There are so many layers to being a parent. It can seem impossible to do it all! Having a child care provider that can work with you as a team can provide your child with someone who can help them explore their interests, learn, and succeed when you are not able to be there yourself. Here’s how you can support your nanny so that they can make the time they spend with your child special.
Teamwork From the Beginning
Sharing information about your child from the beginning helps a provider quickly connect with your child. Tell the provider about your kid’s favorite books, tv shows they’re into, songs they like to sing and dances they enjoy doing.
Is your child going through a dinosaur phase? Be sure to let your nanny know so they can sing songs, read books and plan activities around their interest, boosting their excitement and deepening the connection between your nanny and your child. If you’ve been on a family trip and noticed your child loved snow or seeing the ocean, etc. its a good idea to share those things with your provider up front.
They, in turn, can tell you about ways they can incorporate those interests into a fun learning experience for your child!
Keep the Sharing Going
With so much to discover about the world, children’s interests can change quickly. Keeping everyone on the same page is key to the success of a village raising your child. It can be helpful for both you and your nanny to have a regular time to connect and share information about what your child is (or isn’t) taking an interest in. It can also be a great time to discuss introducing new things into your child’s life.
When introducing new ideas to your child, take note of their eagerness to know more and if they ask lots of questions. The more they want to know about something, the more of an interest they’re likely to have!
Include Your Child In the Sharing
Don’t forget to include your child in the sharing. Kids may need short reminders, but they’ll then be excited to tell your nanny all about their exciting weekend or latest interest. With that new information, your child care provider can feed that excitement and get an idea of activities for the week.
Prompting Kids Under 5 Years
For a younger child (under 5) who may not be able to communicate as well, you can engage them in the conversation and fire up their memory at the same time by asking your child questions in front of your nanny about their discovery. ‘What kind of dinosaur did we see at the museum yesterday?’ ‘How big were its wings?’ ‘Which one was your favorite?’ Etc.
Prompting Kids Over 5 Years
An older child (5 and older) can simply be asked to share with the nanny what they discovered and may only need more generalized questions to get them involved. You can also get them talking by expressing what YOU liked the most and the new things you learned. Just bringing the subject up excitedly can spark the flames of a child’s passion at any age!
You can also engage your nanny by asking if they have ever been to the place you went or had an experience with the topic. A nanny has usually had jobs before and may have worked with children that have had similar interests to your child’s. They may already know all about the topic!
At the end of the day, trust your nanny. When you instill trust and confidence in your nanny, you empower them. They begin to feel like a part of the family and pick up on your child’s interests on their own. Your child will have many questions, interests, and hobbies as they grow. A great provider will be there to teach, listen, and help guide your little ones through their journey of discovery and then share their findings with you! Teamwork makes the dream work!
