Activities for Dads & Kids

May is National Foster Care Month. Check out these simple tips and ideas for bonding with adopted children through play.

April 23-25 marks Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), the largest youth service and civic action event in the world. GYSD is also the only event that celebrates and builds the capacity of all youth ages 5-25 to work together for the common good and help our communities thrive. Check out their website for projects and activities to do with your children.  

April 22 is Earth Day, an annual reminder to slow down and appreciate the bounty of the earth. Take this day to do activities with your kids that celebrate the earth, such as creating objects from natural and recycled materials. Earth Day also is a great reminder to spend time enjoying the outdoors with your kids

Don’t forget to celebrate Grill Cheese Sandwich Day on April 12.  Dads, get creative with your grilled cheese by bringing out the cookie cutters! Imagine the fun you and your kids will have as you make uniquely shaped sandwiches. Don’t let the crusts go to waste; you can dip them in your favorite sauces or soups. Try ranch, siracha, dill, or your favorite dip. Check out these recipes for unique cheeses to try.

Use #GrilledCheeseSandwichDay to post pictures of your sandwiches on social media.

National Love Our Children Day is dedicated to raising awareness of child abuse and preventing abuse before it starts. This effort is done in coordination with National Child Abuse Prevention Month every April. Love Our Children Day honors all children and encourages us to develop loving, respectful relationships with our children. It’s a great time to remind your children of how much they are loved as well as find out what you or your organization can do to help prevent child abuse. For starters, use #NationalLoveOurChildrenDay to share some love, tips, or stories on social media.

Spring is now in the air and so is National Fragrance Day. Each year on March 21, let your favorite scents lift your mood or carry you to another place. A fun activity for you and your kids would be to play a guessing game with scents. You can take turns blindfolding each other to see how many things you and the kids can find to identify by scent alone.  #NationalFragranceDay

On March 14 is National Learn About Butterflies Day, encouraging us to look for a blur of color as butterflies begin migrating across the country. Each year the celebration brings with it an awareness of the varieties of butterflies and their importance to our survival. Spend some time outside with your kids today and see if you can spot one of those colorful creatures. If you need some inspiration, check out these five ways you can celebrate.

National Good Samaritan Day on March 13 recognizes the unselfish actions of those who provide help when needed. This day is also known as Good Samaritan Involvement Day and celebrates kindness in all its forms. So, pick a community project to do that will help others and teach your children the act of kindness through service projects. #GoodSamaritanDay

February 25 is National Chili Day and there’s nothing better than enjoying this fiery fare during one of winter’s coldest months. Also, Chowhound reminds us that cooking is a great activity to do with your kids as it teaches math and science skills! Maybe plan a chili cook-off with your children and see who comes up with the tastiest recipe!

February 17 is Random Acts of Kindness Day.  So, take this day, or this week, to find some kind thing to do for someone and help your children learn that being kind is a great trait to have. And we highly recommend you perform kind acts on as many people as you can. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has many ideas and free content that promotes kindness toward others & teaches important social emotional learning skills to kids.