Ultimate Dad Night E-Book

Jay Laffoon

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Seitenzahl: 105

Beschreibung

Family adventures await. As a dad, you want to build authentic relationships with your kids, but the bustle of family life can make it difficult to connect in meaningful ways. Ultimate Dad Night is packed with seventy-five practical ideas to bring your family closer to God and each other. Pass on love and wisdom to your kids using - exciting activities for all ages, budgets, and time frames; - relevant Scripture passages, devotions, and prayers; - interactive questions to spark conversations; and - helpful takeaway messages to remember your adventures.Create lasting memories with your kids as you watch them grow into thriving young men and women of God.  

Leseprobe

BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC

Savage, Minnesota, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

Ultimate Dad Night: 75 Amazing Activities for Dads and Kids

Copyright © 2023 Jay and Laura Laffoon

9781424564675 (faux)

9781424564682 (ebook)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Unless indicated otherwise, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture marked KJV is taken from the King James Version of the Bible, public domain. Scripture quotations marked CEB are taken from the Common English Bible, copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible.

Stock or custom editions of BroadStreet Publishing titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, ministry, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please email [email protected].

Cover and interior by Garborg Design Works | garborgdesign.com

Printed in China

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Dedication

Dads come in all shapes and sizes. This book is dedicated to every dad who loves his kids like our dads loved us.

Contents

Getting Started

1Rock Climbing

2Bonfire

3Pizza Making

4Kite Flying

5Outdoor Movie Night

6Budget Battle

7Geocaching

8Photo Scavenger Hunt

9Berry or Apple Picking

10Random Acts of Service

11Hotel Pajama and Swim Party

12Nerf Fun

13Bowling Bonanza

14Disc Golf

15Adventure to Nowhere

16Museum Mayhem

17Birdhouse Building

18Indoor Camping

19Outdoor Camping

20Bikes and Ice Cream

21Ninja Training

22Star Gazing

23Lego Night

24Create Dream Bedrooms

25Puzzle Pandemonium

26Family Potluck

27Beach Day

28Talent Search

29Visit an Aquarium

30Drive-In Movie Night

31Water Balloon Extravaganza

32Night of Lights

33Gingerbread House Making

34Wash and Detail the Car

35Ice Skating

36Zoom Visit

37Journal Questions

38Local Farmers Market and BBQ

39Stone Painting

40Board Game Marathon

41Play Ball

42Prayer Walk

43Slip Sliding Away

44Playing with Clay

45Sidewalk Chalk

46Dress-Up Dinner

47Escape Room

48Jump Station

49Sail Away

50I Can. Canoe?

51Tend the Garden

52Portrait Party

53Jenga with a Twist

54Vacation Piggy Bank

55Family Ts

56Song and Dance Party

57Tale of the Taste

58Waffle Bar

59Family Time Capsule

60Heads Up!

61Christmas in July

62Flashlight Tag

63Putt-Putt

64Video Game Challenge

65Ropes Course

66Readers Are Leaders

67Cornhole

68Slime

69Kids’ Choice

70Project Saturday

71Axe Throwing

72Monster Truck Rally

73Car Show

74Girl Dad

75Family Bucket List

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Getting Started

This book is designed to make it easy and fun for dads and their kids to spend quality time together. Start by picking an activity to do together and follow the instructions for the activity. Once completed, use the “Closer Together” questions to get the kids talking. As you intentionally listen to your children, this will also enhance the bonding process, which is so important in parent-child relationships. Then, you can smoothly segue into the “Closer to God” section, which includes a Scripture passage, devotion, and prayer. Finish with the “Remember Together” section. Positive childhood and teen memories are a great way to build strong social and emotional bonds with your children. Further, as the kids age out of the house, it will give you a heart full of memories to love.

While some of the activities are seasonal, you can do others at any time of the year, so don’t feel you have to walk linearly through the book. Feel free to bounce around.

Blessings,

COST

TIME

ADVENTURE LEVEL

AGE

The age listed is the youngest we feel comfortable recommending. Depending on the child, this range may vary.

SEASON

While you can do some activities year-round, others are better during a particular time of the year. This may also depend on where you live and whether you prefer to do the activity indoors or outdoors.

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

1

Rock Climbing

ACTIVITY

Find a climbing wall near you. Sometimes sporting goods stores will have them as well as a local college or university, a local recreation center, or a local camp.

CLOSER TOGETHER

Were you mostly scared or excited about climbing the wall? Once you knew the belayer was not going to let you fall, did it make it more fun? What is one area in your life where you need to trust God more?

CLOSER TO GOD

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

HEBREWS 11:1

“On belay!” “Belay on!” “Climbing!” “Climb on!” Every experienced rock climber knows these phrases and the importance of trusting your belayer. A belayer literally holds the rope that keeps you from falling if you were to misstep or miss a handhold. Generally speaking, this person is behind you and on the ground. You must have faith in that person’s ability to give you enough slack in the line to climb yet remain mindful in case you were to fall. As the verse says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” We do not see the belayers, but we put our faith in them, trusting that they will do the job of keeping us safe. The same is true with God. While we may not see him, we trust that he is there to keep us safe.

God in heaven, as we trust our belayer when we climb, may we trust in you as we walk through life knowing how much you love us.

REMEMBER TOGETHER

Remember, God is the ultimate belayer and will always catch you when you trip or fall.

2

Bonfire

ACTIVITY

Paper or fire starter. Kindling. Wood. Depending on where you live, you may or may not need a permit to have a fire. If you live in an area where you cannot have a fire, find a local campground and make your fire there. To add to the fun, roast hot dogs and make s’mores. Take special care to your build your bonfire in such a way that it will only take one match to start the fire. It’s recommended that you form a tepee with your kindling. Put paper or another fire starter inside the tepee. Use one match to light it all. Once the kindling is burning, take care when adding wood logs to the fire so you don’t snuff it out.

CLOSER TOGETHER

Has something someone said hurt your feelings? Have you said something that hurt someone else’s feelings? Can you establish a secret code word like toothpaste for when someone says something that might be hurtful?

CLOSER TO GOD

Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.

JAMES 3:5

How many times have we said something that hurt another person? This passage of Scripture makes it clear that while our tongue is a small part of our body, it can burn like fire when we speak unkind words. Often we think our words are not that big of a deal, but we fail to see the other person’s perspective. Our words are like toothpaste squeezed from a tube. Once they come out, we cannot put them back in.

Dear God, help us to remember to speak kind words to others, encouraging them.

REMEMBER TOGETHER

Let’s remember that words, like a fire, can make us warm or can hurt us.

3

Pizza Making

ACTIVITY

Load everybody up in the car and head to the grocery store for pizza ingredients. Everyone gets to pick out their own toppings. Head back home and begin pizza making. Everyone gets a tortilla. Spread on pizza sauce, cheese, and whatever toppings you choose for your own unique pizza. Bake for ten minutes on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees. As you eat, ask the questions below and read the verse and the devotion.

CLOSER TOGETHER

Why did you choose the toppings you did? Would you choose something different next time? God has put his thumbprint on you; how has he made you unique?

CLOSER TO GOD

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

PSALM 139:14

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and all platforms of social media tend to make us feel as if we are not as talented as others. We think we don’t measure up as we see what others post on social media. We see the successes they post, not the failures. We see the good, not the bad.

What we need to remember is that people post their A game on social media. It is not real life. God has gifted you with unique gifts and abilities to accomplish something specific for his kingdom. As the verse reads, you have been wonderfully made by God!

Dear God, help us to celebrate each other’s differences. Help us to remember that you have made us unique for a reason.

REMEMBER TOGETHER

God’s thumbprint on us has made us each unique with different gifts and abilities. Let us celebrate those gifts by encouraging each other in our differences.

4

Kite Flying

ACTIVITY

Springtime is time to go fly a kite! Travel together to a local dollar store, Walmart, grocery store, hardware store, or toy store. Everyone gets to pick out their favorite kite to build and fly. Also, buy some light snacks and soft drinks. After your purchases, head to a local park. Sit at a picnic table and build your kites. Then move out to a field and fly your kites. Be sure to stand far enough away from each other so that lines don’t get tangled, and Dad, you serve as a troubleshooter in case there is a kite that is having trouble flying.

CLOSER TOGETHER

Why did you pick your particular kite? Was it easier or harder to fly a kite than you expected? Did you enjoy being outdoors now that spring has come? What is your favorite time of year, and why do you enjoy it?

CLOSER TO GOD

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

ECCLESIASTES 3:1

Spring is an amazing time of year. Everything is coming to life! The days are getting longer, and the grass becomes greener. Flowers start to push their way out of the soil, and trees bloom with beautiful buds. Spring is an excellent time to “renew” our life with God. Sometimes we can get cold and dreary like a winter day when it comes to loving God and following his ways. While God remains the same during every season, we tend to vary in our outlook on him.

God in heaven, we know your love is constant. May we take this time to renew our love for you.

REMEMBER TOGETHER

Spring is a time when the earth comes to life after a long winter. Let’s continually renew our love for God in each season of the year.

5

Outdoor Movie Night

ACTIVITY