Children, no matter their age, need as many positive role models in their life as possible, which makes your job as their nanny even more important.
Children, particularly young children, can often be found mimicking the behaviours of those around them, especially those that they see and interact with on a regular basis. This can be as simple as mimicking your actions, to copying your eating habits. That’s why we’ve put together our tips on how to be a good role model and set the right example for your nanny children.
1. Healthy Eating – If you’re trying to get your child to eat their five-a-day, but they notice that you don’t eat any fruit or veg throughout the day, chances are they won’t either, or at least they’ll put up more of a fight. The best way to convince children to eat healthily is to lead by example. Be sure to include plenty of fruit and veg within your own meals and instead of opting for a sugary snack, choose something healthy instead.
Remember that you can also use meal preparation and baking to encourage healthy eating, by getting your nanny child to help you prepare and make the food you’ll both be eating.
2. Regular Exercise – Instead of exercising in your time off, make regular exercise part of the day with your nanny child. You could take a walk, have a dance session or even try yoga for children. Check out our previous article for more tips and advice on how to make activity a part of daily life.
3. Positive Thinking – It’s time to banish that self-doubt. Children can easily pick up on any negative feelings and comments you make about your own appearance and apply them to their own self-image. This is not a trait you want to instil in children. Instead, think positive, focus on what you love about yourself and about life and teach your nanny child to do the same.
4. Honesty and Respect – How many times have you used or heard of other adults using small lies on children? “The ice cream man only plays music when he’s out of ice cream.” Though seemingly innocent, these types of lies can be damaging. In order to have an honest and respectful relationship with your nanny child you need to be open to discussion. Give them an explanation as to why they can’t have an ice cream this time, perhaps because they haven’t had dinner yet or they already had one earlier that day. Give them reasons and an opportunity to discuss and they’ll learn the importance of honesty and being open with each other.
5. Self-Improvement – Life is a long, continuous learning journey and learning doesn’t end once you leave school or other education. It’s important for children to see that learning is in your control and that you can learn new skills if you want to. With new things to learn all around us, it should be easy to pick a new topic or skill that you or your nanny child would like to learn and explore it further. Take a look at our recommended online resources to help you get started.
Begin to implement these tips into your daily life and you’ll find that both you and your nanny children will benefit.
Check back soon for part two of How to Be a Good Role Model for Your Nanny Children.