Babysitting Activities:
Have a Theme Night!

Babysitting activities and theme nights? What's a theme night (or afternoon) anyway? It's a set amount of time in which you plan a specific set of babysitting activities around a theme...pirates, movies, crafts, songs...the list is endless.

Getting started
To get started, think of your clients or potential clients. In this case, it's the kids you want to have come to your theme night. Ask yourself these questions to get started:

• What ages will be attending?
• Are there any particular hot trends in this age group? Pirate themes seem to spike around the release of The Pirates of Carribean movies or DVDs. Same thing for princess movies or other releases. This doesn't mean you need to show a movie - it just helps get your creative juices flowing.
• What talents or interests do you have? It's best to plan babysitting activities that work with your own interests and abilities. They are often easier to plan and do because you know what you are doing. And you don't want to be flustered with the kids...that throws everybody off!
• How many kids do you want to attend? This really needs to be combined with the ages of the kids as well. Smaller kids usually means smaller groups. Larger groups might do better with more structured activities.

These are just a few of the things to consider. Add your own ideas to round out your special babysitting activities.

Making your plan
Once you have settled on your theme, it's time to start planning. This is even before you have the kids signed up. You don't need to spend any money on supplies just yet - but you do need a plan and a budget. This will help you have specific information for your customers as well as help you know what is too expensive to include.

The best way to plan your babysitting activities? Write it out! It can look something like this for a theme night that lasts from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.:

• 6:00 - 6:15: Arrive
• 6:15 - 6:45: First activity: Decorate your own pirate hat and eye patch
• 6:45 - 7:00: Snacks: Goldfish in pirate chests with pirate juice
• 7:00 - 7:30: Second activity: Treasure hunt - Follow that map!
• 7:30 - 8:00: Games or songs
• 8:00 - 8:15: Parent pick-up

Now, figure out what supplies you need for each activity and how much they will cost. If you can charge enough to cover the cost of the supplies plus earn enough money for yourself, you're set! If not, review your plan. Can you make some of the items instead of buying them? Are there other cheaper activities you can do instead? Take a look at our fun babysitting ideas page.

Getting kids to come
All set? Time to advertise! If you have a good base of customers, call them first. Let them know that you are calling your current customers first so that they have the first option on the spots in your theme night.

If you don't have a customer base or if you don't fill your spots on the first round, consider distributing some simple flyers in your church or neighborhood. Have the key activities, times and a contact number. Don't include your address, however. Parents can get these details when they call, and it keeps others from having too much information.

If you need more information on advertising or just running your babysitting business in general, see our babysitting business page. So...what themes and babysitting activities can you come up with? Still a little stumped? Check out our expanded list that includes even more theme ideas.