Yep, money is tight but that is not going to stop you from being a great dad. First off, since this isn’t 1950 any more, I don’t have to tell you how important it is for you to find time to spend being Dad with your kids and not at your kids, right? With that settled, here are some ways you can do several fun things with your kids that will cost you nothing or are otherwise very inexpensive.

1. Take a walk.
Go walking with your children around the block, around the park, around your back yard if you must. You will most likely need the exercise to get rid of your growing middle and your child needs to see something besides the TV or the back of your head while they ride in your car.

2. Go to the zoo (or something like that).
Get off the expensive and mind-numbing amusement-park daddy-go-round. There are affordable places (like museums and zoos) for you to go where your child can see new things, touch a turtle, make some pictures and hear a dinosaur’s roar or the like. This is a huge learning opportunity for your kid and most of these places are very affordable to visit. Super hint: many museums have monthly or weekly free-admission days. I know this will be hard for some dads who do not like to be in places like this. News flash: This is about your kids, not you and your boring man-world. With my kids now much older, I regret not having done more of this with them when they were little.

3. Eat in an interesting place.
Sure, the in-front-of-the-TV space has become the new kitchen table. Try having more meals at the dining room table. Then, get interesting and have a picnic. Make sandwiches, grab some chips and celery sticks and go sit somewhere to eat. The park or the tables outside the mall will work just fine. You are making memories here, dad. Warning: this is for your little kids. Do this outside the mall with pre-teens and you might die from the dirty looks they will give you.

4. Tell your kid a story. No books allowed.
Yep, put down that storybook and tell your kids some stories. Look your kid in the eye and tell them stories in your own way. You will bond with them and help them with their future literacy at the same time.

5. Do some full-body finger painting.
No little child can resist finger paint. On a warm day, grab some big pieces of paper, put out the cheap finger paints and go at the art-thing with your toddler. We found a roll of cheap paper at the teaching-supply shop and watched our kid paint up her body and roll about on the paper. Now we had huge art and great memories.

6. Wash your car.
Frankly, you could wash anything with rags and suds and your toddler or preschooler would be happy. Get out buckets, sponges, plenty of dish-soap and your grubby clothes and wash your car. Or a fence. Or your front door. Or your dog. Wet-laughing will ensue.

7. Make cookies.
In the old days, you had to know how to make cookie dough before you could bake cookies. If you know how to do make dough, that is all the better. Short of making dough, you can buy pre-made buckets of cookie dough at nearly any grocery store. Buy the dough and a few inexpensive candies or sprinkles and you have baking fun. When you are waiting out the baking times, do number 4 above.

There are many more ways to spend some inexpensive time with your kid. Your time shared with a child is more important than the money you spend in that time. Dive in now as they will be giant tweens before you know it. Then, you will need a new list.

***

The author, Sean Buvala, has four children ranging in age from preteen to adult. He especially likes number four in this list (storytelling) as he is the author of the fatherhood training book, “DaddyTeller: How to be a Hero to Your Kids and Teach Them What’s Really Important by Telling Them One Simple Story at a Time.” You can get lots of free training videos and order the book at http://www.daddyteller.com. Or, follow his latest articles and vids from your perch at Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/daddyteller

So, new dad, you want to know how you can bond with your new baby? That is great and it is the first step in your new life with your infant. Closeness and tenderness with your child is rewarding for your baby and you will discover how much being a caregiver does for you. Slow down, relax and enjoy the new son or daughter. Here are nine ways for dad to bond with the baby.

1. Take over some feedings.
Do not let this powerful moment of bonding go by you. In infants, the focal-point of their eyes is about the distance from an adult’s chest to their face. Amazing how nature worked that out. Dads- grab the bottle (formula or breast milk) for these moments. When solid food comes along, grab the spoon and go at the feeding. Wear an old shirt if you are worried about the mess.

2. Be a part of baby care.
Diaper changing makes some men cringe. Do not panic: it’s only poop and it washes off. If you have a messy baby to clean up, strip down yourself and jump into the shower or bath with them. All that skin time is good for you and the baby.

3. Take your baby on solo errands.
Pack up the baby-bag, strap the kid into the car seat and go about your business to the store, the post office, the bank or wherever your daily tasks may be. Make “where are we going next” the adventure for even the youngest child. Remember- never leave your baby unattended in the car- even for a minute.

4. Learn about child development.
You might be a dad that knows it all about raising kids. More than likely, you will benefit when you take some of that Internet-surfing time to check out the huge number of sites about parenting, fathering and raising kids. Watch videos and read articles.

5. Have some physical play with your baby.
You are the ultimate monkey bars to the toddler child. Get on the floor and let the rambunctious activity start. Even your little baby makes a good and giggling resistance weight for arm-curls, squats and bench-pressing.

6. Strap the kid onto your body.
A backpack on your back that lets your child see over your head or a front-facing baby holder gives your baby a much-needed new view on the world. Not only are you the child’s personal monkey-bars, but while wearing your baby, you are also a ladder with legs as your child sees the world from a new height.

7. Sing a song and tell stories with your baby.
No one is going to judge you for being silly or not singing well. Your baby develops language skills by hearing and using language. Make up stories as you go along, you do not need a storybook. Create songs or sing the best-of-the-90′s from memory. You will be building your child’s future literacy success, too.

8. Take pictures.
Tons of digital pictures are a gift you are making to your future self. Take loads of pictures and save them on a good hard drive. Go through those pictures and print out some of the best. Keep them on your desk at work or wherever you spend your working time. Switch out your photos on a regular basis.

9. Relax around your baby.
While you do not want to take dangerous risks with your baby, you will find that you are going to be more competent than you might at first think. You are different from the child’s mother; you will parent in your own unique way. Don’t strive for being perfect. Rather make it a point to be present and involved with your child.

Most dads have some initial nervousness with their new baby. Why not make it a point to use some of these ideas with your baby soon?

****

The author, Sean Buvala, has four children ranging in age from preteen to adult. As well as presenting workshops and classes nationally since 1986, he is the author of “DaddyTeller: How to be a Hero to Your kids and Teach Them What’s Really Important by Telling Them One Simple Story at a Time.” Learn more about Sean’s fatherhood programs at http://www.fatherhoodprograms.net or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/daddyteller

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It’s been time for parents (especially dads) to unplug for some time. It’s amazing what a difference 15 minutes a day of focused attention can make in the lives of our children.

Unplugging is not only from electronics. We’ve become dependent on things to make us better parents. Toys, storybooks, parenting videos, baby training stuff and more have been adopted by parents, replacing the chance to develop our innate parenting skills.

For some time, I have been encouraging Dads especially to disconnect a bit, learn a new to tell from their hearts and mind and truly engage their children. If you want you kid to talk to you at 13, you need to start telling them stories at 3.

As well, we need to teach our children to disconnect. There is great value in our technology but more and more, as I work with teens, they can’t disconnect from their electronic pacifiers. For a while it was .mp3 players, now it’s telephones.

Three cheers for unplugging adults! Put down the phone, the blackberry and the story book. Look your kids in the eye, reach out and touch them and tell them your stories.

They’ll answer back.

Get the DaddyTeller Paperback at Amazon.com via this link here.

You can buy the DaddyTeller Ebook at this link now.

If Amazon is sold out, order a paperback copy of this book direct from the printer. Please click on this link now.


All the free videos are listed on this page here.

Get the DaddyTeller Paperback at Amazon.com via this link here.

You can buy the DaddyTeller Ebook at this link now.



If Amazon is sold out, order a paperback copy of this book direct from the printer. Please click on this link now.


All the free videos are listed on this page here.

Get the DaddyTeller Paperback at Amazon.com via this link here.

You can buy the DaddyTeller Ebook at this link now.



If Amazon is sold out, order a paperback copy of this book direct from the printer. Please click on this link now.


All the free vids are listed on this page here.