18. Volunteer Your Time to Babysit

Motherhood can be a very time-consuming job. Many mothers take their children to a mothers’ group, such as MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), where volunteers babysit their children while the mothers have a day of fun or take a day for themselves. In fact, there are more than 3,900 MOPS groups meeting across the United States and in 35 countries around the world.⁷

The large amount of groups like MOPS only means a large need for volunteer babysitters. Encourage your teenagers to volunteer their time at a local mothers’ group. This is an excellent opportunity for teens who wish to serve God in a ministry that is sometimes overlooked. Locate a local group, and inquire about their babysitting needs and their requirements for volunteering. As with any babysitting job, be sure your teenagers brush up on important items such as CPR, the Heimlich maneuver, and games for amusing toddlers. Stress to them the importance of arriving on time and offering to stay late if necessary.

Another way to volunteer is in the church nursery or as an assistant for Sunday School, children’s church, or Vacation Bible School. As a volunteer for our children’s church and Vacation Bible School, I know that the assistance I received from the junior high and high school helpers was invaluable, and it permitted me to be a more effective teacher.

The choices for volunteering as a babysitter are endless. But what better way for your teens to teach young ones about God?

Up for Discussion

How was offering to babysit for a mothers’ group or in your church nursery especially beneficial to the parents whose children you babysat? What types of activities did you include for the children you babysat?

How might God use you to teach a younger child about God’s love? Read Matt. 19:14. Why do you think Jesus felt so strongly about making time for the little children? Why do you think it’s critical to teach children about Jesus and His love for them?

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

—Matt. 19:14