5 Fun New Year’s Activities for Your Kids to Do With Their Babysitter

By Aaron Swartz on December 28, 2022

December is nearly over, which means that it’s almost time to ring in the New Year! If you’re a parent with a child or three then getting out of the house to celebrate the coming of 2023 can be difficult — unless, of course, you have a babysitter! Babysitters are the saving grace of your New Year’s, but what exactly should they be doing with your kids while you’re gone? To make sure both you and your children have a great new year, here are five of our favorite activities for your babysitter to do with your kids on New Year’s Eve.

via Pexels

1. DIY Confetti

If your kids are old enough to stay up until midnight then they’ll really love a fun way to ring in the New Year. Our suggestion is something fun and a little chaotic, just like children: at-home confetti! You can use small plastic containers or cardboard tubes with one end sealed, then you just fill them with your confetti mix. We’d recommend avoiding glitter, sequins, and anything else very small and hard to clean, but scraps of colorful paper, small bits of foam, and other bright objects work great. Your sitter can even give the kids a bunch of options to put in their containers so they can make their own confetti. It’s a great way to get them involved in celebrating the New Year while keeping them occupied waiting.

2. Game Night

For most places in the U.S., it’s pretty cold out there, so you’ll want to focus your fun on a night in. One of the best things your sitter can play with your kids comes in the form of board games. They’re versatile, and children of most ages can play some game, whether Uno, Checkers, or Candy Land. Break open the game closet and let the kids pick some games they want to play (giving them a choice will help them stay involved and enjoy playing even more). Before you know it midnight will be rolling around and bedtime will be here.

3. NYE Noisemakers

It’s safe to say a lot of kids like making noise, so why not help them do exactly that and keep them occupied while you do? Making New Year’s Eve noisemakers can be a lot of fun for kids and they’re not too difficult a craft. Grab some paper plates, popsicle sticks, glue, stuff to decorate with, and some popcorn, dried beans, or other stuff to fill it with. Have the kids decorate the bottoms of two paper plates however they’d like, then glue a popsicle stick to the inside of one of the plates. Next, seal the plates with glue, tape, or staples, but leave a gap. Then fill your noisemaker with kernels so it makes a noise when you shake it, and seal it the rest of the way. Voila! DIY noisemakers for the kids to shake at midnight (or at nine, if they’re a bit young) and they even had fun making them.

4. New Year’s Eve Crackers

While not quite as common in the U.S., you’ve probably heard of Christmas Crackers, right? They’re little tubes of paper you pull open with another person and little trinkets fall out of them. Well, why should something so fun be relegated to Christmas? Your sitter can even make New Year’s Eve crackers with your kids. It’s really easy, just put some fun stuff like candy and toys in a toilet paper roll, wrap it all up with tissue paper, and tie the ends up with string. The kids will enjoy unearthing their prizes and tearing apart their creations, plus making them will keep them occupied for a while too.

5. Surprise Bags

Who doesn’t love a good surprise? Your kids will definitely enjoy one. So one great thing your sitter can do is prep some surprise bags for your kids. They can make one bag for when the ball drops, or have several for different milestones (10 o’clock, 11 o’clock, 11:50, etc). Fill them with fun little things the kids will love (though stuff that’s been ok-ed by you, the parent) like candy, small toys, and other fun trinkets. The anticipation will keep the kids involved and the payoff will have them loving the New Year’s spirit. All in all, it’ll be a great time for everyone involved.

And there you have it, five fun ideas for your babysitter to use when watching the kids on New Year’s Eve. Getting out as a parent can be hard, but New Year’s is a special time! Getting the chance to go out is great, especially with a great sitter there to watch your kids. And if they have this list to work off of, you can rest assured your kids will have a great time with them.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format