Activities for Dads.
Discover fun and engaging activities to do with your children
Top Activities
All Activities
Backyard Camping Adventure
Set up a tent in your backyard and have a mini camping trip with your kids. Roast marshmallows, tell stories, and stargaze without the hassle of traveling to a campsite. This creates a sense of adventure while staying close to home amenities.
Baking Soda Volcano Experiment
Create an exciting volcanic eruption using common household ingredients. Mix baking soda and vinegar to create a safe chemical reaction that produces an impressive foam explosion. This classic experiment teaches kids about chemical reactions while being incredibly fun to watch and do.
Nature Scavenger Hunt
Create a list of items to find in a local park or nature reserve. Include things like 'something smooth', 'something red', or specific plants and wildlife. This encourages observation skills and appreciation for the natural world.
Family Game Night
Organize a multi-game tournament with board games, card games, or video games that everyone enjoys. Keep score across different games and have a small prize for the winner. This teaches friendly competition and good sportsmanship.
Build a Blanket Fort
Transform your living room into an epic blanket fort using furniture, blankets, and pillows. Add string lights for ambiance and spend the afternoon reading books or watching movies inside your creation. It's a cozy way to bond and sparks creativity.
Bike Ride Adventure
Plan a bike ride to a new neighborhood, park, or ice cream shop. Create a simple map for kids to follow and include a few stops along the way. This combines physical activity with exploration and navigation skills.
Cooking Class at Home
Choose a simple recipe and teach your kids how to make it from scratch. Pizza, cookies, or pancakes are great starting points. This teaches valuable life skills, basic math through measuring, and creates delicious results to enjoy together.
DIY Stilts
Create and learn to walk on homemade stilts using cans or wooden blocks, or 2x4s. This activity develops balance, coordination, and confidence while providing a fun challenge and great exercise. Once the stilts are made, turn it into a competition with your kids to see who can walk with the stilts the furtherst.
Art Project
Set up an art station with various supplies and create a project together. Painting or drawing on paper is probably the easiest (though painting can be quite messy with younger kids). One way to make it more exciting is to take turns picking what to draw. One person tells the others what to draw and they have to follow the instructions.
Stargazing Night
Spread a blanket in your backyard or find a local spot away from city lights. Bring snacks, download a star map app, and identify constellations together. This introduces astronomy concepts while creating a peaceful bonding experience.
Marshmallow Gun Battle
Create simple marshmallow guns using PVC pipes and rubber bands, then have an epic battle in the backyard. This combines engineering, physics, and pure fun while being completely safe and easy to clean up.
Epic Nerf Battle
Transform your home or backyard into a Nerf battlefield with obstacles, forts, and strategic positions. Create teams, establish rules, and have an action-packed battle that combines strategy with physical activity.
Wilderness Fort Building
Head to a wooded area and build a fort using natural materials like sticks, branches, and leaves. Learn about basic construction, knot tying, and working with natural materials while creating a secret hideout.
DIY Bow and Arrow
Create simple bows and arrows using wooden dowels, string, and craft materials. It doesn't have to be anything crazy. Just find a curved stick and string and let the kids have at it.
Lego City Challenge
Set up a large baseplate and challenge kids to build an entire city with specific requirements like a school, hospital, and park. This encourages planning, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Lego Stop Motion Movie
Create a stop-motion movie using Lego figures and sets. Learn about animation principles, storytelling, and basic filmmaking while having fun with favorite toys.
Rope Swing Adventure
Find a sturdy tree branch and create a rope swing. That's it. Just be careful if you climb the tree to tie the rope. Bonus points if it's next to a river or lake and you can jump in.
Tree House Project
Design and build a simple tree house or platform. You can get some scrap wood from the hardware store or from Facebook Marketplace. This is a tough one, so make sure you have a good plan and a safe place to build it. But once it's done, it's a great place to play and spend time together.
Backyard Obstacle Course
Design and build an obstacle course using household items, pool noodles, and outdoor equipment. Time each other and try to beat personal records while getting exercise.
DIY Musical Instruments
Create instruments from household items - rubber band guitars, rice shakers, and water xylophones. The classic metal pot with a wooden spoon is always a hit. Bonus points if your record a song and play it for your family.
Geocaching Adventure
Use GPS or a smartphone to find hidden treasures in your area. Learn about coordinates, navigation, and discover new places while hunting for caches.
Homemade Ice Cream
Make ice cream using a simple hand-crank machine or the bag method. Learn about states of matter, temperature, and create delicious custom flavors.
Backyard Water Park
Create a water park using sprinklers, slip 'n slides, and water balloons. Design different stations and challenges for a day of water fun. If you don't want to buy a slip 'n slide, you can use a tarp and a hose.
Birdhouse Building
Build and decorate birdhouses using simple materials. You'll need basic carpentry tools and bird feed. You can usually get some scrap wood from the hardware store. Or you can buy a kit that includes all the materials you need.
Family Time Capsule
Create a time capsule with current photos, letters, and small items. Bury it in the backyard or store it safely to open in the future. The most fun part is gathering the items and looking through old photos.
Creative Sidewalk Art Gallery
Transform your driveway or sidewalk into a vibrant art gallery using colorful chalk. Create murals, practice drawing skills, and leave beautiful temporary art for neighbors to enjoy. This activity encourages creativity, fine motor skills, and outdoor artistic expression.
Backyard Camping Olympics
Create a series of fun outdoor games and challenges. Include events like sack races, water balloon toss, and obstacle courses for a day of friendly competition.
Water Bottle Rocket Launch
Transform an empty plastic bottle into an exciting water-powered rocket. Using water pressure and air compression, launch your rocket high into the sky. This hands-on project teaches principles of physics, pressure, and propulsion while creating an impressive display of scientific fun.
Family Garden Project
Plan and plant a family garden with vegetables, herbs, or flowers.
Kite Flying Adventure
Purchase a ready-made kite and head to an open field or beach for a day of kite flying. Learn about wind conditions, kite control, and enjoy the thrill of watching your kite soar through the sky.
Build and Fly Your Own Kite
Create a custom kite using lightweight materials like paper, plastic, and wooden dowels. Design your own kite, or search online for a pattern.
Fancy Tea Party
Host a special tea party with homemade treats, fancy cups, and dress-up clothes. Practice manners, conversation skills, and create lasting memories with a touch of elegance.
Nature Collection Adventure
Create a nature collection box and explore your backyard or local park to find interesting rocks, leaves, pinecones, and other natural treasures.
Diet Coke and Mentos Explosion
Create an exciting geyser by combining Diet Coke and Mentos candies. Learn about nucleation, gas pressure, and chemical reactions in this spectacular outdoor experiment.
Rainbow in a Jar
Create a beautiful layered rainbow using different colored liquids with varying densities. It's just a fun and quick science experiment that kids will love.
Invisible Ink Messages
Write secret messages using lemon juice as invisible ink. It's a fun and easy science experiment that kids will love.
Balloon-Powered Car
Build a simple car powered by a balloon! There's lots of different ways to make one, and usually it can be done with household items.
Rock Collection and Classification
Collect different types of rocks and learn to identify them using simple classification methods. Create a display with labels and learn about geology basics. This sounds lame at first, but kids (especially young ones), really love rocks.
Leaf Collection and Pressing
Collect different types of leaves, press them between books, and create a beautiful leaf collection book. Learn about different tree species and leaf identification.
Homemade Lava Lamp
Create a mesmerizing lava lamp using oil, water, food coloring, and effervescent tablets. There's lots of different ways to make one, and there are tons of YouTube videos that can help you out.
Color Changing Milk Experiment
Create a beautiful display of swirling colors using milk, food coloring, and dish soap. Learn about surface tension, chemical reactions, and color mixing.
Primitive Fire Starting
Learn various methods of starting fires using primitive techniques like the bow drill, hand drill, and flint and steel. Practice with a magnifying glass on sunny days and understand the science of fire. This teaches valuable survival skills, patience, and respect for fire safety.
Paper Airplane Engineering Challenge
Learn to design and build different types of paper airplanes, from simple darts to complex gliders. Experiment with different folds, wing shapes, and weights to understand aerodynamics and flight principles. Test your designs and compete for distance, accuracy, or time aloft.
Make Your Own Slime
Create colorful, stretchy slime using simple ingredients. This fun and tactile activity teaches kids about polymers and non-Newtonian fluids while letting them customize their creation with different colors and textures. It's a perfect blend of science and sensory play.
Family Fishing Adventure
Head to a local pond, lake, or river for a peaceful fishing expedition. Learn about different fish species, practice patience, and enjoy quality time in nature.
Rubber Band Slingshot Rocket
Build an exciting rubber band-powered rocket launcher using simple materials. Learn about potential and kinetic energy, projectile motion, and basic engineering principles while creating a fun outdoor activity. Test different designs and launch angles to achieve maximum distance and height.
Chalk Race Track Challenge
Design and draw an elaborate race track on your driveway or sidewalk for bikes and scooters. Include loops, zigzags, and special challenge zones. This combines creativity with physical activity and helps develop coordination and balance skills.
Classic Hopscotch Tournament
Draw a traditional hopscotch grid and organize a friendly tournament. Practice counting, balance, and coordination while enjoying this timeless outdoor game. Add variations like double hops or backward hopping for extra challenge.
Epic Pillow Battle Royale
Create a safe and fun pillow fight arena with soft pillows and clear rules. This high-energy activity helps kids burn off energy while learning about friendly competition and safe play. Perfect for rainy days or indoor energy release.
Classic Hide and Seek
Play the timeless game of hide and seek in your home or yard. Add variations like 'sardines' or 'ghost in the graveyard' for different challenges.
Nighttime Hide and Seek
Transform the classic game into an exciting nighttime adventure using flashlights and glow sticks. Perfect for late summer evenings or basement play, this version adds an extra layer of excitement and challenge to the traditional game.
Good ol' Fashioned Catch
Practice throwing and catching a baseball in the backyard or park or in the backyard. Start with soft balls for younger kids and progress to regulation baseballs.
Frisbee Skills Challenge
Learn and practice different frisbee throwing techniques and games. One thing you could do to make it more exciting is to create a target, and see who can get the most points by hitting the target (using different techniques).
RC Car Obstacle Course
Design and build an exciting obstacle course for remote control cars. Use household items to create ramps, tunnels, and challenges. This activity combines engineering, problem-solving, and fine motor skills while having fun with RC vehicles.
Winter Sledding Adventure
Find a safe hill and enjoy the thrill of sledding down snowy slopes. This classic winter activity provides great exercise, teaches about physics and momentum, and creates wonderful winter memories.
Snowman Building
Create elaborate snowmen with creative accessories and decorations. This winter activity encourages creativity, teamwork, and provides great outdoor exercise while learning about snow properties and winter weather.
Snow Fort Construction
Design and build an impressive snow fort or igloo.
Sand Castle Engineering
Create elaborate sand castles and cities at the beach or sandbox. Make it more interesting by adding a few challenges. For example, build a dam or a bridge.
Family Theater Production
Write, direct, and perform a family play or show. Create costumes, props, and sets from household items. This activity develops creativity, public speaking skills, and confidence while creating lasting memories.
Sock Puppet Theater
Create unique sock puppets and put on a puppet show. Design characters, write stories, and build a simple stage.
Marble Run Engineering
Design and build an elaborate marble run using either a kit or household materials.
Classic Jacks Tournament
Learn and play the traditional game of jacks.
Wiffle Ball Home Run Derby
Set up a wiffle ball field in the backyard and practice hitting home runs. This safer version of baseball is perfect for developing hand-eye coordination and learning basic baseball skills.
Miniature Sailboat Regatta
Design and build miniature sailboats using household materials, then race them in a pool or calm water. Learn about buoyancy, wind power, and basic sailing principles while having fun with water play.
Playground Adventure Challenge
Transform a regular trip to the playground into an exciting adventure with various challenges and games. Try the monkey bars obstacle course, create a swing height competition, or organize a slide race. Practice balance on the seesaw, climb the jungle gym, or create a treasure hunt around the equipment. This versatile activity promotes physical fitness, social skills, and creative play while being completely free and accessible.
Treasure Hunt Adventure
Get a small plastic or metal box, fill it with candy or small gifts and bury or hide it somewhere (near the house, park, woods, inside the house). Create a treasure map for the kids with clues. You can use ChatGPT to help you come up with clues. For extra bit of challenge, use coordinates, a compass, or geocaching (but this is more suitable for older kids).
Kitchen Dance Party
Turn your kitchen into a dance floor! Play upbeat music, show off your best moves, and have a fun family dance-off. This high-energy activity is perfect for burning off energy, improving coordination, and creating joyful memories together.
Glow Stick Stick-Man Pattern Game
Get glow sticks and tape them to yourselves in a stick-man pattern. Go play outdoors, at the playground, or run around the house. Make it more fun by creating more interesting patterns beyond just stick man.
Themed Movie Night
Plan a fun movie night for the kids. For extra excitment you can get some snacks you don't usually have. You can make it more fun by having a themed movie night. For example, you can have a superhero movie night with capes and masks, a space adventure with glow-in-the-dark stars, or a princess movie with tiaras and crowns.
Record a Movie Together
Pick your favorite movie and re-enact it with costumes. Edit it together and watch it as a family.
Chalkboard Wall Art
Paint a portion of your wall (at home or in the garage) with chalkboard paint and once it's ready, draw on it with chalk. This creative activity allows kids to express themselves artistically while transforming a part of your home into an interactive canvas.
Weekly Family Photo Challenge
Create a fun weekly photo challenge where each family member submits a photo based on a chosen theme. Themes could include 'funny faces', 'nature finds', 'silly poses', or 'creative perspectives'. The winner gets a small prize, and you'll build a collection of memorable photos perfect for a family scrapbook.
Masking Tape Road System
Create an elaborate road system on your floor using masking tape. Design intersections, roundabouts, and parking spots, then drive toy cars along the roads. The tape is easy to remove and won't damage floors.
Indoor Obstacle Course Challenge
Design and build an exciting indoor obstacle course using household items. Create tunnels under tables, crawl over pillows, army crawl under string, spin around markers, and jump through hula hoops.
Rock Painting Adventure
Search for rocks that remind you of food or animals, then bring them home to paint. This quiet, creative activity is perfect for meaningful conversations while you paint together.
Floor is Lava Night Challenge
Create an exciting lava challenge by spreading a red plastic tablecloth on the floor and adding cardboard stepping stones or glow sticks. Turn off the lights and add Christmas lights for a dramatic effect. Jump from safe spot to safe spot without touching the 'lava' floor.
Giant Outdoor Games Tournament
Set up a tournament with giant outdoor versions of classic games like Jenga, Connect 4, and Cornhole. Create a rotation system where everyone gets to play each game, keeping score for an overall winner. Perfect for backyard gatherings or family picnics.
Cardboard Box Cafe
Transform large moving boxes into a cozy cafe. Cut out windows and a door, paint the walls, add a counter, and decorate with signs and menus. Once it's built, kids can take turns being the barista and customers, serving pretend coffee and treats.
Family Cookie Baking
Bake a batch of cookies together, letting kids help with measuring, mixing, and decorating. Choose a simple recipe like chocolate chip or sugar cookies. Kids can shape the dough, add toppings, and watch them bake. The best part is enjoying the warm cookies together when they're done.
Cozy Family Story Night
Create a magical reading space by stringing up lights and building a blanket fort. Gather favorite books and take turns reading aloud. Add hot chocolate and snacks to make it extra special. This creates a perfect atmosphere for family bonding and sparking a love of reading.
Life-Sized Self Portrait
Roll out a large sheet of paper and have kids lay down while you trace their outline. Cut out their shape and let them decorate it with markers, paint, fabric, and other materials to create a life-sized version of themselves. They can add clothes, hair, and accessories to make it look just like them.
Giant Bubble Blowing
Create a giant bubble solution using dish soap, water, and glycerin. Make large bubble wands using string and sticks, or use hula hoops for extra big bubbles. Head outside on a calm day and watch as the giant bubbles float and shimmer in the sunlight.
Slow Motion Kung Fu Battle
Record a dramatic kung fu battle in slow motion using a smartphone. Kids can choreograph their moves, wear costumes, and add sound effects. Play it back in slow motion for extra dramatic effect and lots of laughs.
Family Game Night: Charades & Pictionary
Gather the family for a fun game night with classic party games. Take turns acting out words in charades or drawing clues in pictionary.
Hallway Bowling
Transform your hallway into a bowling alley using empty water bottles or paper towel rolls as pins. Use any ball that's safe for indoor play - a small basketball, soccer ball, or even a rolled-up pair of socks. Set up the pins at the end of the hallway and take turns trying to knock them down.
Window Art Gallery
Create a colorful art gallery on your windows using window crayons. Draw pictures, write messages, or create patterns that can be seen from both inside and outside. The best part is how easy it is to clean up - just wipe it off with a damp cloth when you're done.
Playdough Challenge Day
Set up a playdough station with different themed challenges. Create a zoo with animals, build a pizza with toppings, or make a garden with flowers. Take turns giving each other challenges like 'make something that flies' or 'create your favorite food'. Make it more interesting by making the playdough from scratch.
Spy Laser Trap Maze
Create an exciting spy mission by turning your house into a laser trap maze. Give each kid a ball of yarn and let them create a web of 'laser beams' by tying the yarn between furniture, doorways, and table legs. Take turns trying to navigate through the maze without touching the 'lasers'. When you're done, cut the yarn for easy cleanup.
Blind Man's Bluff
Play the classic blind man's bluff game. One player wears a blindfold and gets spun around, then tries to catch the others by sound and touch. When someone is caught, they become the next 'blind man'. Play in the dark for extra excitement.
Living Room Blackout Camping
Create an exciting indoor camping experience by turning off all the lights and using candles and flashlights. Set up a tent or build a fort in the living room, tell stories by candlelight, and roast marshmallows over a large candle. It's like camping without leaving home.
Epic Water Pistol Battle
Organize an exciting water pistol battle in your backyard or park. Create teams, set up obstacles using lawn furniture or cardboard boxes, and have a refreshing water fight. For indoor play, use smaller water pistols and set up a safe play area with towels. Perfect for hot summer days!
Magnet Fishing Adventure
Go on a treasure hunt using a strong magnet to find metal objects in lakes, ponds, or rivers. This exciting activity combines outdoor exploration with the thrill of discovery. You might find old coins, fishing lures, or other interesting metal items. Remember to check local regulations and be careful with any sharp objects you find.
Junior Ranger Hiking Adventure
Visit a nearby National Park for a family hiking adventure and earn Junior Ranger badges! Complete fun activities in the Junior Ranger booklet while exploring trails, learning about nature, and discovering park history. Each park has its own unique Junior Ranger program with activities designed for kids. Don't forget to take the Junior Ranger pledge and receive your official badge!
Local Trail Exploration
Discover a new hiking trail near your home using trail maps or apps. Pack some snacks and water, then set out to explore the local woods or park. Look for interesting plants, wildlife, and natural features along the way. Make it more fun by creating a simple scavenger hunt or taking photos of interesting things you find.
Arcade Game Challenge
Visit a local arcade and challenge each other to classic and modern arcade games. From pinball to racing games, there's something for everyone. Keep track of high scores and compete for the title of arcade champion. Many arcades offer prize tickets that can be redeemed for fun rewards.
Mini Golf Tournament
Head to a mini golf course for a fun family tournament. Create teams, keep score, and enjoy the creative obstacles and themes. Perfect for all skill levels, mini golf combines friendly competition with outdoor fun. Don't forget to take photos at the fun course decorations!
Family Mailbox Game
Create a fun family mail system where everyone gets their own decorated mailbox. Make cards, write letters, draw pictures, and share jokes with each other. This activity is perfect for siblings of different ages as everyone can participate at their own level. The excitement of checking your mailbox and finding new messages makes it engaging for the whole family.