Relevant experience where I also cared for children were…I have worked on an app called Bambino for 5 years. Have worked over 200 jobs, have 5 stars, great recommendations, and have worked my salary up to $20 an hour (which I in no way expect). I was a lifeguard at Royal Oaks Country Club and handled child regulation, overseeing, and dealing with all different types of situations where children are in danger. I volunteered every Monday in the [phone number hidden] school year at Bryan's House, a daycare for children that are less fortunate or have behavioral or physical disabilities. I volunteered every fall [phone number hidden] at Dallas Day School, another daycare for less fortunate children which also works as an eye clinic for kids who cannot afford to go to the eye doctor. I spent the entire summer of covid in Oregon caring for my one and two year old cousins while my aunt and uncle worked. I have had countless experience with children and genuinely enjoy getting to do this kind of work because I truly am a kid at heart.
Activities I enjoy doing with children…Hide and Seek
Board games
Soccer
Baking
Making our own mini pizzas
Coloring/arts and crafts
Swimming
Playing at the park
Going for walks
Playing with pets
Movie nights
Fort building (and cleaning up:))
Honestly any sport...I grew up in a very male, sports-centered household. (and have played just about every sport you can think of)
Gymnastics
Friendship bracelets
Makeovers
Karaoke
Nail painting
Hair braiding
The possibilities are endless!!!!
(Safety is my main priority though, so all activities will be done with caution :))
The most important part about being a nanny…Balancing respect and friendship. This is something that I really struggled with at first in childcare. It is so hard to balance being the child's friend and having them respect you. If you are too much of a friend, then they will not listen to you in the important moments. I have found that establishing respect is necessary the first time the child needs to be told what to do. So when they need to get off the iPad or come eat dinner, you have to be stern and hold your ground, or every other time you ask them to do something, they will push back. Having fun is so important to nannying, but if there is no one to keep the fun in line, then things don't end up being fun at all!
My experience with special needs children…Worked at Bryan's House, a day care for children with disabilities, and got a lot of experience with children with multiple different kinds of disabilities. I like to think of myself as a patient and empathetic person, so children with disabilities tend to take to me pretty well. My cousin also has an extreme case of asperger's syndrome, so I have a lot of experience with that disability as well.
My favorite nanny moment…I had just picked up the three girls I nannied my senior year of highschool from school. I usually would go straight from school, pick up the youngest girl who was 2, then stop by their house to pick up snacks, and go get the two older girls who were 6 and 8 from their school. This time I had gotten out late from school, so I didn't have time to pick up the snacks. So their mom sent me some money and we went to pick up some food. At the place we went, I ran into a group of my friends who just adored the kids, and the youngest took a liking to one of my guy friends. She started calling him her prince, and for weeks after she would always pretend he was her boyfriend or prince when we would play pretend. The parents started to notice and asked me about it and him, and I told them he was a very nice boy and it was all very cute and innocent. They asked me to surprise her with him at her birthday party, and he did! (with flowers and it was just about the cutest thing ever)