1) Read the magazine article below and fill in the gaps with one of the words from the list below. Then close your books and talk about the qualities of a good babysitter.
common sense, bossy, sensibly, trustworthy, responsibility, enthusiastic, entertainer, relaxed, discipline, reliable, patience
What Makes a Good Babysitter?
When I was at school, I used to do a lot of babysitting at the weekends to earn a bit of extra pocket money. Most of the work I did was for family friends who had young children, and knew that I could cope with the
1)_________________ of looking after their kids I think one of the most important qualities of a good
babysitter is 2)_____________________ - you shouldn't get angry or
annoyed, but just stay calm in all situations. I suppose how you deal with anything is just a matter of 3)
_____________________ ; if there's a problem you just have to deal with it 4)____________________________ and use
your brain! I was always firm with the children but never 5) ____________________ because 1 don't
think you get anywhere with them if you keep on telling them to do things when it's unnec-essary. I tried to
be 6)_____________________ with them; I didn't make too many rules, because that way we all enjoyed
ourselves, and they always looked forward to me coming. Obviously a certain amount of 7)
_____________________ is needed, as you don't want them running roimd the house out of control. I'm a bit of
a(n) 8)____________________ when it comes to looking after kids; I like to make
them laugh. We always sang a few songs and played a few games. I always tried to appear 9)
_____________________ and interested in what they were doing as this helped them become confident, The
most important quality for a babysitter, as far as the parents are concerned, is that you are
___________________ 10) They are leaving you alone in their house with their children, and so they
really have to be able to trust you. Of course you have to be 11) __ ; it wouldn't be
much good if they couldn't depend on you to get there on time every time,
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What Makes a Good Babysitter? When I was at school, I used to do a lot of babysitting at the weekends to earn a bit of extra pocket money. Most of the work I did was for family friends who had young children, and knew that I could cope with the 1) responsibility of looking after their kids. I think one of the most important qualities of a good babysitter is 2) patience - you shouldn't get angry or annoyed, but just stay calm in all situations. I suppose how you deal with anything is just a matter of 3) common sense; if there's a problem you just have to deal with it 4) sensibly and use your brain! I was always firm with the children but never 5) bossy because I don't think you get anywhere with them if you keep on telling them to do things when it's unnecessary. I tried to be 6) relaxed with them; I didn't make too many rules, because that way we all enjoyed ourselves, and they always looked forward to me coming. Obviously a certain amount of 7) discipline is needed, as you don't want them running round the house out of control. I'm a bit of an 8) entertainer when it comes to looking after kids; I like to make them laugh. We always sang a few songs and played a few games. I always tried to appear 9) enthusiastic and interested in what they were doing as this helped them become confident. The most important quality for a babysitter, as far as the parents are concerned, is that you are trustworthy 10) They are leaving you alone in their house with their children, and so they really have to be able to trust you. Of course you have to be 11) reliable; it wouldn't be much good if they couldn't depend on you to get there on time every time.