Parents, June means summer is officially here! With that comes summer break for our kids and we focus on being outside and planning vacations or outings with them. But June is also the month we celebrate Father’s Day. Often we prioritize our moms on Mother’s Day and we forget about dads. Now is the time to remedy that!
What better way to honor the men in our lives than by creating a Building Memories with Dad Jar? Creating this jar is a unique way to give our children ideas of things to do to ward off their summer boredom by coming up with ideas to do together that dad would love. Men often enjoy physical activities as a form of bonding and connection with their family, so thinking about being active is a great place to start.
Here are some other helpful hints:
- Find a mason jar, a permanent marker, construction paper, string, and some blocks or Legos
- Have the children complete the sentences:
- What I like to do with daddy is….
- My favorite thing to do with daddy is…
- What I want to do with daddy is…
- I love it when daddy…
- Remember when daddy…
- Write the children’s responses on the blocks
- Place the blocks in the jar
- Add a tag or label which says, “Building Memories with Dad”
- Encourage dad to pick a block and plan an experience for the whole family to enjoy! Or perhaps dad creates one-on-one time with each child for a specific activity.
You can add to the jar at any time. Think about outdoor activities as well as ideas for rainy days when you are stuck inside. If there is a beloved family event, then you know you are creating memories, so: repeat, repeat, repeat!
For more ideas to spend with dad, visit:
Nina Solomon, Development of Living Skills Instructor, OSU Extension, Butler County