Babysitting cheat sheet

As a high school student, I babysit often. Almost every weekend I am at someone’s house taking care of their children. Over time I have learned and developed certain skills and techniques to make parents want to hire you again. For example, if you do the dishes while they are gone or manage to read a couple of books with their kids, they are inclined to have you over again (they also tend to pay better if you do these things).
One thing that I always do to help kids not be sad when their parents leave, is bring a bag of small toys, games and books from my house.
Sittercity says, “If you need to keep small hands occupied, a busy bag can do just the trick.” If the children cannot play with the toys until their parents leave, then they try to get their parents to leave faster. This is especially effective with children who get sad to see their parents go. Some toys that really draw the attention of kids are play makeup, crafts, stuffed animals and books.
If parents say their kids do not need to be in bed by the time they get home, I still get the kids ready for bed. You can call it a pajama party and make popcorn, watch a movie and make a fort. If the kids are ready for bed when the parents get home, it is less work for them and they will want to have you back to babysit. As an added bonus, if you call it a party of any sort, the kids will probably be excited.
When I babysit, I try to clean up the house once the kids get put to bed. I put away toys, clean up the kitchen, fold blankets and put pillows back on the couch. It always looks really nice if the house is cleaner than it was when you got there; you are sure to be hired again, and even recommended to their friends. Furthermore, when the parents get home, talk with them for a little bit. Ask about their night and tell them how polite and well-behaved their children are. Try to let them know all the fun things you and the kids did that night so they know everything went well. If you accomplish these things, you will most likely get hired again.