 |
 |
See the Complete BSC Series List! |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
  |
 |
Baby-Sitting Tips
From "The Baby-sitters Club Guide to Baby-sitting" by Ann M. Martin. ON YOUR OWN WITH THE KIDS "What do we do now?" The parents have left, feeling confident that their children are in good hands. You've got the number where they can be reached on a pad next to the phone and you also have a back-up number of a neighbor. Now it's time to have fun. WHAT TO DO WITH A BABY It doesn't take a whole lot to entertain babies. Mostly you need to make sure that they're safe. If they're still too little to walk, be extra careful when they're sitting on couches or beds-they could fall off. If they're able to pull themselves to their feet and scoot along furniture, make sure they don't slip on magazines on the floor. Babies like to lie on their stomachs and kick their legs. Spread a blanket on the floor and put on music, so they can wiggle. Babies like rattles and things that jingle or make noise. Babies like to be read to. Books like Pat the Bunny are nice because they can feel the bunny fur and look at themselves in the mirror. All
of my brothers and sisters liked to play Peek-a-Boo when they were babies.
Use your hands or a book or a diaper and watch them giggle. Be sure and keep an eye on the baby's diaper. It's not good for a baby to spend hours in the same soggy diaper. She could get diaper rash. Check it at least once an hour and be sure and change the diaper before putting the baby to bed. WHAT TO DO WITH A TODDLER (age one to three) This age group is into everything. One second they are pulling all of the books off the shelves and the next second they are in your purse and taking apart your wallet. The youngest toddlers can entertain themselves by trying to assemble plastic food containers. As they get closer to three, toddlers like stacking blocks and dressing dolls, or playing with clay and coloring. They still are at the age that they're playing beside other kids but not really with them. Games and songs for one-year-olds: Ring
Around the Rosie Kids
love to make noise. If you can find a wooden spoon or any kind of spoon
and a cardboard box, they'll create their own music. But hold your ears!
Games for one- to three-year olds: Hide
and Seek It
seems that most kids love to build forts. All you need are a couple of
blankets or sheets, and some chairs or a table. Then you can pretend to
be pirates, or Peter Pan and Wendy, or Davy Crockett. For an extra-special
treat, let them eat snacks inside their fort. Songs for one- to three-year-olds: The Wheels on the Bus This Old Man Where Is Thumbkin? The Itsy Bitsy Spider Old MacDonald The Hokey Pokey I
like to put on music and dance. Sometimes we pretend we're butterflies.
Sometimes we tie towels or scarves around our shoulders and play super
heroes flying through the air. Books for this age: For one-year-olds: Any books with animal pictures and animals sounds. They also like the Find the Puppy (Duck or Kitty) books by Stephen Cartwright. And board books are great! For
all toddlers: (This is just a place to start. Go to the library and pick your own books. Kids like ones with fun pictures and lots of repetition.) WHAT TO DO WITH THREE- TO SIX-YEAR-OLDS This age group still likes to build things with blocks and play with dolls and cars but now it's even more fun becasue they want to play with you and their brothers and sisters. They like to try to read simple books but they are also getting to the age where they enjoy listening to you read more complicated stories. Games for three- to six-year-olds: All
of the games listed for one- to three-year-olds, plus: Children
love to play house and school and dress-up of any kind. Sometimes all
you need is a hat or a scarf or a pair of glasses. Crafts: Fold
paper hats out of newspaper and color them. Books for three- to six-year-olds: All
of the books for the younger ages, plus any early readers. WHAT TO DO WITH SIX-YEAR-OLDS AND UP Once kids are in elementary school, baby-sitting is more like caring for a younger friend. They enjoy all of the activities previously listed and will suggest many more of their own. When
I know I'm sitting for kids in elementary school I always stock my kid-kit
with a few more card games and board games like Risk and Monopoly. Cooking
projects can be lots of fun, but make sure you check with the parents
first. It's better if the kids are three or over and there are no small
babies around. Remember, it's awfully hard to supervise cooking and watch
an infant at the same time. Books
for six-year-olds and up: The
Mouse and the Motorcycle (or others) by Beverly Cleary |
 |
||