Arts and Crafts

• A babysitter with an excellent supply of arts and crafts materials is bound to be a success with kids. You may choose to supplement the babysitter's already existing supply with the addition of a new set of markers or watercolors, or you might want to get him started with a complete set of your own assembly. Consider including markers, pens, crayons, colored pencils, construction paper, children's scissors, sheets of stickers, watercolor paint sets and color magazines for making collages. Assemble the gifts in an easy-to-carry and attractive container.
  
  

Picture Books and Novels

• Kids love to be read to, and it's also a favorite go-to activity for many babysitters. Give much-loved children's book or sets of books to a babysitter or to a family. If the kids are very young, picture books that you can read over and over again are a great idea; if they're a little bit older, favorite kids' novels are a good bet.
  
  

Board Games

• Give a babysitter a new board game to entertain her charges. Family-friendly games include Life, Parcheesi, Sorry!, Monopoly Jr., Clue, Pictionary and Cranium. A deck of jumbo playing cards also will be a hit with kids big and small.
  
  

Dress-Up and Costumes

• Kids of all ages like to play pretend, so give a dress-up wardrobe or accessories. This can also be an inexpensive gift: go through your old clothing and accessories to find pieces that you wouldn't mind parting with, and make sure they're laundered before you give them away. Used and vintage clothing stores, like Goodwill and the Salvation Army, are also a great and inexpensive resource for dress-up supplies.