If you are a high school student trying to pick up extra cash or a full-time nanny looking to boost your ratings with the kids, entertaining the kids you watch can be difficult. Of course, you could plop them down in front of the television for a movie or video games, but that won’t keep you on the call-back list for very long. To help you win at babysitting, we have compiled this list of activities that are sure to make you the favorite, for the kids and their parents.

Arts and Crafts

Arts and craft time is a fun time for kids and sitters alike. Kids love it because it is a time to let loose and make a creative mess. It is great for you because it keeps them actively engaged and mentally stimulated. When you make crafts along with them, it affords you the opportunity to let out some of your creativity and your inner-child. Parents love it because they will have new art to display proudly.

Clean-up

One of the best ways to pass time with the kids is to clean up. Make it a game and have the kids help you clean. You can make it a competition on who can clean their room fastest and offer a healthy reward to the winner. If there is only one child, you can ask them what they would love to do and then tell them that once you clean your room, we can do just that. The kids can have fun discovering toys they left abandoned and the parents will be pleased because you didn’t just simply pass the time while they were away.

Go For a Walk

Take the kiddos outside for a walk. It’s great for the kids because it gets them outside, in the fresh air, engaged in physical activity. You can make it an adventure and take different turns to lengthen the walk. Make a stop at the neighborhood park as a rewarding stop along the way to encourage the kids to participate in future walks. The kids will love that you are spending time adventuring with them and it’s a moderate exercise for you. Their parents will be delighted you got them out of the house and used up some energy, especially if you take their dog too!

Trampoline Park

A trampoline park is an ultimate babysitting win! When you go to a trampoline park like Rebounderz Extreme Fun Zone, the kids can have a blast jumping in their respective age-appropriate areas and you can either watch or bounce right along with them. The kids love it because they have fun the entire time and it’s great for you and their parents because the kids are guaranteed to leave exhausted — a tired kid is a well-behaved kid!

Bake Cookies

If the kids you babysit are naturally curious, teach them a new skill while you bond, and then enjoy a tasty treat by baking some cookies. Children love cookies but are often not involved in the baking process. Including the kids can be fun in the kitchen and baking cookies is a relatively simple process. The kids will be delighted that you included them and the delicious reward at the end. Their parents will be pleased when they get to enjoy the product of your fun.

To win at babysitting, it doesn’t take much more than some energy and being engaged. Anyone can simply sit on the couch and take advantage of their host family’s cable to pass the time, but a great babysitter interacts with the children. If you want to be a babysitter that gets invited for more jobs, try out these tips. If you want to bring children to a trampoline park, bring them by Rebounderz Extreme Fun Zone in Jacksonville.