Come up with a challenging craft idea before you arrive to babysit and bring the necessary supplies with you. You can also look up a list of craft ideas on your computer or phone and ask the older kid you're babysitting which one they want to work on. Avoid projects that are too easy or older kids might find them boring.  Try making flip books. Give them a notepad or stack of sticky notes and have them draw a slightly different image on the bottom right corner of each page. Then, when they flip through the book, their drawings will look like a short animation. Make jewelry. Bring a jewelry-making kit with you with thread, yarn, beads, and other things they can use to make bracelets or necklaces. Build molecules using cotton swabs, cotton balls, and glue. Older kids prefer games that involve strategizing and thinking. Avoid easy games that older kids might find boring. You can even teach older kids a brand new game, or bring a game that none of you have played before.  Teach them how to play chess. Play a strategy card game like Hearts or Rummy. Play strategy board games like Risk and Mastermind. If you’re in charge of dinner, ask the older kid you’re babysitting if they want to help you make something instead of ordering out. You can make pizza or have breakfast for dinner. You can even have a mini cooking competition to see whose dish turns out better. Try to find a park that has a playground. Pack a bag with water, snacks, and a blanket so you can sit on the grass. Bring some board games, cards, and a frisbee or ball to play catch with. Older kids may test your limits and push back when you try to enforce the rules. If the kid you’re babysitting is doing something they’re not supposed to, it’s OK to tell them they need to stop. Don’t yell or get angry, but do be serious and persistent if they try to ignore you.For example, if the kid you’re babysitting is playing video games even though their parents said video games are off limits, you could say something like “Hey, your parents said you’re not supposed to be playing video games. Turn them off and let's find something else to do. Want to order food?”

Summary: Do complex arts and crafts if they want to make something. Play challenging strategy games if they want to do a low-key activity. Make food together if they're hungry. Take them to a nearby park if you have permission. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries.


This may seem like an obvious step, but you will need to choose the words that you use to research. To do this, brainstorm a list of words that are related to your topic.  You may find that you need to revise your search terms as you progress.  If you are searching for sources about the endangered species cheetah, your search terms may be “cheetah,” “endangered,” “habitat,” “climate change,” “grasslands,” “fur trade,” and “conservation.” If you are searching for sources about juvenile imprisonment, your search terms may be “juvenile,” “youth,” “imprisonment,” “prisons,” “juvenile delinquency,” “effectiveness of imprisonment,” and “detention.” Boolean operators are words that function as limiting commands.  They give you the ability to combine keywords and limit your search. The most common Boolean terms are AND, OR, and NOT.  Another common Boolean limiter is to place quotation marks around exact phrases.  For example “juvenile detention” (with quotation marks) would give you sources that use the terms together as a phrase, while juvenile detention (without quotation marks) would yield results for both “juvenile” and “detention” separately. For example, you may want to search prisons AND juvenile to ensure sources talk about both terms. For example, you may want to search cheetah NOT girls to exclude the Disney movie Cheetah Girls from your search about cheetahs. Many instructors and librarians will compile research resources for a particular research project.  There may be a customized database on your library’s webpage that automatically limits your search to pre-approved sources, or your librarian may have set aside a cart of printed books that will be reserved in the library for the duration of the research project.  These types of customized resources will save you time and make your research process easier. If customized research aids are not available, you should still consult the library’s databases.  Often, the sources in the databases are legitimate academic sources that are appropriate for an academic assignment. As tempting as it can be to open up your favorite search engine and look up your research keywords, this shouldn’t be your first stop for research.  If you use a common search engine, you will have to evaluate the legitimacy of each source you find, and you will have to sort through many, many pages of often irrelevant search materials. Common search engines use some limiters, but often the Boolean operators do not work effectively. If you feel overwhelmed by starting your research project, talk to a librarian who specializes in research assistance.  Remember that you are not bothering them; it’s their job to help students research!  Ask for a few specific starting points (don’t let them overwhelm you further with a long list of research sources) and let your research “snowball” on its own. You’re likely to find that once you get started, it will become easier to find and evaluate sources, find the research you need, and move forward with your research project. Now that you have started to research, you need to collect the information.  As you read sources, collect notes from the source.  You can either take direct quotes from the source (word-for-word; indicate that the information is a direct quote by putting quotation marks around it) or you can paraphrase the information (put it in your own words).  Either way, you will need to keep track of and cite the source.  You can take notes by hand by putting them in a research notebook or put individual facts on index cards.  Be sure to indicate the source when you write the notes; you might want to number your sources and place the number from the source next to the piece of information/research. You can also take notes on the computer by copying and pasting source material into a word processing document.  Be sure to keep track of what source information came from; you may want to provide a link to a source and a citation, then place research from that source below the citation.

Summary: Select your research key words. Use Boolean operators. Find the research resources available to you. Avoid common search engines. Ask for help from a research assistant. Take thorough notes.


Sincere apologies are rooted in empathy. When you apologize to your best friend, there should be truth behind every claim you make. If your expression of regret is hollow, your friend may not accept it. Tell your BFF that you are deeply sorry for hurting and or inconveniencing them.  ”I am so sorry I hurt you.” I feel horrible that I took advantage of your kindness.” Communicate to your BFF that you accept full responsibility for your actions. Do not place the blame on anyone else, especially your BFF. Do not make any excuses for your behavior.  ”I recognize that I treated you poorly.” ”I realize that I instigated our argument.” ”I know that this is my fault.” State that you intend to make up for your actions. Your statement of restitution will depend entirely on the nature of your behavior. You may promise your BFF that you will never repeat the behavior or that you will work towards reforming yourself.  ”I will never _____ again.” ”I will start going to therapy.” After delivering your sincere apology, humbly ask your BFF for forgiveness. Let your best friend know that you value your relationship with him/her. Express that you will do your best not to hurt your friend in the future.  You may find it helpful to reiterate the key points of your apology.  ”Please forgive me.” ”I hope you can forgive what I’ve done.” ”Can we move forward, please?” ”Is there any chance we can get beyond this?”
Summary: Express remorse for your actions. Accept responsibility for your actions. Make restitution for your actions. Ask for forgiveness.