. The person who has chosen a number should say, “I’m thinking of a number between 1 and 100,” for example. The other person can ask questions like:[7]
    • Is it an odd number?
    • Is it less than 50?
    • Can I get to it if I count by fives?
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    Set up a pretend store. Give your child containers or non-perishable groceries and have them set up a store. This should take some time as they arrange their products and put prices on everything. You can have them create coupons or put certain items on sale. When they have everything set up, you can go shopping at the store. The 6-year-old should have a calculator and be the cashier.[8]
    • Teach your child the different math symbols on the calculator and how to use them.
    • Challenge them with understanding how much each item is if it is being sold as 2 for $8.
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    Test hypotheses with a science experiment. Try experimenting with different items and guessing whether they will float or sink. Have your child compare a block of wood with a plastic bottle cap. Ask which one is heavier and which they think will float. Place the items in the water one at a time to test the predictions.
    • Push both items under the water and see which one floats back to the top.
    • Try wadding aluminum foil into a ball and putting it in the water. Then give your child another piece of aluminum foil and ask him to make it into a boat and see if he can make it float.
    • Explain the dispersion of weight and how the boat is being held up because the weight is spread out over more water to support it.[9]
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    Explore alliteration and rhyming using tongue twisters and poetry. Teach your child “Peter Piper” and see how fast they can repeat it. Have them come up with their own tongue twisters. Expose them to poetry, then give them words and have them think of other words which rhyme.[10]
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    Challenge your 6-year-old with board games and card games. There are plenty of games available which can teach your child dexterity, critical thinking, working with others, memory skills and more.[11] Some can be played with you or friends, while others can also work as solo games. Find some good, age appropriate games and help your child learn how to play them.[12]
    • "Go Fish" is a simple card game which will teach your 6-year-old how to hold cards in one hand, and learn pairing.
    • "Spot" it is a popular card game which teaches matching and challenges observation skills. It also comes in a small, portable package for taking with you on the road or pack for an event where you think your child might get bored.
    • "Hoot Owl Hoot" works on using strategy. The unique aspect of this game is its focus on working together instead of against the other players as each player works to set the next player up for success.
    • "Memory" is a classic game which can also be played solo. As the title implies, it will help your child work on memory skills.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Using Technology Responsibly

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    Allow limited time on tablets and smartphones. Most parents with tablets and smartphones will allow their children to play games on them. Limit a 6-year-old to 30-45 minutes per day to play on your device, as well as video games and other electronics.[13]
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    Protect your online store from purchases. Make sure that your child cannot make purchases while using your device. You will need to set passwords for app stores. Keep the password a secret.[14]
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    Vet the content of each game before they play it. While games can be fun, distracting and educational, you will want to know exactly what is involved before you allow your child to use it. Research the game and play it yourself to get the best exposure to the entire process.[15]
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Understanding Your 6-Year-Old

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    Acknowledge your child’s attention span. Once a child reaches 6 years, their attention span grows longer and their curiosity is increased. They will likely have more questions about the world and be more curious for new adventures.[16]
    • Go for walks and explore nature. Encourage your 6-year-old to ask questions about rocks, bugs and plants.
    • Find answers together by researching online and in books.
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    Take advantage of budding language skills. Six-year-olds are becoming readers, so expose them to different forms of writing. Take a trip to the library and try different types of writing styles to expose them to new things.[17]
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    Keep a 6-year-old active. Six-year-olds are just beginning to hone their motor skills. This is the perfect time to introduce them to different elements of sports and physical activities. For example:[19]
    • Enroll them in dance classes.
    • Play catch to work on hand/eye coordination.
    • Play a kids’ dance-along song on YouTube to incorporate movement and technology.
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    Seek out their talents. They will be exploring arts, colors, forms and lines. Allow them to experiment with paints, drawings and costume play. Give them paper, markers and dress-up gear.[20]
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Expert Q&A

  • Question
    How can I make babysitting more fun?
    Jessie Davidson
    Jessie Davidson
    Child Care Specialist
    Jessie Davidson is a Child Care Specialist and the CEO and Founder of BabysitPro, which provides online courses for current and aspiring babysitters. Jessie has over 20 years of childcare experience and specializes in best practices for sitters of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and grade-schoolers. BabysitPro’s courses are unique and age-specific so babysitters can learn detailed information relevant to the children they babysit. Jessie holds a BA in French Studies from Wheaton College and an MA in Visual Anthropology from The University of Southern California.
    Jessie Davidson
    Jessie Davidson
    Child Care Specialist
    Expert Answer
    Bring plenty of fun activities to do! If you babysit the child frequently for short periods of time, work on an on-going activity or project with them.
  • Question
    How do I keep my seven year old occupied?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Many of these options will work for a seven year old as well!
  • Question
    What can I do to entertain my 4-year-old daughter and educate her at the same time?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    There are plenty of educational websites like ABCMouse.com that combine games and learning.
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Warnings

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References

  1. ↑ Jessie Davidson. Child Care Specialist. Expert Interview. 11 June 2021.
  2. ↑ https://www.care.com/a/6-make-believe-games-to-boost-your-kids-imaginations-20150306113405
  3. ↑ http://www.craftykidsathome.com/a-z-of-pretend-play/
  4. ↑ Jessie Davidson. Child Care Specialist. Expert Interview. 11 June 2021.
  5. ↑ https://www.care.com/a/6-make-believe-games-to-boost-your-kids-imaginations-20150306113405
  6. ↑ https://www.care.com/a/6-make-believe-games-to-boost-your-kids-imaginations-20150306113405
  7. ↑ http://www.math.com/parents/articles/funmath.html
  8. ↑ http://www.math.com/parents/articles/funmath.html
  9. ↑ https://www2.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/science/science.pdf
  1. ↑ http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/reading-site/fun-ideas/age-5-6--2
  2. ↑ Jessie Davidson. Child Care Specialist. Expert Interview. 11 June 2021.
  3. ↑ http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2013/06/28/10-best-board-games-for-kids/
  4. ↑ http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/defuse-toddler-tech-tantrums
  5. ↑ http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/defuse-toddler-tech-tantrums
  6. ↑ http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/defuse-toddler-tech-tantrums
  7. ↑ http://www.pbs.org/parents/childdevelopmenttracker/six/
  8. ↑ http://www.pbs.org/parents/childdevelopmenttracker/six/
  9. ↑ Sylvia Rath. Parenting Specialist. Expert Interview. 19 May 2021.
  10. ↑ http://www.pbs.org/parents/childdevelopmenttracker/six/
  11. ↑ http://www.pbs.org/parents/childdevelopmenttracker/six/

About This Article

Sylvia Rath
Co-authored by:
Sylvia Rath
Parenting Specialist
This article was co-authored by Sylvia Rath. Sylvia Rath is a Parenting Specialist and the Director of Little Village Nursery School in Los Angeles, California. With over 30 years of experience, Sylvia guides parents through the preschool years and beyond by teaching respectful communication and positive discipline methods. Sylvia holds a BA in Psychology and Early Child Development from Antioch University. Before working at Little Village Nursery School, she taught preschool for eight years. This article has been viewed 45,306 times.
1 votes - 100%
Co-authors: 33
Updated: July 1, 2022
Views: 45,306
Categories: Raising Children
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