Being a dad is one of the greatest jobs in the world. Unfortunately, being a dad doesn’t pay the bills. If you’re a busy working dad and you want to spend more time with your kids, you’re not alone! Here are a few great activities you can do with your kids, even as a busy working dad.
Play Some Video Games
Staring at a screen after you’ve been working all day might not seem like an enjoyable task, but when it comes to spending more time with your kids, it’s important for you to take an interest in their interests. While it can be great to introduce your kids to your hobbies, as a dad you need to accept that they have their own and that it’s your job to support and encourage them to develop the skills those hobbies require. Yes, that includes video games. And if you weren’t already aware of just how popular video games are, consider the fact that over 200 million copies of Minecraft have been sold as of May 2020. If you’re not great at video games, that’s okay. In fact, it’s an excellent opportunity to ask your kids to teach you how to play. While many popular games right now are competitive fighting games or first-person shooters, there are also some great platformers out there. So maybe one night per week, set aside an hour of time to play your kids’ favorite video game together. The time limit makes sure neither of you is spending too much time looking at the screen and allows you some devoted time to spend together. You just might pick up a new skill or two while you’re bonding with your kids, too!
Get Outside
Summer is coming to an end, but there’s still plenty of time for you to get outside with your kids. Not only is this an excellent opportunity to bond with your kids, but spending time outside can also help you de-stress and even sleep better! When almost 45% of Americans have trouble falling asleep, a little time outside is a small price to pay for eight solid hours. And there are so many things you can do with just a little bit of time outside. Consider planning one of the following outdoor activities with your kids:
- A walk around the neighborhood
- A picnic for lunch or dinner
- A game of baseball at the local park
- A nature walk on a local trail
- Sidewalk or driveway chalk art
Getting outside with your kids can take plenty of different forms. The most important thing is that you’re actively making time to spend with them. If it’s warm enough, you could even consider going swimming or spending a weekend afternoon at the beach. If you’re pressed for time, a walk around the block together, or an evening spent decorating the driveway with chalk could be better.
Maintain the Family Garden Together
Whether you have a full-on vegetable garden in your backyard or you just enjoy taking care of the beautiful plants you have around your yard, getting your kids involved in taking care of plantlife is always rewarding. And when you consider that upwards of 67% of landscaping projects involve single-family homes like yours, garden maintenance is a pretty regular duty. And it’s especially easy to get your kids involved if they like getting a little bit messy, but there are plenty of gardening activities that don’t involve digging around in the dirt. For example, if you have an early riser in the family, you can take a few minutes each day to go out early in the morning and water your plants. In addition, harvesting vegetables is an activity the whole family can get involved in. Not only can you take this time to teach your kids about where their food comes from, but you can get a little help tending to your garden. Someday your kids might even want to take over for you!
There’s nothing more important than spending time with your kids, especially if you’re a working dad. And it’s not difficult to find things to do, either! These are just a few examples of ways you can bond with your kids within your busy schedule.
