When hiring a nanny, the parent is going to want a nanny that can bond with their children. The nanny will spend significant time with the children, so they need to be comfortable with the nanny. That bond between a nanny and child is almost as important as the bond they have with their parents. The parents trust the nanny with their children’s emotional and physical well-being. The nanny will be there to dry their tears, hear their stories, and create memories with and without you there.
The bond begins during the working trial when the nanny shadows the family to get to know their routine and daily life. The nanny can play games and ask questions. The nanny will watch how the parent disciplines the children. How the children respond will also help the nanny view the personality of the children. Those conversations are a pivotal part of creating that bond.
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Strengthen The Bond
Practice makes perfect. The best way to learn something is to practice. Be yourself, ask questions, try new things, and get to know the children better. See how they will respond. If one thing doesn’t work, try something else. It takes time to get to know one another. What are things the nanny and children can do to strengthen that bond?
- Let us play
- Let us get crafty
- Let us get outside
- Helping others
- Nanny’s Bakery
- Movie time
Let Us Play
A variety of games can be played to get to know one another, build trust, and begin that bond. Games that will break the ice and help open each other up. Of course, make sure that the games are age appropriate.
- Two Truths, one lie- Sit in a circle and take turns. You tell two truthful things about yourself and one lie. Then the group has to figure out which one is a lie.
- Personality bingo- create bingo boards with personality items on them. Then try and find someone who matches those items. Try to get a bingo.
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- “Likes sports”
- “Favorite color is red”
- “Likes movies”
- “Wants to be a dancer”
- Would you rather- There is an actual board game, however, you can create it yourself. There are different action cards, you have to choose which one you would rather do from two cards drawn.
- Would you rather have unlimited money or your dream job?
- Would you rather have long nails or long hair?
- If I were…- There will be a prompt, and each player takes a turn responding.
- If I were a flower, I would be…
- If I were an animal, I would be…
- If I could go on vacation anywhere, I would go to…
20 Questions- This is probably one of the oldest ice breaker games. There are now online generators that will generate questions you can ask one another, but you can also come up with the questions off the top of your head. This is a great way to get to know someone!
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- What is your favorite sushi?
- If Sonic the Hedgehog came to your house, what would you do?
- Which Peppa Pig character is your favorite?
Those are just a few games. There are many more creative games that you can find to play. The purpose is to get each other talking, laughing, and enjoying getting to know one another better. Some games were created to help build trust in one another.
- Trust falls- Two participants stand together, one in front of the other. The participant in front falls backward trusting the other will catch them.
- Buddy walk- set up an obstacle course using household items. One participant is blindfolded. Then the other must verbally guide them through the obstacle course.
- Scavenger hunt- create a list of items that you must find together. Work together to locate all items listed.
- Geocaching- This is an app created to do scavenger hunts all over the world. Participants will hide goodies, boxes, etc. Post on the app whereabouts you found it. Then the fun begins! You get to hunt and keep the goodies or leave them for others to search for.
- World’s Largest Marble Hunt- Logon to the World’s Largest Marble Hunt Facebook, join the hunt and go on the search for some amazing marbles located all around the world.
Let Us Get Crafty
Who doesn’t like some arts and crafts?? Arts and crafts are a great way to be creative, have fun, and laugh, and a great place for conversation. Most children do not have much of an attention span to sit and have a full-blown conversation. After all, they do have things to create and memories to make! When it comes to arts and crafts you want to:
- Allow it to be messy
- Get as creative as possible
- Turn it into a game or competition
- Ask various questions to get to know them better
- Share some of your arts and crafts experiences with them
- Use it as a learning tool. Learn shapes, colors, letters, and numbers
Arts and crafts are a great way to break barriers, open the mind, and have fun. Arts and crafts are vital for children to have in their lives. It is a way for them to gain a sense of achievement and learn to have pride in what they create. Positive feedback will build self-confidence. It helps them build motor skills, strengthen their creativity, and allow their imagination to flourish. There are several websites online that offer suggestions for arts and crafts ideas.
Let Us Get Outside
There is so much fun outside!!! Of course, there are the yard games such as tag, throwing a ball around, and hide and seek. But there are places like the skating rink, the park, and the playground. Many lessons can be learned at these places and ways to strengthen the nanny/child bond.
Self-Esteem
When you can walk into a park and hear, “Look at me! Look what I can do!” They are building self-confidence, are proud of their accomplishments, and want to share them with you. Positive feedback is a way for them to gain even more confidence in themselves. Encourage them to go a little higher on the swings, run faster, and beat that previous goal.
Trust
When they are afraid of something, perhaps fear of that high slide, they will come to you with that fear. Now is when you get to help encourage the child to face that fear and show them they are safe with you. How many times have you told a child, “It is okay, I will not let you fall” while encouraging them to face the fear of the slide or swing? This is when you get to show them they can trust you no matter what.
Socialization
They will see you as you interact with other adults and children at the park. They will see how you do it, and learn how to do it themselves. They might even ask to join a game the other kids are playing. They may experience that not all children are kind. You will have the opportunity to teach them that not everyone is kind, but we do not have to play with everyone. Teach them to smile at the not-so-nice person, teach them to walk away, and teach them that it is not acceptable to say not-so-nice things back.
Car Fun
While driving around, to and from school, soccer practice, dance recital, or the grocery store, play fun games with the children such as I Spy or car karaoke. Take the time to ask them about their day, and how they are feeling. If they struggled during the day, try to encourage them to talk to you about it and share a solution. Validate their feelings.
Nanny Bakery
Oh, the bonding can be had in the kitchen, the Nanny Bakery if you will. Spend time baking or cooking with the children.
- Teach them about nutrition, measuring, having fun, and learning about their food likes and dislikes.
- Make sure to have them help in each step of the process. Have one measure the liquids, while the other is adding the dry ingredients.
- Take turns picking the items that you will bake that day. Help the children explore the world of baking or cooking.
- Teach them kitchen safety.
- Show them how to read a recipe.
- Explain what certain things mean, like sifting the flour, or browning the meat.
- Lick the beaters!
Many memories can be created in the kitchen. Just remember it can get messy, so enjoy the mess, and you can clean it up later. They can help you!
Movie Time
While the child picks the movie, you create a little cuddling spot with blankets and pillows. Pop some popcorn and put it in one big bowl. Have everyone snuggle together and enjoy the show. Snuggling allows them the opportunity to trust, feel safe, and comfortable with you. The popcorn teaches them how to share. Children run around all day, see so many things, learn new things, and sometimes struggle with calming down at the end of the day. Relaxing and watching a movie will help them calm down and unwind. It can help keep them from becoming overstimulated.
What It Comes Down To
Take every opportunity to be present and aware of the children’s lives. They want to make you proud! They want recognition. Granted not every day is filled with joy filled to the brim, but take those opportunities to teach life lessons, coping skills, and bonding. Every moment of every day can be a lesson of some sort. It is whether you choose to use it or not. The more fun, loving, honest, and kind you are, the stronger the bond will be with the children.
Like with the parents, communication is vital for your relationship with the children. Talk to them. If they hurt your feelings, tell them. If they did something they shouldn’t have, tell them and work through it with them. Children need to feel as though they have a safe space, to be honest, and communicate their feelings and struggles. Let that person be you that they can turn to. Make them a part of decision-making processes if appropriate, like what to make for dinner, where to go tomorrow, etc.