Babysitting has its highs and lows. There are those frustrating moments when you don’t want to hear a child’s whining for one more second, and then there are those happy moments when everyone is behaving and the time is moving along smoothly. Babysitting games can be a great help for this purpose. They keep the kids occupied, and they make the time go more quickly. Here are four of the best babysitting games for young kids.

Scavenger hunt

This old classic is one of the simplest and most fun babysitting games. All you have to do is make a list of things for the kids to find. These items, which can be either indoors or outdoors, may be anything—a flower, a heart-shaped leaf, a penny, a yellow piece of clothing, a ball, or anything you can think of. The more creative, the better. Hand out copies of the list, and see who can find everything first. If you want to keep them occupied for a while, make it pretty difficult.

Bubble land

This one is great for kids 5 and under. Just get a bottle of store-bought bubble soap, take the kids outside, and blow bubbles to your heart’s content. Unlike other babysitting games, you usually don’t have to do anything complicated. The bubbles are entertaining in themselves, and the kids will probably come up with their own little games to make it more fun.

Radio play

Use a recording device—either a tape recorder or a computer—and set it up to record a good 30-60 minutes of audio. Then, help the kids along in creating a unique story. Make it play to their interests. Is one of the kids into princesses or other pretty things? Is there one who likes fire-trucks? Whatever the personalities of your kids, make the radio play so that they’ll be interested. It doesn’t all have to be scripted, but it’s good to have a loose outline. Then, turn on the recording device, and perform the show. This is one of the few babysitting games that the kids will actually be able to enjoy later on.

Puppet show

The best babysitting games are both fun and creative. For this one, get a bunch of paper, and have the kids make their own little puppets. Then, use the puppets to act out a show. If you think it’ll help, create a theme, maybe based on one of the kids’ favorite movies.

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If you don’t have a lot of experience, babysitter jobs can be hard to come by. Fortunately, however once you break into the business, you’ll find that it becomes very easy to get all the babysitting work you can handle. It’s just a matter of getting your foot in the door and making connections. If you’re not sure how to get started, here are some things you can do to find your first babysitter jobs.

Send the word out: No one’s going to give you babysitter jobs if they don’t know that you’re interested. So, come right out and tell your friends and relatives that you’re interested in babysitting jobs. Or, for example, if your parents have any friends with small children, ask your parents to mention to these friends that you’re interested in babysitting. Even if they don’t need you now, they’ll be aware of you in the future if a need ever arises.

Advertise: If there are any online message boards that pertain to your neighborhood or town, post a message there. Tell people who you are, give them a sense of your character, and make it clear that you’re very interested in being a great babysitter. Meanwhile, you can also put ads on services like Craigslist.

Check for ads: Check the same message boards for people who are offering babysitter jobs. As always, when dealing through the internet, be very careful about giving your information out, and screen your potential clients very carefully. If you’re under 18, you may want to have a parent or another adult come along with you the first time you go to a babysitting job for a new client.

Talk to other babysitters: Do know anyone who gets a lot of babysitter jobs? If so, talk to that person about whether they can connect you to anyone in need of a babysitter. While you’re at it, you can also get advice from this person. Ask what tips they may have for babysitting, and see if they have any ideas for good babysitting games.

Make connections: You can get involved with the children and parents in your community by volunteering at a local preschool or in any other child-centric volunteer activities. This will give you a chance to gain some experience working with children, and you’ll also get the chance to talk to parents directly about potential babysitter jobs.

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Babysitting isn’t an easy job. It basically involves being a very short-term substitute parent for kids who you might not even know that well. That’s a lot of pressure. The best way to get babysitting jobs is to know how to handle yourself around the kids, and to be prepared for any situations that might arise. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

1. Use encouragement: Babysitting jobs are given to those who know how to use positive reinforcement to encourage children to behave and to do things like be creative, pick up, or eat vegetables. Kids are used to having their parents encourage them to do things, but getting the same encouragement from a different person can have tremendous effects on the kids and their parents too.

2. Teach by example: Kids learn in lots of ways, but one of the most important learning methods is by watching what others do. Babysitting jobs are given to people who can set positive examples for kids. Rather than becoming lazy or negligent as soon as the parents are out of sight, good babysitters are careful to act in ways that are positive.

3. Be equipped: If you want to be one of the best babysitters in the world, it’s important to come prepared. Before going to the job, research babysitting games, and try to have a few good tricks up your sleeve for when things slow down or the kids get bored.

4. Stay calm: It’s no secret that kids can get a little unruly and out of hand at times, but this is no reason to get flustered. Let the kids be the crazy little balls of energy that they are, while you provide a solid center of calm and maturity. Babysitting jobs can be hectic,  learn to be patient.

5. Keep them busy: On any babysitting job, boredom is the worst enemy. As soon as kids get bored, they start looking for mischief, whining about things, or getting in fights with each other. That’s why it’s a good idea to come prepared with a full repertoire of fun babysitting games.

6. Be tough: Some kids are little geniuses when it comes to wearing adults down and getting them to do things. But to be a good babysitter, it’s important to be able to set boundaries and stick to them. If a child you’re babysitting shouldn’t be doing something, don’t let them wear you down.

7. Use rewards: If you want the kids to be good, it helps to give them some short-term goals. Sweet treats are good, or it may also help to tell them that they can watch a certain movie or play a certain game if they’re good for a certain amount of time. Follow these simple tips and you will soon have more babysitting jobs that you can handle.

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