Activites For Dad To Share

20 FATHER SON ACTIVITES

1. Create a Sandbox
If your son has some basic construction toys like bulldozers and dump trucks, buy or build him a sandbox. Put in some smooth river rocks to vary the challenge. If you don’t have room for a full-sized sandbox, you can make a tabletop model and let your son use it for play with his smaller construction vehicles.

2. Build With Blocks
Plain wooden blocks are a classic toy for children. Consider buying two sets instead of one, so that you and your son will have enough for big projects.

3. Create a Dinosaur Habitat
In a variation on the classic fairy garden, find an appropriate container and make a dinosaur habitat. Purchase some plastic dinosaurs, add some live miniature ferns or succulents and some rocks. You can even use a shallow dish filled with water for a lake.

4. Play in the Rain Being allowed to play in the rain is exciting for kids because it feels like something forbidden. As long as there’s no lightning or thunder, it should be safe. Kids especially like stomping through puddles in rain boots. Raincoats and umbrellas are optional if the weather is warm.

5. Have Big Fun With Miniature Cars
If your son has a collection of small die-cast cars, the two of you can have hours of amusement with them. Create tracks and ramps using boards, rain gullies or cardboard. Cardboard tubes make good tunnels. You can use painter’s tape on floors and carpets to map out roadways.

6. Practice Numbers
Building good math skills should start early, but no worksheets are necessary. Help your son practice counting and measuring. Move to adding and subtracting when he is ready. Real world activities that support math skills include cooking and handling money. Card games and board games also build number sense.

7. Ride a Train
If there is an excursion train near you, book a trip for you and your son. It’s also possible to book a day trip on Amtrak. Be sure to arrive early so your son can get a good look at everything that goes on at a train station.

8. Play Pirates
A laundry basket or cardboard box can become a pirate ship. Be sure to display the Jolly Roger! A bandanna makes a good head wrap for a pirate, or you can fold paper into a buccaneer’s hat. Add a eye patch and a cardboard sword, and your little pirate will be ready to make someone walk the plank!

9. Make Slime
There are tons of recipes for homemade slime. Try several and let your son compare the results. Then you can tweak the recipes, and a craft just became a science experiment! You can also play around with adding colors or scents to the mixture.

10. Build an Obstacle Course
Create an obstacle course in the back yard and challenge your son to see how fast he can complete it. This is a good way of introducing the concept of personal best – that you can compete against yourself instead of against others.

11. Roughhouse
Most children love physical play, and your son will enjoy roughhousing with you as long as you are aware of your superior strength and bulk. Roughhousing teaches children the difference between physical play and physical aggression and so helps to build that moral compass that kids need.

12. Visit an Airport
Watching planes take off and land is fascinating to most kids, and learning to recognize various kinds of aircraft is a cool activity. Many large airports have designated areas for plane spotting. These may be located off of perimeter roads or on top of parking garages. Due to security concerns, there are definite protocols to follow when plane spotting. Photography may or may not be allowed. Small airports are usually private property, but they may allow visitors, too, or you can plane spot from any nearby public property.

13. Take Him With You
One of the greatest compliments you can pay your son is to take him places with you when you don’t have to. You can have a bonding experience doing simple things, as long as he’s not already tired and you’re not already stressed out. Take him along when you run errands or go to visit friends.

14. Tee Up!
There are lots of good reasons to teach your son golf, but be sure to keep it fun. Most children are physically ready to start learning the game of golf at around 7 years of age. Start at the driving range. You may be able to rent junior clubs at your local golf course. If not, you can buy one or two basic clubs to start. If you need advice or financial help, there are several organizations working to make golf available and affordable for youngsters.

15. Put Something on the Grill
All kids should learn to cook, and grilling has its own set of attractions. First, it’s done outside, so you can toss a ball around or just enjoy the outdoors while you cook. Second, grilled foods are delicious! Your son might learn to like more varied foods when they are cooked on the grill. Like all cooking activities, grilling has its dangers, so wait until your son is of an appropriate age before sharing your special techniques.

16. Go to a Car Show
Many fathers and sons share an interest in cars, and it’s likely that there is a car show happening in your area in the near future, even if it’s just a group of enthusiasts meeting at your local mall. Whether you prefer antique cars, classic cars or custom cars, you won’t have to go far to indulge your interest. Another great thing about car shows is that the owners generally love to talk about their cars.

17. Tell Him About Your Childhood
Family stories are important in building an appreciation of family history and a sense of shared values. Your son will love hearing stories about your childhood as along as you don’t get preachy. He’ll especially love funny stories, but tales of hardship overcome do give children a sense that they can handle difficulties, too. Make the stories interesting, and don’t include a lot of unnecessary details. It’s even okay to practice so that you can tell the story well! Chances are that your son will ask to hear favorite stories over and over.

18. Go Backpacking
Camping trips are kid favorites. Kick the adventure up a notch by taking your son backpacking. It’s wise to start small, with a hike of just a mile or two to an established campsite. If all goes well, you can progress to a more primitive camping experience. Remember that cell phones often don’t work in wilderness areas. Plan ahead and be prepared for emergencies.

19. Look Through a Microscope
Many adults remember their first glimpse of a world not visible to the naked eye. For many of us, that occurred at school. Buy a microscope for home, though, and you can share that experience with your son. Decent standard microscopes can be bought for reasonable prices, or you can try one of the new USB digital microscopes. These use a handheld lens and a USB connection to project a magnified image on a computer screen. Pocket microscopes are also available, and they add another dimension to hikes and outdoor activities.

20. Take up Archery
A number of recent movies feature heroes and heroines who are skilled with bow and arrow. These may spark your child’s interest in archery, although some enthusiasts would say that the sport is just flat fascinating from the start. Archery is a lifelong and year-round sport that can be enjoyed by almost everyone. It teaches discipline, builds self-confidence and increases upper body strength. Of course, safety is vital, and you’ll need to be vigilant in supervision.

20 FATHER DAUGHTER ACTIVITES

1. Make a Creation Station
Save odds and ends of paper, plastic and crafting supplies and create a place where your daughter’s imagination can go wild. Add cardboard tubes, margarine tubs, and other recyclables. You’ll also need tools like scissors and supplies like glue. Be sure to take pictures of your daughter’s inventions.

2. Build a Fort
Use natural materials such as branches to create an outdoor fort. One design involves using long branches leaned against a large tree to create a triangular shape. Fill in with other branches. Branches with leaves still attached will create shade. No large trees around? You can push two forked branches into the ground. A long branch laid between the forks will create a framework to build upon. Then you’re ready to play Swiss Family Robinson or Survivor Man!

3. Be a Vet
If your daughter has a doctor kit and a few stuffed animals, you can play veterinarian. Add a couple of clipboards for charting and make a few signs for the “office.” If your daughter takes to this kind of play, you may end up researching animal ailments together. This simple pretend play could pique your daughter’s interest in the field of medicine.

4. Have a Camp-Out
Take your daughter on a real camping trip, or have a backyard camp-out. Tents are inexpensive and much easier to put up than they used to be. Once you have your camp set up, you can go for a flashlight hike, listen for owls and tell stories around a firepit. Children never forget camping adventures.

5. Go on a Nature Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts involve finding as many listed items as possible. The list for a nature scavenger hunt could include items such as a seed pod, acorn, shell, lichen, and feather. Look online for appropriate lists, or generate your own. Instead of physically collecting items, you can also use your phone to take pictures that document your finds. On a photo scavenger hunt, you can search for living creatures, such as bees, butterflies, spiders and birds, as well as for plants and inanimate objects. No matter which path you choose, you and your daughter can have an interesting walk while expanding your knowledge about nature.

6. Go Thrift Shopping
Thrift shopping is more like a treasure hunt than it is like traditional shopping. Look up your local resale shops and take your daughter on a search for inexpensive bounty. Books and puzzles are often good buys. You can also find clothing that is great for dress-up or cosplay. Your wallet won’t take much of a hit. Allow your daughter a set amount to spend, and she’ll get a lesson in budgeting, too.

7. Make Believe
Pretending games are important to child development. Enter into your daughter’s make-believe enthusiastically, or initiate your own game. Just say, “Pretend that we are ___.” Your daughter will probably be delighted! Your pretend games don’t have to be geared to little princesses. Girls like adventure, too!

8. Go for a Hike
Turn a walk in the neighborhood or in a local park into an adventure. Pack backpacks with water and supplies. Bring trail mix, binoculars, a compass and a ground cloth for taking a break. Use your phone or fitness tracker to record your miles.

9. Get Physical
Find some fun fitness activities to do with your daughter. Besides jogging, biking, and walking, you can do simple calisthenics. When your daughter is old enough, teach her how to use weights properly. Weight training is safe for children over 7 if small weights are used. Never turn lifting weights into a competition, and never criticize her performance in any athletic activity. Make your sessions enjoyable, and you’ll have a fitness partner for life.

10. Write a Story
Storytelling is great for language development. Let younger children tell their stories while you record them on your phone or other device. Then you can turn them into written form. You can even make them into books! Older children can write down their own tales, with you serving as enthusiastic audience. If you have a reluctant writer, try this trick. Write down a sentence, then let your child continue the story with another sentence. Continue the process until you have a story. With older children, you can alternate paragraphs instead of sentences.

11. Try Stop Action Video
If your daughter has a creative bent and some patience, try stop action video. All you need is an inexpensive app and your smartphone or a tablet or digital camera. Show her how to pose a doll or miniature figure and take a picture, then move it a tiny bit and take another picture. When the pictures are put together, she will have created a short animated segment. After you start with a simple app, you can move her to a more sophisticated setup if she is interested. Someday you could have a filmmaker in the family!

12. Break Out the Board Games
When you think your daughter has had enough screen time, break out the board games. There are games that are suitable for all ages and levels. Many of the classics that you played as a kid are still perfect for kids today, but there are innovative new games, too. Board games teach logic and strategy as well as reading and math. They also teach children how to be good sports. Want to take it a step further? You and your daughter can make your own board game.

13. Be a Carpenter
If you are handy with woodworking, you can probably think up a simple project for the two of you. If not, you can find kits online and in home improvement stores. By the way, some home improvement stores offer free workshops for kids on Saturday mornings.

14. Go to the Zoo
Of course, the zoo is a favorite spot for most kids. You can make it even more fun by checking out the extras that may be offered. Many zoos have special lighting events or seasonal nighttime hours. Other extras may include zookeeper chats, behind-the-scene tours or animal encounters. Your daughter may be able to feed the giraffes at some zoos. Some extras are pricey. Others are free with the price of admission.

15. Find a Factory Tour
Most kids are interested in how things are made. Factory tours can answer some of their questions. Check your area to see what is available, or work in a tour on your next vacation. You can tour factories that make automobiles, airplanes, guitars, baseball bats and motorcycles, just to mention a few products. Visits to ice cream and candy factories are bound to be a hit. You can also tour the U.S. Mints in Denver and Philadelphia and learn how money is made.

16. Have a Ball
Catching and throwing a ball is an excellent activity for building eye-hand coordination and improving balance. There are ball activities for all ages and all levels of interest. You can opt for a relaxed game of toss or get your daughter involved in team ball.

17. Take Lessons Together
Most classes are designed for adults or children, but with a little effort you can arrange lessons with your daughter. It may mean arranging for private sessions. Cooking and sewing classes are offered in most areas. Painting and pottery classes are also popular, or you can choose something physical like martial arts or tennis.

18. Take Your Daughter to Work
If it’s not strictly prohibited, take your daughter to work with you one day. Depending upon your child’s age, it may be wise to choose a day when you can arrive late or leave early. Children should know something about their parents’ working lives.

19. Go to a Concert
Music is the universal language, they say, so sharing it is a perfect way to bond with your daughter. If your child is quite young, choose a children’s artist. When she is older, you and she will probably enjoy some of the same artists. Outdoor concerts tend to be kid-friendly. The tunes are likely to be rated G, and you can leave whenever your daughter gets tired. Later you can go for other concert venues. If you start your daughter young, there’s a good chance that music is a bond the two of you will share for life.

20. Do Science Experiments
You don’t want your daughter to be left out of the push for STEM learning. Science experiments are a great way to capture her interest and teach her something, too. Opt for a classic, like the baking soda and vinegar reaction, or do an online search for something more innovative. You can also buy kits that contain materials for several experiments.

Adapted From: TheGoodStuff - RulyMob - FatherMag -