Home / Plans
Plans
Every plan prints as a one-page field card and says whether a real dad has tested it yet. Filter by age, time, cost, weather or topic.
All plans
Build a family emergency kit together
Turn the Ready.gov kit list into a house-wide hunt, do the water math together, make a contact card and pick two check dates a year.
A summer reading streak
One box a day on a paper chart, 20 minutes of any reading they choose, a library trip in week one and a small party when summer ends.
The first-week-of-school check-in
One or two real questions a day for the first week, more listening than fixing, and a short list of signs that mean it's time to call the school.
The school-morning launch pad
One spot by the door for backpack, shoes and lunch, a five-item check the night before, and a bedtime that fits the wake-up.
Consequences that fit: logical, not harsh
Sort natural from logical consequences, write fitting ones for three repeat problems while you're calm, tell your kid ahead, and follow through.
Catch them being good: a week of specific praise
Pick two things to catch, name them out loud the moment you see them, and tally praise next to corrections on the fridge for a week.
Play their video game with them
Your kid teaches you their favorite game. You ask questions, lose a lot, then check the rating and the chat and spending settings together.
Park the phones outside the bedrooms
One charging spot in a shared room, one nightly parking time for every device, Dad's included, and a plain alarm clock for mornings.
Water-safety rules before summer swimming
One water watcher with no phone, a life jacket that fits, a buddy for everyone, and a thunder rule. Settled before the first swim.
Know your numbers: blood pressure at home
No caffeine for 30 minutes, back supported, feet flat, arm on the table, two readings. Write them down and bring the log to your doctor.
Build a real-food dinner together
Draw the dinner, check the fridge, shop for the gaps, cook it together. Protein, vegetables and a whole grain, with a thermometer to finish.
A 20-minute family workout in the living room
Warm-up, six stations twice through, cool-down. Jumping jacks, wall sits, bear crawls and push-ups, with Dad doing every one.
Set a holiday gift budget with your kids
A set amount, a list of names, real prices and one handmade gift. Your kid plans it and tracks every dollar on paper.
Split the invisible jobs: a who-does-what list
List the jobs nobody sees, give each one a single owner from noticing to done, and check the list again in a month.
The monthly money date with your partner
Once a month: what came in, what went out, who pays what, one shared goal and one no-surprises rule. Forty-five minutes, no blame.
Long-distance read-along by video call
The same book in both homes, a set night and short video calls that end well. A way to stay close when you live far apart.
The first night back at Dad's
Their own space, a meal you make together and the bedtime they know. A first-night routine that makes your place home, not a visit.
A calm handoff-day routine
Pack the bag the night before, keep the exchange short and friendly, say the same goodbye, and go easy the first hour back.
Telling your kids about the divorce
What to say, together if you can, so your kids hear it isn't their fault, isn't theirs to fix, and that both of you still love them.
A 10-minute reset for hard days
Kids safe, step away, slow breaths, move, text one person, come back with one sentence. Ten minutes, same order every time.
Book your checkup and fix your sleep
Book the physical, write three questions, set a lights-out time that gets you at least 7 hours, and an alarm to start winding down.
The after-dinner family walk
Same time, same door, a 20- to 30-minute loop and a talking game. Five a week covers your 150 minutes.
A week of “when-then”: calm limits that stick
Three daily battles, one calm sentence each: “When the shoes are on, then we go.” Say it once, wait, follow through. One week.
Set up a calm-down corner
Build a cozy spot together, stock it with a few calm things, practice when everyone's calm, and know when it's a time-out instead.
Repair after you lose your temper
Step away, come back calm, apologize without a “but,” say what you'll do next time, then reconnect. Ten minutes.
Talking with your kid about scary news
Get steady, ask what they've heard, give plain facts, be honest about safety, and make a plan for the news. In that order.
The car-ride talk: hard topics, side by side
One drive, one topic. Open small, ask and wait, say your one thing, and stop before the driveway. Side by side beats face to face.
The feelings check-in: a number, a word, what helps
Draw a 1–5 scale, go first, help them find the word, then ask what would help. Two minutes a day once it sticks.
Living-room campout
Tent or fort on the floor, flashlight games, a story in the dark, and everybody sleeps at camp. Battery lights only.
The first-phone talk and agreement
Before the phone is theirs: why they want it, what it starts with, the rules you write together, and the one rule that never changes.
The screen-free swap box
A box with ten ready-to-go things to do instead of a screen. Build it together in 30 minutes. Pull a card when screen time ends.
Make a family media plan together
Use the free AAP Family Media Plan to pick screen-free places and times together, and what everyone commits to, including you.
Rainy-day hallway obstacle course
Tape line, cushion lava, blanket tunnel, sock toss, bear crawl. Five stations, built from what you have, in a hallway on a rainy day.
Cardboard marble run on the wall or a box
Paper-towel tubes, a box and painter's tape. Build it one piece at a time, test every drop, fix what fails, and land the marble in a cup.
Blanket-fort reading den
Two chairs, a sheet and a flashlight. Build the den, stock it with books and pillows, and read inside with the lights off.
A two-person book club with your teen
Same book, two sticky notes each, one meal out. They pick first. You listen first. Every week or two, about 30 minutes.
Chapter-book nights: 20 minutes, voices, cliffhangers
One chapter book, 20 minutes a night. Recap, do the voices, stop on a cliffhanger, and ask what happens next.
Library card day: their own card, their own books
Sign them up for their own card, get the tour, hunt the shelves with a list and check out a stack they chose. About 90 minutes.
Picture-book point-and-name for toddlers
One picture book, your finger and three questions. Point, name, ask "Where's the dog?" and let them point back. Fifteen minutes a day.
Toddler snack helper: wash, tear, stir, pour
Rinse, tear, stir, pour. Small real kitchen jobs for toddlers, and a snack they made themselves.
Your teen cooks dinner: one-pan chicken
They plan it, shop for it and cook it. One sheet pan of chicken and vegetables, checked with a thermometer, on the table in 90 minutes.
Make-your-own pizza night
A toppings bar, a ball of dough for each kid, and one rule: Dad runs the oven. Everyone names and rates their pizza.
Pancake Saturday
Measure, crack, stir, flip. A real recipe a kid can make with you, and breakfast at the end.
Check tire pressure and oil with your teen
Tire pressure from the door label, the penny test and the oil dipstick. Three checks your teen can own every month.
A chore chart you'll actually keep
Two or three jobs per kid, picked together, with what done looks like written down. A 10-minute Sunday review keeps it going.
Sort, fold, put away: the laundry crew
Sort by person, match socks, fold towels, put it away. One clean basket, thirty minutes, and a laundry job each kid can own.
Toy cleanup race: picture bins, a song and a timer
Picture labels on open bins, one short song and a timer to beat. Cleanup turns into a game a toddler can actually win.
Date night at home after bedtime
Kids asleep, phones in a drawer, food that isn't a weeknight dinner, five good questions and one game. Ninety minutes.
The 20-minute weekly parent huddle
Calendar, who does what, one money number and one thank-you. Twenty minutes, once a week, for the adults running the house.
Show your kid what you do at work
Your job in one sentence, three real things from work, a day by the clock, and ten minutes of their questions.
The 10-minute doorway reset after work
Close out work, three slow breaths, phone parked, and the first ten minutes home go to your people. Every workday.
Read a first pay stub together
Gross, deductions, net, and the W-4 behind them. Check the math together, then decide how much of the first paycheck to save.
Your kid plans a $20 family outing
Your kid gets $20 and a Saturday for the whole family. They research, compare, budget and track every dollar.
Grocery price detective
Five items, two choices each, one shelf tag. Your kid finds the unit price and picks the better deal on your normal shopping trip.
Spend, save, give: three jars
Three labeled jars, real coins, and one goal worth waiting for. Half an hour at the table, then two minutes a week.
Find north with a stick and the sun
Plant a stick, mark its shadow twice, and the line between the marks points east and west. No compass, no phone.
Tie a square knot and a bowline
The overhand, the square knot and the bowline, in the order kids can learn them. Two ropes and a kitchen table.
A no-flashlight moon walk
Let eyes adjust for 20 minutes, then walk a path you already know. Listen for owls and count stars.
Build a backyard lean-to
A ridge pole, ten sticks, and leaves. Then the real test: does it keep a stuffed animal dry under a watering can?
Skip a stone five times
The grip, the 20° throw, and how to pick a good rock. With an optional David and Goliath pairing.