Our students love playing outside, especially with their dads.
Every school year, I have the pleasure of choosing the “theme” for our Father’s Day celebration. Usually, I will go by the interests of the current class and what they enjoy the most, especially when they are outside. This year it just so happened to be digging for bugs!
Setting up for the Dads
Unlike our Mother’s Day Tea, the Father’s Day “Donuts with Dads” is a lot more laid back. We do all of the prep work the night before and set out the donuts in the morning – that way they are extra fresh! I usually try to buy most of the decorations and party necessities at our local dollar store. The children arrive to school with their dads and have the option to start where ever they would like. This year we had bug catchers out at each table for the children to explore with and take home.
The Games
For games, I like to do a variety of easy to play yard games. I also like to set out some tools for play on the patio outside of our class room. It’s also a good idea to have some games set up inside the classroom as well, just in the chance weather doesn’t turn out or a student wants to spend sometime inside with their dad.
Outside this year we had corn hole, a swing, some cones lined up for racing, frisbees, and a bucket full of yard games. Our indoor games included a bug memory game, tic tac toe, and a table hockey game.
What the Children did
It’s always a wild card as to what the children will want to play with most. However, I was that surprised this year when all the children ran straight for the mulch to fill their bug catchers with bugs. All of the dads happily obliged to helping their children when needed. Overall, it was a very relaxing morning. All of the children were so happy that their dads were able to come to school with them.
Things to Consider
- If you’re providing breakfast, make sure you have plenty of options! You can always send extras home.
- Keep your games open for interpretation. We didn’t have any rules for the games, we let the dads and children make up rules as they went.
- Don’t forget to have good conversations with the dads as well! This is a great opportunity to get to know them and answer any questions they may have.
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