Remote Business Idea: Online Nanny

They say the first cure for the coronavirus will be invented by parents quarantined at home with their children. Children, especially preschoolers, need constant adult attention, and parents, tired of their activity, are willing to do anything to temporarily redirect their children's attention elsewhere. Online babysitting services can be a wonderful solution in this situation.

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An online nanny is someone who will engage a child's attention for half an hour a day, or even twice a day, when parents need some quiet time to work or simply recharge with a cup of tea or a book. Unlike passive and quickly boring watching cartoons or TV shows, which ultimately only add to the child's anxiety and create tension in the family, this will be an engaging, interactive experience with an actively engaged adult, even though the interaction will take place remotely via Skype or Zoom.

An online nanny can play games with the child, do exercises by jumping along to music, sing songs in any language the child knows or is learning, and dance – the software and webcam allow them to see each other and, accordingly, imitate the movements. They can tell fairy tales and funny stories, encouraging the child to create and tell their own stories, which is a wonderful stimulus for preschoolers' speech development, something sorely lacking in many modern children. A fun option would be to organize theme days with different themes, announcing the next day's theme to the child to stimulate interest and give them time to prepare.

A nanny can help a child learn to read and count. If this is done in a fun, playful way, the child will absorb the information smoothly and with pleasure, and parents can use the free time to implement their plans.

What do you need to keep your child busy online?

• The most important thing is love for children. After all, children feel genuine interest in themselves;
• Prepare materials for games and learning: flashcards and pictures with letters, numbers, cartoon scenes, or any other images that you and your child can use to create engaging, fun stories; play dough and paints – you can discuss with parents in advance the appropriate materials for your child so you can sculpt or draw together, you leading by example, and your child imitating, or vice versa. "I'm drawing a turtle's head, it's an oval, now the body..."
• Create a playlist of upbeat, energetic songs for exercise and physical training, calm, relaxing songs for a quiet moment, and perhaps even karaoke songs—reading song lyrics from the screen helps develop reading skills;
• Download and install software on your computer, laptop, tablet, or even smartphone: Skype or Zoom, which allow you to gather not just one, but several children around a screen, creating a fun group where participants can see each other and the adult working with them;

Where to look for clients?

The first step is to use word of mouth. Tell your family and friends about your plans and ask them to share the information with their neighbors, colleagues, and friends.

A great way to find clients is to post information on your social media pages – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. Ask your friends to share your information, which will increase the number of people who see your post.

To reach a wider audience, it makes sense to think about creating your own personal website with a bright, attractive domain name, as well as about high-quality hosting and technical support.It is quite easy to make a website, for example, with the help of WordPress. You can use it to post information about yourself, upload recordings of some of your video lessons, ideas for parents on how to organize their child's leisure time, teaching materials, and coloring pages, which will stimulate interest and attract customers.

How to estimate the cost of your services?

To determine the cost of services, it makes sense to study advertisements for nanny services on specialized websites and, based on this information, set your own price, taking into account the change in format and the crisis, which has contributed to a decrease in the income level of many families.

Quarantine is a great time to explore new opportunities and embrace a new way of working. We wish you success in your endeavors!