As any experienced babysitter will tell you, the moment mom and dad walk out the door is when meltdowns are most likely to happen. The best way to stave off separation anxiety is with fun projects that stimulate little ones’ senses and their unique creative spirit—including everything from sensory activities for infants to arts and crafts projects for older kids.
Indoors or out, free activities or fun recipes, ingenious arts and crafts projects for older kids or sensory activities for preschoolers: whatever you choose, the key is making babysitting night something to look forward to—for the kids as well as the grown-ups.
We’ve put together a list of eight fascinating and fun activities so while mom and dad are away, the kids can play.
1. Bake or decorate your own cute cupcakes
Everybody loves cupcakes—especially little ones, who love to sample sweet treats. Just the prospect of tasting a delicious cupcake might be enough to calm them down as mom and dad head out the door—but better than winning them over with dessert is getting them on board with the baking process. Food activities for pre-schoolers are a great distraction.
It’s never too early to become a budding baker. Preschoolers should stay out of the oven’s reach, of course, but they can get their hands dirty by helping mix up frosting or decorate pre-made cupcakes with bright candy pieces in a design of their choice. These cute turkey-themed cupcakes, for example, make ideal preschool activities for Thanksgiving—and all year round.
Materials: cupcakes or cupcake mix, chocolate frosting, colourful candy pieces, candy eyes, melting chocolate, food colouring
2. Create your own critters in the great outdoors
Getting outside and exploring nature is a great way to distract little ones when mom and dad have left the house. A change of location offers new spots to explore. Go on a quest of discovery and see what you can find outside to bring indoors and use in a brand-new way.
Fun nature activities for preschoolers include making these “nature bugs” out of whatever you find in the great outdoors. Pinecones make great bodies for beetles and butterflies, while leaves and petals double as wonderful wings.
Materials: leaves, sticks, petals, pinecones—whatever you can find!
3. Make your own squeezy slime
Combine activities with colours for preschoolers with a sensory element for a stimulating arts and crafts experience that’s guaranteed to distract. Using just a handful of household ingredients, kids can whip up their own squeezy slime and delve deep into a squishy world of play. This fun activity is destined to help kids get messy, get creative—and get comfortable with being babysat while their parents are away.
Materials: Corn syrup, borax, colour changing glue, bowls and a spoon
4. Experiment with festive arts and crafts
Kids spend much of the year counting down to special events and birthdays, particularly in the colder months of the year. Help them harness that sense of anticipation and distract them from their parents being away with winter activities for preschoolers involving art and craft for Thanksgiving, Christmas and more.
One of the cutest crafts for winter is this fun woolly pom-pom project—perfect for the Christmas season. Simply make and put together some soft woolly pom poms in the colours of your choice and use the resulting decorations to string together photos, cards and more.
Materials: Yarn, cardboard, pom pom maker (optional)
5. Make your own worry stones
If the kids in your care aren’t immediately distracted or put at ease, help them find a creative way to self-soothe with fun activities that acknowledge their feelings. A great way to do this is by making their own worry stones.
Collect some pebbles in nature and use markers to decorate and colour them in with soothing symbols and messages that they can carry in their pocket and look at whenever they like. While mom and dad are away, reassure them that they can carry a memento of them wherever they go.
Materials: Pebbles, coloured markers
6. Draw your own Canadian flag
Get creative Canadian-style with this arts-and-crafts activity inspired by a favorite national emblem. Kids will love designing their own twist on the Canadian flag, using all kinds of art materials to mimic the classic maple-leaf design or even picking up their own in the great outdoors to trace in the center of their design.
Little ones can stick to the conventional red and white colour scheme or take it in their own direction. Creative and careful in equal measure, colouring has a relaxing and meditative quality that should settle kids right down, too—making this one of the most soothing activities for Canada Day or all year round.
Materials: paper, card, coloured pens, pencils or crayons—or whatever inspires you
7. Make your own DIY hungry caterpillar
There’s one thing you can count on: kids love the Hungry Caterpillar. Eric Carle’s literary classic has captured imaginations for generations. With just a few handy household items destined for the recycling, you can put together your very own caterpillar toys and use them for fun animal activities for preschoolers—such as by taking them on their own culinary journey around the store cupboards. Or take it a step further and combine crafting and counting by making their own game inspired by the famous book, as inspired by the blog A Little Pinch of Perfect.
Materials: Red and green pouch lids, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, glue dots, dice
8. Make your own bird feeder
Combine the magic of exploring the natural world with creative fun with one of the best examples of arts and crafts for birds—that you can do with just a few everyday items that might already be lying around the house.
Kids will love putting together their very own bird feeder using a milk carton for the basic structure and popsicle sticks for other parts. Put the pieces together, create an opening and fill the feeder up with seeds—then hang it up with string so our winged friends can get stuck in and kids can watch them feeding in the wild. A true natural wonder.
Materials: milk carton, popsicle sticks, string, glue
