Children hate it when their parents leave them at home with the babysitter. Depending on their age, they might feel insecure without their mom at arms reach or they are upset that they are leaving left behind. As the babysitter, your job is to distract them from the fact that their parents are not home and establish that you are currently in charge. They will have a fantastic time, however, if you have some fun babysitting games planned. If you manage to entertain them for the few hours that the parents are out, they might even forget they were ever upset. You have suddenly became their (and the parents') most favorite person!

Before you bring over messy paints or different types of sports games, you need to talk with the parents to understand their house rules. They might have a no running in the house decree or, if they have an unfenced pool in the backyard, they might not allow any outdoor games while they are gone. As long as you tell them the activities and games you have planned and they sign off on them, you should be good to go!

Here are some great baby sitting ideas that will make the kids laugh and wear them out so they are ready for bedtime!

1) Build a fort! If you have some spare cardboard boxes, a few blankets, and pillows, then bring them over. Hopefully they have a kid-friendly living room or play room in which you and the kids can build a truly fantastic fort. Once it is built, you can pull out the construction paper and string and start making decorations you can hang from the ceiling of this new makeshift structure. It will keep them entertained for hours!

2) Make some play-dough! The process is incredibly simple and everyone loves playing with gooey, sticky stuff. Create fun shapes, bake them, and then paint with watercolors.

3) After you wear the kids out a little, you can all sit down to watch a movie or you can read one of your favorite childhood stories to them. If they are learning how to read themselves, you might want to have them read to you! The parents will love this activity and the kids will be eager to show off their skills.

Enjoy your time babysitting and if you have fun, hopefully the kids will as well. You will soon be the most popular babysitter in the neighborhood when you show up with these great babysitting games!