Looking for some great bedtime stories for your toddler? Check out NCF’s recommendations in this free download.
Engaging in My Child’s Education: My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Part of educating our children is sharing our "wisdom" ...
Engaging in My Child’s Education: McDonald's Commercial
As this vintage commercial shows, kids really are thrilled when we're involved in their lives, including in their education.
Help Your Kids Deal with Bullies
October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, so I thought it appropriate to spend a little time talking about how to help your kids deal with bullies.
A Pep Talk for the Second Half
At the start of a new year, as some are making new resolutions (or at least thinking about making changes), here's a suggestion from author Bob Barnes that should be helpful for all dads who have kids in any level of school: Look at the New Year as a kind of "halftime."
10 Tips for Easing the Back-to-School Transition
by Joe Kelly: The start of the new school year can be a nerve-wracking time for our kids. Here are tips to help smooth the way.
Why You’re Critical to Your Child’s Education
In a recent Washington Post article, Patrick Welsh, a high-school English teacher in Virginia, wrote about some disturbing trends he sees in his classroom.
Back to School – Now the Fun Begins!
The beginning of the school year is a great time to communicate that your child’s education is important and you’ll be there to support him.
Give Your Children a Head Start – You’re the Key
In 2009, the National Head Start Association held its 36th Annual National Training Conference in Orlando. In line with the theme, "Beyond the Boundaries: New Approaches and New Strategies," the conference highlighted various ways to improve the quality of early childhood education for the families they serve. One of the suggested ideas was to get fathers more involved.
Back-to-School Tips for Dads
Dad, here's your friendly start-of-the-school-year reminder about your important role in your children's education.
Education: Discovery for Kids and Dads
Each new school year brings excitement, hope and sometimes, uneasiness for our children. Recently my college-age son and I fell into a conversation that lasted the better part of an evening.
Raising Your Most Important Crop
This morning when it came time to release the steers from the trailer, I turned to my partner and said, "Here's a good job for you, Charlie."
So Charlie climbed on the fender and began fumbling with the latch. Triumphantly, he pulled the pin but couldn't get the handle free of the chain. The cattle nervously stomped inside. It probably took Charlie two minutes to find the combination, but finally the handle gave way, the gate swung open and the steers bolted to freedom.
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Winning and Losing in Father-Child Contests
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. Bob’s two teenage sons were challenging him in many ways physically—arm twisting and wrestling and so on—and they talked about racing him to see if they were faster. It leads to a common question for dads: What’s the impact of winning or losing...
One Way to Restore Hope to Your Fathering
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. What keeps a dad motivated and hopeful? That’s a key question that I’ve been pondering and researching for some time, and I’ll have more on this in the coming weeks and months. I’m more and more convinced of this: Hope is a powerful force and...
Birthday Reflections: A Father’s Legacy
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. I recently gathered with many of my children and grandchildren to celebrate a birthday: my 70th. It was a wonderful and sometimes wild time together. During the days before that celebration, I came up with a sheet of reflections that I handed...
Game Time! Have a FUN Family Christmas
Are there gamers in your family? Actually this isn’t the kind of gaming you’re probably thinking of. And it has very little (if anything) to do with phones, computers or keyboards (unless you come up with one that involves a piano). This is about playing games with...
3 Fathering Insights from Joseph
by Jeff Zaugg Have you ever had dreams or expectations that fell flat or didn’t materialize the way you hoped? That happened to my family and me a few years ago when we were on an RV trip in Texas. We had plans to spend a few days at a lake that looked beautiful on...
Perfume Day: A Powerful Dad-Daughter Holiday Tradition
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC Per·fume [pərˌfyo͞om] · a fragrant liquid typically made from essential oils extracted from flowers and spices, used to impart a pleasant smell to one's body or clothes. Day [dā/] · a period of twenty-four hours as a unit of time;...
What’s Your Plan for the Holidays, Dad?
It’s the week after Thanksgiving, and in case you didn't know it, dad, last week was a test—or maybe a warm-up. How did you do? It’s good to ask yourself questions like: “Did I help make the celebration all it could be? Or did I just kind of show up and let things...
A Year-End Message from Dr. Ken Canfield
Dad: Please watch this short video and then keep reading below for a year-end update and request from me ... https://youtu.be/1jYUmQOTfEg Dads: This is an exciting time of the year. I love the Christmas season for many reasons. It's also a time to reflect and take...
3 Ways Dads Can Be Intentional on Thanksgiving
by Jay Payleitner Thanksgiving? Already? If the days are moving too quickly, that's all the more reason to approach the holidays with thoughtfulness and intentionality. I do hope you're feeling grateful. Even if you've had a tough year,...
5 Things Single Dads Should Do Consistently
by Matt Haviland As a father, I try to operate with the ever-present knowledge that my words matter, and often more than I realize. Of course, that isn’t easy; we all say things that are careless and insensitive sometimes. And often the challenges increase when you...
Dad Jokes: A Celebration
by Brock Griffin What’s the deal with dad jokes? Why are fathers, some of the most vital contributors to healthy families and communities, associated with humor like this ...? I was wondering why the frisbee kept getting bigger and bigger. Then it hit me....
Dad Tucks In
by Jay Payleitner Statistically, moms spend more time with kids than dads. To counter that inequity, let’s just make a rule. Whenever possible, Dad tucks in. The benefits are many. Mom gets a break. Dad gets a clear assignment that he can check off his...