As a single dad, it may seem like a daunting task to figure out fun activities for you and your children to enjoy in the summertime. Trying to figure out something that everyone will enjoy and doesn’t break the bank can be tricky, even for the most seasoned veterans. There is no shortage of excellent summertime activities that can be enjoyed by the whole family as long as you are willing to be creative and think a little outside the box.
Camping is always a ton of fun in the summertime. Use the opportunity to teach your kids about survival skills and roughing it in the wild. Sleep in a tent instead of a camper or cottage, hunt or fish for your food and teach them how to build a fire with only those materials provided by Mother Nature. Take them on a nature hike through the woods and see how many different animals you can find and identify properly. Whichever person comes in last place gets stuck cleaning the fish or cooking dinner; find a way to make a game out of it. This could be a good time to make sure your kids appreciate entertainment that comes from something other than a computer, cell phone or video game console.
Get out there and exercise with your kids when the weather is nice enough to cooperate. There are countless activities you can do together that are both fun and encourage physical fitness. Go for a long bike ride or strap on the roller blades together. If sports are more your thing, toss the pigskin around, play a game of HORSE in the driveway, or try and teach them how to hit a curveball. You don’t need to be good at the sports you play with your kids; the fact that you are spending quality time together is where the real value comes from.
Nothing feels better in the heat of summer than drenching yourself in a pool, a lake, an ocean or even with a garden hose. If the beach is an option, take it; if not, see if there are any public pools nearby. The kids will get to have a blast swimming and may even get the chance to make a few new friends. If those aren’t options, get an inexpensive sprinkler from the hardware store or have a water balloon fight. Kids love to be silly with their dads; don’t be afraid to be silly back.
For a new and sometimes very interesting day, give the kids’ free reign to plan an entire day for all of you. Support their ideas and suggestions, even if you may not be overly enthused with their suggestions. Perhaps you could give them a budget to work within, and as long as they keep things reasonable, you do anything and everything they recommend. You might be surprised how much fun you have in the process. Even if you weren’t excited about the activities that were planned, you may soon realize that you their excitement is contagious and find yourself having just as much fun as them.
The summertime is a great time to get outside and spend some real quality time with your kids. As a single dad, your schedule may not allow you to spend the amount of time with your kids as you would truly like, so it is important to maximize the time that you do have with them. The summertime fun you and your kids are engaged in may just be some of their fondest childhood memories, so do everything in your power to make them special for both of you.