Video Study Guide: Safety First Babysitting

Situation / Brittany / Mitch / Maria
What does the video show regarding getting informationabout children/your responsibilities as a babysitter?
What does each sitter face regarding food?
How does each sitter have fun with the children?
What behavior problems did each sitter face?
What safety precautions did each sitter face?
What emergencies did each sitter face?

Caring for Children (Babysitting)

AM I THE RIGHT PERSON TO BE A BABYSITTER?

Being a babysitter is perhaps the first paying job you will have. It can be fun as well as rewarding. However, it is a big responsibility. Before you decide to take that first babysitting job, think about the following points. Knowing what strengths you have is the first step to understanding what kind of a babysitter you will be.

1. I like children. (true/ false)
2. I know a lot of games to play with children. (true/ false)
3. I am willing to learn what I need to know. (true/ false)
4. I try to be calm and understanding in arguments. (true/ false)
5. People tell me I am good with children. (true/ false)
7. I like to read aloud. (true/ false)
8. I know some first aid and am willing to learn more. (true/ false)
9. I am responsible. (true/ false)
10. I am confident in talking with adults. (true/ false)
11. I am in good physical health. (true/ false)
12. I realize that all families are different, and I can be flexible. (true/ false)

Before you say “Yes”

Are you old enough?- First, you need to be old enough to babysit. Although in most places there is not a law governing how old you need to be, most parents agree that 12 or older is a good age. You should always check the laws in your community or state to be sure you are old enough to babysit. Be sure to talk to your parents, too! Always get your parents’ permission before accepting a babysitting job.

Are you interested?- You need to determine whether or not babysitting is your thing. Taking care of children is a big responsibility. If you can handle that burden, enjoy spending time with children, have patience, are trustworthy and dependable, have good organizational skills, are a good communicator and enjoy teaching through fun activities, babysitting may be a good job for you.

What do you know?- You should know what babysitting is all about before you jump head first into your first babysitting job. It is always a good idea to participate in a babysitting training course. These courses are usually offered by local hospital, YMCA, or Red Cross. Many parents prefer a babysitter who has taken one of these courses.

Meet the parents and the kids- If you accept the challenge of caring for someone’s child(ren), meet the parents and children of the job before you start. When you meet with them be sure to write down important information.

Be Prepared!

Pack an activity bag- Keeping kids occupied is the key to an enjoyable babysitting job. Bring a list of activities as well as some things you might need. Here are a few suggestions to keep kids occupied and happy:

  1. Pack a different book each time you go to babysit. Or, pack their favorite one!
  2. Bring plastic containers full of ingredients to make a snack. (Get permission and keep it simple)
  3. Bring the materials needed to make a fun seasonal craft.
  4. Pack some crayons, glue, safety scissors, markers and glitter. Bring coloring books or print out coloring pages.
  5. Make a game by asking what their favorite things such as colors, animals, food, songs, and make up a story together that includes all their favorite things.
  6. Cut up the front of a cereal box in fun shapes to make a puzzle. You can glue pictures from kids magazines on cardboard and cut them up too. Keep puzzle pieces in zip lock baggies.
  7. Mix 1 cup water, 1/3 cup dish soap (Joy, Sunlight, etc) and 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup to make bubbles. Use things from around the house as bubble makers, apple corer, potato masher, handle of a basting brush, etc.
  8. Make forts out of pillows and sheets. Making forts is easy for them and gives them a little hiding place. Bring along a flashlight or two and camp out in the family room.
  9. Toddlers love to play pretend. For an ice cream store you will need a table, clean ice cream containers, ice cream scoops, and cones made from paper. For a fun day at the beach you will need bathing suits, towels, sunglasses, a radio, and beach toys. To go grocery shopping you will need to gather empty food boxes and containers, play money, and cardboard boxes for shopping carts.
  10. Bring along a board or card game to play with the children.
  11. Try operation, Candyland, go fish, crazy eights, tic-tac-toe, etc
  12. LEGO provides hours of endless fun through imagination.
  13. A bucket of Legos is a good business investment.
  14. Bring along some CD's and/or tapes and dance and sing.
  15. Go for a nice walk and play I-Spy along the way.
  16. Go on a scavenger hunt

Enjoy yourself and always remember to keep in mind the age appropriateness of the activities as well as individuals likes and dislikes. And never forget safety when playing with and watching young children.

Safety First!!

When caring for a child, keeping him/her safe is your number one responsibility! Follow these simple guidelines:

  1. Have the following information written down and readily accessible in the event of an emergency (on the refrigerator is a good place); Family name, children's names, instructions on how to contact parents, phone numbers of close relatives and neighbors, doctor's name and phone number and the phone number of the poison control center.
  2. In the event of an emergency, call 911 and identify yourself by name, tell them you are babysitting and state the problem. State the address of the house where you are. Give the phone number you are calling from. Follow any instructions the emergency personnel tell you.
  3. Get written instructions about any medications to be given to the children. Be sure to find out amounts and times.
  4. Never have visitors over unless you have permission from the parents first. Ask ahead of time. The parents may want to meet this person before they are around their children.
  5. Plan a fire drill in your head. Plan on more ways than one to get yourself and the children out of the house in case of fire.
  6. Find out if you are to give the children anything to eat or drink before bed. Ask about any food allergies.
  7. Make sure all the doors and windows are locked from the inside, and lock the front door after the parents leave. Turn on the front light to the house.
  8. Make sure you know where the children are and what they are doing at all times. Stay with younger children to ensure their safety.
  9. Never let a stranger in the house. If you don't recognize them, don't let them in.
  10. When answering the phone, don't let people know you are there alone for long. Tell them you are watching the kids for a few minutes while the parents went to the corner store. Be sure to take a message and write it out on paper. Write down the time of the call, who called and when they said.
  11. After the children go to sleep, check on them every 20-30 minutes.

Note: Remember that you are in someone else's house as a guest. Do not make a mess and clean up after yourself. Don't go through their refrigerator unless they have given you permission to do so. Also, don't go through their things. Respect them like you would have them respect you in your own room.

Caring for Children (Babysitting)

Read the handout “Caring for Children (Babysitting)”

Answer the questions below.

True / False
  1. Am I the right person to be a babysitter?”

Read the questions on the handout and record your tally marks for each true or false answer.

(12 total)

Did you answer more true than false? If yes, then perhaps you would be a good babysitter…

  1. What age should you be to be a babysitter? ______
  2. Be prepared! What can you do/bring to occupy children that you are babysitting? ______
  3. What is your primary/ #1 responsibility when babysitting? ______
  4. When you are babysitting in someone’s house, you are a guest. What should you remember to do/not do? ______

When I was young…..

It wasn’t that long ago that you were a little kid. Think about how much you’ve grown over the years!

Do your best to answer the following questions…. Then, ask your parents to answer these questions about YOU!

  • What was your first word? ______When did you say it? ______
  • When did you first crawl? ______Walk? ______
  • What was your favorite foods? ______
  • What was your favorite toy at 1 year? ______At 3 years? ______At 5 years? ______
  • Did you ever eat anything that you shouldn’t? Or stick something in your nose, mouth, ears? Explain______
  • Did you have a special blanket, pillow, or stuffed animal? Tell me about it. ______
  • What were you afraid of? ______
  • What was your favorite game? ______

Playground Safety

Study the playground pictured below and list five safety hazards. Then answer the questions at the bottom of the page.

  1. ______
  2. ______
  3. ______
  4. ______
  5. ______

Would you take children you are babysitting to this playground?

Why or why not?

VideoWorksheet

©Learning ZoneXpress •

Directions: Answer the following questions and fill in the blanks while watching the video “How I

Learn: Ages & Stages of Child Development.”

1. Name four reasons infants cry.

a. b.

c.d.

2. What is an infant's first big milestone?

3. Intellectually, 1 to 3-month old infants are gathering______.

Socially, they like to followpeople and objects with their ______.

4. By 4 to 6 months, they ______a lot, gurgle and imitate______. They figure out that their______and ______are attached. They can ______things, ______if propped and put things in their ______.

5. What do adults do to stimulate interaction with infants?

6. Infants 7 to 12 months old are more ______. They ______and crawl, pull themselves up tostanding and some even ______. They can remember what they like to ______and ______.They know who they are in the ______.

Stranger shyness comes from separating the ______from the ______.

Good toys for this age are household______. Between 7 and 12 months an infant begins to know his/her own ______, understand many ______and starts to ______.

9. Toddler children (ages 1 to 2) are busy growing up. They like to ______others, help with ______ and are proud of the things they can______.

10. Describe the parallel play of toddlers.

11. Give an example of a make-believe activity that toddlers enjoy.

12. A favorite word of the toddler is ______.

13. The 2 to 3-year-old child gets ______when something is too hard, even though they like new thing

14. What skills are particularly developing at this age (2-3 years)? (circle your answer below)

fine motor skills OR large motor skills

15. What is the common favorite word of the 3 to 5-year-old child?

  1. What kinds of actions do 3 to 5-year-olds find particularly funny?
  1. Because of their increased attention span, what are some things 3 to 5-year-olds like to do?

18. The school-age child (ages 5-8) is beginning the process of figuring out what they ______and ______and their ______in the world around them.

19. List the four ways children develop. Give an example of each.

A.

B.

C.

D.

Developmental Milestones Photo Quiz

Here's a photo quiz to test your ability to identify developmental milestones. Match the description to the picture

2 months / 39 months / 6 years old / 23 months
43 months / 15 months / 8 or 9 months
  1. ______Child enjoys school, has normal language skills, participates in extracurricular activities, has a positive interaction with peers and family
  2. ______Child kicks ball, jumps in place, removes garment, imitates a vertically drawn line, 50 word vocabulary, and plays with others.
  3. ______Child lifts head 45 degrees when prone, turns head to sound, grasps with hand, coos, fixes eye on small objects
  4. ______Child alternates steps going upstairs, 3-word sentences, gives full name, shares and takes turns, dries hands, copies a circle.
  5. ______Child walks independently, climbs onto an adult chair, points to named body parts, imitates use of objects, uses cup, 4-6 word vocabulary
  6. ______Children may pull to stand, Ma-ma, da-da indiscriminately, respond to own name, stranger anxiety, transfer objects hand-to-hand, bang objects together, cruise
  7. ______Child names 4 colors, sings songs, plays imaginatively, speech is 100% intelligible, 4-5 word sentences, asks complex questions

POSITIVE CHILD GUIDANCE

Directions: Tell children what you WANT them to do rather than what you DO NOT want them to do. Also, be direct. If you want them to do something, tell them; do not ask them. (If you ask them, you might get a NO answer as a result and will need to honor that answer).

EXAMPLE: Do not say, “Don’t stand up when you slide.”

Instead, say, “Sit down when you slide.”

1. Do not say, “Don’t throw the sand.”

Instead, say, ______

2. Do not say, “Don’t stand in the swing.”

Instead, say, ______

3. Do not say, “Don’t jump off the ladder.”

Instead, say, ______

4. Do not say, “Do not shout!”

Instead, say, ______

LIMITED CHOICES

Limited choices are used to encourage decision making in children and are excellent verbal directions when you want to correct unacceptable behavior. Enlist a child’s help in doing something; have children react positively in interactions with other children.

Give acceptable limited choices when directing a child instead of open-ended choices. Give some of the following examples.

LIMITED CHOICEUNLIMITED CHOICE

“Suzy, which would you like to pick up“Suzy, pick up your toys right now!”

first, your blocks or your beads?”

“Johnny, do you want to play with the“Johnny, let go of that car and come here!”blue tractor or the orange truck?”

“Linda, do you want to wear the blue top“Linda, hurry up and get dressed.”

or the red top with your jeans?”

“Brad, do you want to stand on a chair by“You bad boy. You are making a mess!”

the sink and pour your punch or do you want

me to pour it for you?”

Below write 1 examples each of LIMITED and UNLIMITED choices.

TEST YOUR SKILLS?

1. Why is babysitting such a big responsibility?

2. What are two important things to remember when babysitting?

3. If someone calls you to babysit for the first time, what are information points you need to discuss?

4. Before the parents leave the house, what information must you have?

5. You have been asked to watch a four-year old girl named Madeline. You haven’t met her or her parents.
What would you do?

a. Ask questions of the parent/guardian on the phone and then say “yes.”

b. Indicate that you might be interested in the job, but you would like to meet Madeline first. Ask to meet her and her parents and tour their home, along with your parent.

c. Say yes, and hope that they are nice people.

6. You are outside playing with five-year-old David and eight- year-old Megan. David trips and falls on the ground, skinning his knee. What should you do?

a. Leave Megan outside playing and then quickly run in the house to wash David’s skinned knee.

b. Don’t worry about the knee; just keep playing until the kids are ready to go inside.

c. Have both David and Megan come into the house with you. Gently wash the skinned knee with soap and water and pat dry. Cover scrape carefully with a bandage.