Free Resources for When Your Child Wants to Start Babysitting

Is your child at babysitting age? Don’t panic, it will be OK. I have you covered. Grab these free resources for when your child wants to start babysitting to put your mind at ease.

My daughter is super responsible and wanted to find a job for the time we take off of school in December and January. Although babysitting isn’t her “thing,” she couldn’t deny the fact that she was good at it.

It’s the same with me. I can say I don’t like kids all day, but the truth is, I love them and they tend to love me. I just understand them, and doing Sunday school and teaching little ones is in me I guess.

I think my daughter picked up this trait somehow, and it just so happened that an opportunity to babysit fell in her lap.

My friend needed someone to watch her two daughters twice a week, and they asked my daughter if she would do it. So twice a week, she watched two little girls, and she loved it.

Preparation for babysitting.

We had a talk before she began, and I told her about the very best babysitter she ever had. Lucy Roberson. Lucy was amazing.

Lucy would come with a pre-printed template to fill out what she did with my kids while babysitting. She wrote what they ate and at what time, activities they did, books they read, and more.

My daughter knew this is what she wanted to do and followed suit. I love that she took it seriously and produced a good product for the family.

Babysitting can teach girls some great skills in preparation for adulthood. Even on top of responsibility and accountability, babysitting can provide girls with building blocks of great personal and professional skills as they grow older.

Here are just a few of some important things babysitting can teach your tween/teen.

Patience.

If there is nothing else babysitting teaches, this is a main essential characteristic that babysitting can produce. These kids are not related to the babysitter like siblings at home, therefore a babysitter needs to learn how to be patient with children who may not listen or who want things a certain way.

Leadership.

As I mentioned above with the skill of patience, kids may not simply do whatever the babysitter says. A babysitter definitely has to learn to adjust her speech, tone, and directness in order for children to listen and obey.

This is not to become a babysitting dictator, but to get kids to listen and love you at the same time is quite a useful skill many babysitters learn to have. This is a great precursor to other leadership roles in life.

Creativity.

My daughter has had to come up with games and ideas for drawing pictures for the kids. She has created silly songs, done some dramatic play, and built forts that she would never have thought of trying if she hadn’t tried babysitting.

Even with the two girls she watched, she had to come up with creative ways for them to stop arguing (conflict resolution bonus+ skills) or to share their toys or play well together. Babysitters have to think outside of the box and think on their toes creatively to make things flow smoothly.

Time management.

One day time flew by while my daughter was babysitting. I came to pick her up, but she wasn’t ready. She quickly learned that on top of being on time, she needed to keep track of how long activities took and to wrap things up a little before my pick-up time.

Check out this resource to help your child with time management at home.

Multitasking.

My daughter’s first babysitting day was like a whirlwind. She said it went so fast she felt as if she did a billion things in a few hours.

Watching two kids, she has to watch one while she attends another. She has to keep them in a safe play space as she makes them sandwiches (cooking skills bonus+). Multitasking is a must in adulthood, and babysitting is a great place to get experience.

Household organization and cleaning skills.

She has to fix up the living area before she leaves. She also delegates (delegation skills bonus+) a few things for the girls to tidy up. Learning to keep the home organized or tidy up before her shift ends teaches her to do the same at home. (She values a clean space more at home as well!)

Money management.

I am so proud to say my daughter used the money she saved from her babysitting job to take our family out to dinner for my birthday. I was just so humbled by it. I actually felt bad letting her pay for dinner, but she insisted.

My daughter learns to save the money family gives her for her birthday or for Christmas but earning your money is different. Saving the money that she earned made me so proud. I knew that in this time of instant gratification and spending, this was a skill she could take with her through adulthood.

There are more beneficial skills gained from babysitting, too. Babysitting can also help kids with communication skills, planning, problem-solving, and even confidence.

Here are some free resources for when your child wants to start babysitting and become the best babysitter ever:

Get Your Printable Babysitting Kit! (Download FREE Forms, Checklists & Documents) | KidSit

‘Bee’ a Great Babysitter Activity Days | The Fickle Pickle

8 Tips For Babysitting An Autistic Child (+ FREE Printable For Your Babysitter) | Special Learning House

Babysitting 101 Video – Tips and Guidelines for Beginners | Brooklyn and Bailey

13 Must Have Babysitting Resources | Tip Junkie

Is Your Child Old Enough to Babysit? 7 Signs to Watch For | Skill Trekker

“Getting to Know You” Child Questions FREE Printable (babysitting, scrapbooks, etc.) | Lovebugs and Postcards

The Only Babysitter Checklist You’ll Ever Need (FREE Printable) | Melissa Fitzhugh

FREE Babysitting Flyer Examples | Hloom

New Babysitter FREE Checklist | City Moms Blog

FREE Downloadable Printables for Activities at Home | Fosterline

Your kids will also benefit from learning some life skills along the way. If you ever ask yourself “How Do I Teach My Teen Life Skills?” this article will help:

Be sure to make sure your kiddos remember that what comes first in babysitting is safety. This free download Intro to Safe Babysitting by SafeSitter (subscription FREEBIE) is a great place to start for a safety-first foundation.