Things to Do With Little Kids During the Super Bowl
I believe that when the kids reach a certain age, they might be interested in the Super Bowl. My children have not reached this level, and neither have I, an adult. But Super Bowl parties are a family affair, and if you’re hosting or attending one, you can bet a large contingent of tiny people will be there, threatening a shootout, accidentally breaking something, or spilling Touchdown Punch.
Of course, you can leave them alone in the basement and die from 6,000 Lego chip-splattered chips, mismatched board game pieces, and broken puzzles at the end. You can also let them stay among the adults, watching them scream at the TV, soaking up all kinds of language, and answering a lot of questions about why so many buttocks were exposed during the halftime show. Or you can try one of the ideas below.
Let them paint their faces on game day
Kids want to get in the spirit just like their parents, and they can do so by painting their faces in team colors (royal blue and gold for the Rams, black, orange and white for the Bengals). If you have a patient, creative friend who is willing to take charge for an hour, ask them to line up in another room for interested kids. If not, a pair of art-loving 9-year-olds armed with face painting kits and printouts can do wonders with stripes, team letters, horns, numbers, soccer balls, or other simple designs.
Let them do crafts
Crafts that don’t require (much) adult supervision. Toddlers can make “pompoms” by attaching team-colored ribbons to empty toilet paper rolls, and older kids can make team “billboards”. Lay out the kraft paper, glue, felt, scissors, and coloring materials in a private room and have them work in groups to create posters. Make it a contest with “Most Original”, “Most Colorful” or other random designations that motivate them to spend enough time on it and make everyone feel like a winner. You can also buy several packs of cheap white jerseys and have them decorate their own team’s jersey.
Set up a playroom
Engage children in games for different ages (preferably short and less likely to cause controversy – I know this is a difficult task). Try out Jenga, Zingo, Guess Who?, and co-op games where you work together to reach a common goal for kids under 8. Older kids can have fun playing Mad Libs, Boggle, Foosball and video games. (Be sure to publish and announce the time limit rules in advance so that no one has a monopoly on the game consoles.) Print football searches, crosswords and Super Bowl Commercial Bingo cards for gamers.
Movie marathon (or do-it-yourself advertising)
To be honest, the easiest and quietest way is to put the youth to sleep 6000cc. see children’s television. The trick is to find movies that different age groups like that they haven’t seen 8 times yet. Another idea is to let the little ones run the show for Encanto or Luca , while the older kids write scripts and record their own Super Bowl commercials on an iPad or their parents’ old phone.
Hire a babysitter (even if you are at home)
It may seem counterintuitive to pay someone to babysit at an event where their parents are present, but let me tell you, it’s a genius move. You just can’t beat a dedicated master of ceremonies (or two) whose job it is to round up the restless masses. Make sure the nanny knows not to focus on one child; their job is to organize, judge and intervene in the affairs of all ages. You can also enlist the help of responsible teenagers or children of your guests; set it up ahead of time rather than asking when they will arrive. They may just want to fill up on sauces and wings.