5 Valuable Life Lessons to Learn From The Baby-Sitters Club Books

For decades, the members of The Baby-Sitters Club showed a generation how to think like a boss and celebrate their unique quirks. To this day, readers continue to learn many valuable life lessons from the unforgettable characters in the beloved series.

By Scholastic Editors
Oct 21, 2022

Ages

8-12

5 Valuable Life Lessons to Learn From The Baby-Sitters Club Books

Oct 21, 2022

For decades, young readers around the world have delighted in The Baby-Sitters Club book series by Ann M. Martin. While originally set to debut only four titles in 1986, the beloved series has grown to consist of over 250 titles along with the Baby-Sitters Little Sister spin-off and full-color graphic novel adaptations

(Soak up some awesome 80s nostalgia with The Baby-Sitters Club Retro Tin that includes the first six books in the bestselling series — with their classic covers! It's a perfect way to share the series you loved with your tween reader while taking a stroll down memory lane.)

The Baby-Sitters Club books have truly stood the test of time — turns out, there’s a bunch of valuable life lessons tucked inside each story. From sharing a blueprint for running a business to the value in being kind to others, the core ideas of hard work, self-confidence, and the value of friendship are as relevant today as when these books were first printed. 

1. You’re Never Too Young To Be A #Boss

Kristy was only in middle school when she had the "great idea" to start a baby-sitting club that was actually a highly organized company (check out the first book of the series here!). These girls may have been dealing with typical teen issues, like homework and crushes, but that didn’t stop them from having regular meetings, assigning officers, keeping records, and even coming up with marketing and advertising ideas. The Baby-Sitters Club books show readers that they too can accomplish big goals with enough determination and hard work.

2. It’s Cool To Be Your Own Person

The members of the Baby-Sitters Club accept each other for who they are and love one another despite their differences. Claudia may be a junk food addict and Dawn a vegetarian, but that doesn’t stop them from being friends. Stacey adores all things beauty and fashion while Kristy considers throwing on a baseball cap as doing her hair, and yet they still care for and respect one another. It can be easy for kids to fall into the false belief that there’s only one way to be cool or look beautiful. Reading The Baby-Sitters Club books might just help kids realize their unique differences and learn that real friends will celebrate the things that make you, you.

3. It’s Okay To Make Mistakes

The Baby-Sitters Club members are besties, but even best friends fight sometimes. For instance, in The Baby-Sitters Club #4: Mary Anne Saves the Day, the girls have a major blow up over whether sitting jobs are being assigned equally and fairly. They insult each other and wind up not speaking for weeks. In time, they realize how unkind they were to each other and apologize, forming even stronger bonds. Hurray for growth mindset and healthy friendships!

4. Don’t Let The Cokie Masons Of The World Get You Down

Whether she was sending creepy fake love notes to Kristy or trying to swipe Logan from Mary Anne, Cokie Mason is always formulating mean schemes against The Baby-Sitters Club. Everyone has dealt with a real world Cokie at some point. Seeing how the characters do their best to never let Cokie get under their skin sets a great example for kids today on how to handle a person who builds themselves up by trying to push others down.

5. No One Is Perfect

As kids enter their school years, it’s easy for them to compare themselves to their peers. The Baby-Sitters Club's characters may be fictional, but their lives are just as complex as anyone's in the real world. Kristy struggles in her relationship with her step-mom, Karen. Stacey has diabetes and is coping with her parents’ divorce. Claudia loses her beloved grandmother and fights to keep up in school. These and other trials the girls face not only create compelling plot lines, but they help readers understand that everyone faces challenges in their lives, and they can find happiness and success in spite of them.

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