What type of dad are you? Strict? Serious? Always working?
If so, then fear not: here’s a list of essentials you should have in your fun dad toolkit to instantly turn your grumpy image around. Of course, if you’re already a fun dad then it goes without saying that you’ll find something you might love here too.
Our list covers five different types of dads. If you’re guilty of being one of these, then reach for the toolkit quick! There’s an item to turn your image around instantly!
For Dads that Barely Leave the Sofa
KIds LOVE board games. The only problem with board games is that they usually require at least two players. If you put yourself forward as that second player, you’ve instantly enabled your child to play a game that they can’t always just pick up.
Different games appeal to different ages, but if you want to play it safe across the any age, then Orangu-Twang is hard to beat. It’s basically a Buckaroo reboot that requires the players to place fruit on the precarious primate till the vine twangs. With no confusing instructions to waste time with, you can get playing right away.
For Penny-Pinching Dads
EVERYONE loves a water fight (apart from the cat).
Everybody else though, regardless of age, digs a bit of aqua warfare. What’s more, there a few ways better for penny-pinching dads to get bangs for their bucks. A cheap set of pistols and a pack of water balloons will provide a good couple of hours of fun.
If you have the means to create a couple of forts and bases with items to hide behind, then all the better! These needn’t be any more than a few cardboard boxes taped together, but will make all the difference to the longevity of the game.
For Dads that Spend all their Time on Games Consoles
So your kids are too young to play Mission: Death Match 4 with you. So what?
There’s still plenty of fun to be had on games consoles with little ones. The Nintendo Switch is especially good for titles that small kids can get to grips with. Super Mario Party is the obvious choice for those with kids aged four and upwards, but even if that’s a little too much for them, there’s still alternatives.
The free-to-download Jump Rope Challenge requires the player to do nothing more than jump. Sounds simple, and it is, but kids will get a kick out of beating your score (and they will, trust me!).
Dads that Prefer their Dogs
Aww, c’mon! Whilst I get that dogs are generally a bit quieter, there’s loads that kids and dogs have in common.
Both will beg you to share whatever you’re eating with them. You can’t go on holiday without making arrangements for both, and if you don’t nip it in the bud early, both will pee on your kitchen floor.
Take both of your little animals out for walkies and hand your kid a Nerf Tennis Ball Blaster. These are just like standard Nerf guns, but fire tennis balls up to 50ft away for old Fido to fetch. Both of them will have an absolute blast!
‘Neat Freak’ Dads
Can’t bear to see toys strewn all over the room? Shudder at the thought of cake crumbs on the carpet? You should consider getting a few pairs of dust mop slippers for you and the kids.
Bang a pair of these on your ankle-biter, and marvel as their zipping around simultaneously cleans your floor!
You’ll have to engineer some sort of game that covers the most floor though. A game of tag with safe bases in those hard-to-clean corners would probably work best.
There you have it. That little box of tricks will keep you in fun dad status for a couple of weeks. Who knows, after a little while playing along with these, you might just fancy being a fun dad full-time. Be careful you don’t go too far though; there’s a thin line between fun dad and ‘wacky’ dad, and NOBODY likes a wacky dad.