Activities for Dads and Kids
No parent has ever said, “Gosh, I wish I spent less time with my kids.”
If you attended our most recent Bump-inar with Brian Anderson of Fathering Together, you know he recommended finding hobbies that you and your child can enjoy together. We wanted to expand on this suggestion by suggesting some activities for dads and kids to do together at every stage of child development. Maybe it feels natural to go on a bike ride or throw a football with your 12-year-old, but what kinds of things can you do with your 6-month-old? This article is a starting point, but we welcome you to make a list of your own activities that you and your children enjoy. After all, you know your family! With this list in hand, you’ll be prepared the next time you have an extra hour on a Sunday afternoon to spend some quality time with your growing family!
Under 1 year:
Handprint art – kids love to get messy, so grab the finger paints and let them go wild. Then use a permanent marker to make their drawings into fun animals, figures or faces: 24 Thumbprint Art ideas | thumbprint art, fingerprint art, fingerprint crafts (pinterest.com)
Read together. Children love to be read to – and even infants can help turn the pages. Picture and board books are also a great way to help stimulate a young baby’s vocabulary.
Paint with water: you can get a paint roller and bucket of water and paint a fence, or the house, or the sidewalk.
Play musical instruments together. Encourage them to play or dance along.
Take them to the park and swing on the baby swings. Nothing makes babies laugh harder than a game of peek-a-boo on the swings.
1-3 years:
Read together.
No mess smush painting takes a bit of prep work but doesn’t make a mess! No Mess Smush Painting for Toddlers | Happy Toddler Club
Play with sand toys at the beach, in the sandbox at a playground or in a sensory bin
Draw with sidewalk chalk
Kids this age love to wash things in the sink. Wash their toys, wash dishes (just no glass), wash their bath toys. Just don’t forget to use lots of dish soap for bubbles!
Speaking of bubbles, you can never go wrong with bubbles at this age.
Run through the sprinkler as a fun way to cool off.
Make and play with edible play dough.
3-6 years:
Play their favorite sport together, then your favorite sport. If they love soccer and you love football, take turns playing each of your favorite sports. While enjoying a game together, you’ll also be teaching them the importance of turn-taking and considering others’ feelings!
Let them read to you!
Try one of these family bonding games: 19 games for family bonding during COVID-19 | UNICEF Jamaica
Play a board game or card game.
Make a tinfoil masterpiece together: a faithful attempt: Foil Embossing: tin foil and Sharpies
Draw together with sidewalk chalk, make games like hopscotch and four square, write fun notes for your neighbors, or try one of these creative ideas.
Take a tour of the neighboring towns’ playgrounds. Mix it up and see how many playgrounds you can hit in one day for an exciting day they’ll never forget.
Go on a nature scavenger hunt: Nature Scavenger Hunt List {w/free printable!} - Edventures with Kids (kcedventures.com).
Build a fort together. Drape some blankets over your furniture, hang sheets from the ceiling, or set up pillows or cardboard boxes for a cool, creative playspace.
6-9 years:
Make a bird house together: Birdhouses For Kids To Make - A Little Bit of Everything (littlebitsofeverything.com)
Cook something together. Whether you make cookies, or just cut up an apple, put peanut butter and raisins on it and call it “ants on a rock” school-age children love to feel a sense of control over their food!
Go mini golfing. Our family loves to try out new mini golfing courses, and whoever wins gets to pick where we go to dinner.
Make a time capsule. Think of things that are meaningful (but not too meaningful!) to your family, put them in plastic bag, and bury it in the yard. Don’t forget to add something with the date of when you did it!
Let them read to you.
Go for a bike ride together.
Go out for ice cream.
Make a secret drawing together: Invisible ink with crayon resist - The Artful Parent.
Try Geocaching.
Go fishing together. This may take some preparation but will be an experience they never forget.
9-12 years:
Tell them a story from your childhood. Kids love to hear about what you were like as a kid.
Play video games together.
Play catch, kick the soccer ball around, or just go for a walk.
Let them read to you.
Take them out for hot chocolate or milkshakes, depending on the weather.
Go for a hike in a local or state park.
Collect lots of books you’re interested in reading at the local library or bookstore and browse through them to decide which ones you want to take home.
Do a puzzle together.
Go bowling or to an arcade.
Learn a new language together. We use Duolingo.
Cook something new together: finding a new recipe and cooking it together can be a fun and rewarding adventure that teaches them a new skill!