It's summer break! Time to enjoy summer camps, mother nature and summer holidays. There is a lot of free time now that school is out and the days are long. And, even if your family has plans to vacation or the kids are booked for camp, it can be tough to fill all of that free time.

That's where babysitters come in!

Using a sitter, even if you're at home or your kids are old enough to be unsupervised, is a great way to fill summer break with fun, engagement and maybe even a little education. Read on for some of our favorite ways to use a babysitter during the summer (and the rest of the year!).

Babysitter as Cultural Ambassador

CareFinder's community of sitters is incredibly diverse! Our babysitters come from all around the world and speak dozens of languages. They're great resources to expose your family to cultures and traditions that you may not otherwise experience without extensive travel plans. And, at a time when many families are staying in Japan rather than vacationing abroad this summer, a babysitter is a wonderful alternative.

Babysitter as Tour Guide

Conversely, many of our babysitters are also from Japan! And whether your family has lived here for years or is relatively new to the country, it's always fun to get a new perspective on your city or neighborhood. Find a babysitter from a ward you'd like to explore, or plan a day trip to a town outside of Tokyo and have a sitter show you around! You'd be surprised at what new things your family may learn about familiar places.

Babysitter as (Fun) Tutor

Many children are not going to be thrilled with the idea of "school" over summer vacation. But we know that this time out of the classroom can have real consequences for our kid's learning. Many of our sitters have experience or currently work as educators; using a babysitter as a stealth tutor — for language, math or just generally educational activities — is a way to provide enrichment without making your children feel confined to a desk.

Babysitter as Mentor

It's likely your older children are trusted to be home or to meet friends at the local park, without adult supervision. Hiring a babysitter to "watch" them is unnecessary (and may make them upset!). But a sitter isn't only for childcare; sitters can also function as mentors, an especially valuable relationship as kids grow up and begin to learn more about the world and their place in it. Babysitters are closer in age than other authority figures but old enough to have the maturity and insights to share about school, college, relationships and more.