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How do I get my nanny involved in doing crafts and activities with my kids? How can I help our nanny to get in the groove?
June 4, 2010by, Dr. Lindsay Heller, The Nanny Doctor
Sometimes new nannies need some guidance and sometimes a nanny you’ve had for awhile needs a little jumpstart when it comes to being a self-starter. As a nanny employer, you need to provide your nanny all of the tools she needs to be successful! Here are some tips:
1) Find books or workbooks with craft ideas that are age appropriate for your children.
2) Go through these books and mark activities you think your child will enjoy doing.
3) Clip activities from parenting magazines about activities that would be good throughout the year. Put these together in a binder and separate the tabs according to months in the year.
4) Make sure you have all of the materials needed and pulled together so that these craft projects are easy to start. Set aside a specific day or time for craft time.
5) Make sure you take the time to sit down with your nanny and discuss what you expect…don’t assume she already knows! Nannies come from their own family background as well as other families they have nannied for. All families are different; educate her about your family needs.
6) When it comes to activities other than crafts, show her where to look in your community for child friendly activities. Is there a local magazine that lists a calendar of activities? Or perhaps a local website? You may need to help her and guide her on how to look at these at first but then you should be able to “take the training wheels off” and let her go on her own.
Remember, communication of your expectations is key. Don’t assume she knows “because she is a nanny.” Strong communication helps maintain healthy relationships between nannies and families; sometimes it just takes a little preparation ahead of time.
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Providing your nanny with museum or zoo memberships are also good ways to get your nanny and child doing something fun! My family gave me memberships to both and whenever we need to get out of the house we’ll go look at the animals or a new exhibit. It’s fun and educational!
We give our nanny a pre-loaded card to the local craft store so that she can go pick up craft supplies whenever we’re running low. I don’t know how other craft stores are, but the one in our area always has fun craft ideas around the store for inspiration, and our nanny and kids are always putting together fun projects as a result.
I’m always clipping kid craft ideas out of magazines and the newspaper. Even though my nanny is AWESOME and always coming up with ideas on her own, I like to make it easy for her sometimes 🙂
these are great ideas! i’ve been wondering how i could get my nanny to do more artistic/creative activities with my kids – this article is a lifesaver!! bookmarking now!
Whenever I start a new nanny position I bring over a box of activity and coloring books as well as craft supplies and ideas. Then I go through everything with the kids and we pick out the things they’re most interested in. This helps me plan crafts and activities that appeal to their interests.
how fun and what a great idea! i bet the kids love that!! i know mine would 😉