Nanny 101
- You’re extremely flexible. You are always prepared if your employer asks you to do something at the last minute regarding the child.
- You don’t mind working holidays. There may be times where you are needed on Christmas or Thanksgiving. Especially, if your employer is throwing a holiday party, and needs you to watch the children.
- You can think on the spot. A little spontaneous thinking can go a long way. This can help during an emergency situation with the child.
- You already have childcare training. Courses in childcare are always a plus when it comes to applying for nanny positions. The more education, the better.
- You already have experience as a nanny. You have already been a nanny for many years, so jumping into a new nanny position will be a smooth transition.
- You have the ability to see things through a child’s eye. You can remember when you were a kid, and you can empathize with a child and how they are feeling.
- You feel comfortable around a nanny cam. More and more employers are installing nanny cams in their homes to monitor their workers.
- You already know first aid and CPR. This is a necessity in case of an emergency.
- You are willing to network and meet other nannies. It is good to network and get to know other nannies because you can find out different tips and helpful suggestions.
- You love to travel. There may be times where your employer will want you to come along on a family vacation to help with the children.
- You really love kids. This is a must if you really want to become a nanny.
Characteristics
- You are known to be very organized. Organization helps when it comes to keeping the playroom in order.
- You can handle stress well. There will be stress free days and days when nothing goes as plan. Maintaining your cool will help bring positive outcomes.
- You are focused and attentive. You will have to be on your toes and pay attention at all times, especially when you are a nanny to multiple children.
- You know how to discipline responsibly. You know when to use time outs, as well as talk with the children to let them know when they have done something wrong.
- You have patience. Patience will always be needed when it comes to being a nanny.
- You are trustworthy. The parents trust you with their most precious thing, their children.
- You are a self-starter. You know how to initiate things and don’t always need someone looking over your shoulder to get things done.
- You have always been outgoing. An outgoing personality will definitely keep the children entertained and keep the parents happy.
- You consider yourself a good role model. The children that you nanny should look up to you, and you should promote positive actions.
- You’re a great communicator. You have a great relationship with the parents and the children, and the lines of communication are always open to discuss issues.
Getting Things Done and Making Things Come Together
- You don’t mind housework. You keep the house tidy and make sure everything is in its appropriate place.
- You can come up with nutritious meals. You are great at making meals that the kids will enjoy and that are good for them.
- You’ve got lots of energy. When you are the nanny of toddlers and preschoolers, you will get tons of exercise running after them all day.
- You are good at lesson plans. A lesson plan goes a long way when it comes to keeping the day organized and the activities in order.
- You would be a Super Nanny. You understand child psychology and are able to diffuse just about any situation.
- You know the art of multitasking. You have the ability to juggle many things at the same time, and get them all done with ease.
- You are good with kids in the grocery store. This can be one of the most complicated errands, because kids like to run up and down the aisles and take things off of shelves. If you can keep the kids under control, then that is pure talent.
- You know how to say no. This will definitely help on those grocery shopping trips, when everyone wants everything.
- You are resourceful. You know how to make a lot out of a little.
- You can create an emergency plan. You will have a complete emergency plan in force in case of fires, break-ins, and natural disasters.
- You are a good problem solver. Sometimes situations will arise when the parents are not home, and you have to make quick decisions on the spot.
Fun and Creativity
- You are a good storyteller. You can create stories off the top of your head to enlighten the children.
- You can make creative snacks. From ants on a log to heart shaped sandwiches, you have a list of creative snacks that the kids will enjoy eating.
- You enjoy baking. You have fun with baking by making different kinds of cupcakes and pastries.
- You like to make healthy smoothies. When done right, the children will think that they are drinking a milkshake.
- You are good at making up games. Sometimes the best games are the clapping games and games where you identify parts of the body. Preschoolers and toddlers will definitely learn from these types of games.
- You like to read books out loud. With an animated voice and a fun whimsical book, you can keep children entertained for a nice period of time.
- You know a good selection of children’s movies. This is an activity that children will be happy to participate in several times a week.
- You are a musical person. Children love sing-a-longs, and you can incorporate this easily into the day.
- You love cartoons. You will laugh along with the kids and will actually be enjoying yourself while watching.
- You know how to use your imagination. This is great for those impromptu tea parties with the stuffed animals.
- You like picnics. Throwing a surprise picnic with nutritious food will keep the children happy and healthy.
- You love video games. The children will be impressed that their nanny can go one on one with them on Xbox.
- You encourage friendly competition. Having a track and field day and running races is great competition and exercise.
- You love to hug. Children love to be shown a little love now and then.
- You have a great sense of humor. You can joke and laugh, and not take things to seriously.
- You like animals. A lot of households have pets, so it definitely helps if you get along with animals.
- You appreciate culture. You can expose the children to art exhibits and museums that can be educational and fun.
- You don’t mind playing dress-up. If you are the nanny of little girls, sometimes you may have to put on some outlandish clothes and just use your imagination.
- You are the queen of Karaoke. If there is a karaoke machine handy, it would be a lot of fun to sing silly songs with the children.
- You love arts and crafts. You have a box full of glitter, glue, child-friendly scissors, markers and construction paper for spur of the moment arts and crafts fun.
- You enjoy nature. On walks to the park or around the neighborhood, you can educate the children on different tree and plant species.
- You like to draw. You can sit and draw with the kids, or you can create coloring books for the kids to color in themselves.
- You know fun and easy recipes. Children love to be able to be a part of the cooking process, and love to eat what they have created.
- You know how to make forts. You know how to create the best forts for the kids with chairs, pillows, and sheets.
- You think making home movies are fun. You break out the camcorder and let the kids be silly in front of the camera. This is something that they can cherish for years to come.
- You like old board games. Since most kids like playing video games these days, it will be nice to let them play a board game of yesteryears, like Monopoly or Sorry.
- You love bicycling. This can be an alternative to walking. Have a bike outing, with safety helmets and kneepads included.
- You know how to make homemade ice cream. This can be a summertime treat for good behavior that the kids will love.
- You can make a great snowman. If there is enough snow on the ground during the winter, the children will enjoy making a snowman, with various objects to make the face.
- You know of a place to watch planes take off from the airport. Kids will think this is cool, especially if it is during a clear and sunny day.
- You can think of clever scavenger hunts. Scavenger hunts are not just for Easter. You creatively make hunts for various things like small toys or treats.
- You like miniature golfing. Miniature golf is a fun experience and something different for the kids to do on a warm day.
- You know how to make picture collages. The kids will have fun putting pictures of their family and friends together in a beautiful arrangement.
- You can make a great bowl of popcorn. You turn regular popcorn into fabulous popcorn for the kids, by adding different seasonings and sweet coatings.
- You know how to ice skate. Teaching the kids to ice skate is a great wintertime activity and is also great exercise.
- You love rollerblading. Rollerblading is a fun activity to do with the kids around a lake or even in the neighborhood.
- You like to fish. Using rubber bait, you can teach the kids how to fish as a sport. Afterwards you can release the fish back into the water.
- You like sledding. Sledding is another way for the kids to play in the snow, as long as it is done safely.
- You’re good at bowling. Using the children’s bowling balls at the bowling alley, the kids can learn to bowl and also how to keep bowling scores.
- You can perform a great puppet show. You can make the puppets from scratch, as well as the stage for the puppet show.
- You like to catch fireflies. You and the kids can have lots of fun catching fireflies in a clear jar and then letting them go.
- You know how to make holiday decorations. During the holidays, you and the children can make great holiday decorations and put them up in the windows and around the house.
- You still love hide and seek. This game has spanned many generations and is still a favorite with the children.
- You think of cool ways to have campouts. Whether indoors or outdoors, you will have lots of treats and stories to tell. The children can help put up the tent.
- You like simple walks. Taking the kids on simple walks, are excellent ways to stay active and get some sunshine.
- You know how to fly a kite. This is a great activity to do in the park or at the beach with the kids.
- You love scrapbooking. You can teach the kids how to make their own scrapbooks with their favorite photos and scrapbook accessories.
- You know where some great apple orchards are located. Taking the kids to pick apples is a fun afternoon activity. Not only can the children eat the apples as snacks later, but you can teach them how to make pies with the apples as well.
- You love going to pumpkin patches. Have the kids pick out a pumpkin that they like, and then have a pumpkin carving party afterwards.
- You like raking leaves. The kids can help rake leaves in the backyard, and then they can have fun running and jumping into them.
- You can make great sand castles. Going to the beach with the kids and making sand castles can make wonderful Kodak moments.
- You can think of cool indoor exercises. This will help when it is rainy outside and you can’t go on walks or to the park.
- You think toasting marshmallows is fun. Toasting marshmallows is not just for campfires, but it makes a tasty afternoon treat.
- You don’t mind the kids chalking up the sidewalk. You and the kids can go out and make wonderful chalk creations on the sidewalk.
Learning
- You can think of fun ways to learn. You can make your own flashcards and tutorial programs that make learning fun for the kids.
- You are able to care for children with disabilities. This will help if you apply with a family who has disabled children.
- You have mastered the art of potty training. Maybe you have helped with potty training before, or have kids of your own, so you know what it takes to get the children to go.
- You can create your own rewards program. You can come up with creative ways to give rewards to the children for their accomplishments.
- You can think of unique ways to get the children to clean their room. You can make it a game or give a reward for cleaning the room, or other parts of the house.
- You know more than one language. This opens up more options to help families that speak another language.
- You know how to swim. You can teach the kids how to swim, as well as assist in a swimming emergency.
- You love science. You can help with science projects and homework assignments.
- You like nursery rhymes. This comes in handy with toddlers and preschool children.
- You still like puzzles. These can be great for fundamental learning.
- You know how to plant. You can teach the children the art of gardening.
- You do crosswords in your spare time. You can make the children crossword puzzles with different themes.
- You know about time capsules. Making a time capsule with the children, can provide them with something to discover and look back on 15 years from now.