Back-to-School Childcare Survival Kit for Your Babysitter

Back-to-school can be challenging for your kids. A new school year requires a new routine, which can be difficult after a summer of fun and relaxation. You and your babysitter can team up to create a back-to-school survival kit to help ease your child into the new school year. Including the right things can help your babysitter and child.

School info

It is essential that your babysitter is aware of your school’s policies in terms of dismissal times and the pick-up/drop-off process. This helps alleviate your child’s stress about who is picking them up and whether they know the procedures.  It is also crucial that they know bus pickup and drop-off times so your babysitter knows when they need to be at your house. Having your babysitter be in the loop about the school’s information can help keep things running smoothly. Have a printout of this information so that it is easily accessible for your babysitter to reference as needed.

After-school snacks

Your kids will likely be hungry after a long day at school. Having snacks on hand will help your child get over the afternoon slump. Either have snacks available or give your babysitter some money so they can buy snacks. Let your sitter know of any food allergies and preferences your child may have so they will actually eat the food. Let your babysitter know if anything is off-limits and which foods are meant for the snacks. Ensure that the snacks are filling and not sugary.

Arts and crafts

It is likely that your babysitter did a lot of crafts with your kids over the summer. These crafts can transition into school-related crafts. Even before the school year begins, your babysitter can do back-to-school crafts with your children. They can create bookmarks and decorate your child’s backpack with patches. They can even spend some time personalizing school supplies like binders and notebooks. If your school wants the textbooks covered, you can use brown paper bags to cover them and have your kids and babysitter decorate them. School-related crafts will allow your kids to look forward to school because they had a part in decorating their school supplies.

Past milestones

A huge way to get kids excited for the upcoming school year is to celebrate the milestones of previous years. If you held onto any objects that remind your kid of these milestones, include them in the back-to-school survival kit for your babysitter. Your babysitter can sit with your child and have your child explain the milestones about the milestones. This will remind your child that they can accomplish anything they set their mind to. Reminding your child of their accomplishments will help ease their nerves a bit, as they will be able to see that they have done great things before.

Books

Starting school for the first time or going into a new grade can be scary, even for the most confident child. They may not know what to expect, especially if they do not have older siblings. Luckily, there are plenty of books that you can include in your survival kit to give your child something to relate to. There are books that talk about different grade levels that can give your child an idea of what to expect. This will help alleviate any anxiety they may have about starting something totally new. Knowing someone else’s experiences can give them tools and tactics for conquering a new situation.

Educational games and activities

Going to school or back to school can be intimidating for students because they may not feel confident in the skills they learned the previous year. Give your babysitter some educational games and activities, such as flashcards, workbooks, and board games, that help reinforce things they learned and prepare them for the skills they need for the new school year. A few weeks before the school year begins, have your babysitter do these activities with your child. As they begin to remember the things they learned in the past, they will gain confidence in knowing that they are more prepared than they may have thought. This confidence will make going back to school that much easier for your child.

Immune system aids

It is no secret that germs run rampant in schools. When kids come back to school, their immune systems take a huge hit. This is why it is important to include things like hand sanitizer, wet wipes, and other cleaning supplies to reduce the germs that are in the house. Stock up on things like tissues and cough medicine in case your kids do end up getting sick. Include immune-boosting supplements for your babysitter so they can continue to stay healthy while taking care of your child. It is important for everyone to remain healthy, and using cleaning supplies will help reduce the spread of germs.

Putting together a back-to-school survival kit for your babysitter can help them better take care of your child.