As children grow older, memories contribute an important part of who they become. Recollections of family events, everyday happenings, and relationships will often guide a child in future behavior as adults. So, this month take some time to make memories that center on Father’s Day and sharing family activities.

#1 Many Dads enjoy cooking on the grill. This recipe is easily put together by a child and given to Dad on Father’s Day to munch on while grilling.

• The sauce is good with pretzels, egg rolls, or sandwiches
  

• Package in a jar and make a creative label.

• Even a young child can stir the ingredients together and be excited about giving this great tasting gift and a bag of pretzels to Dad.

#2 Involving children in meal preparation can help develop many skills.

Reading recipes, learning measurements, understanding the mixture of ingredients to yield a final product plus spending time with an adult are just some of the benefits for kids in the kitchen. When children are helping to make dinner for Father’s Day or anytime, these recipes are tasty and fun to make.

Place all ingredients in a jar and shake. Baste on ribs or chicken. Keep refrigerated.

• Make a personalized label for the sauce and include a small basting brush to give to Dad for his special day.

#3 Rubs for meat are popular and very “hands-on” for children. This rub is quite good on ribs and chicken.

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container. Rub or push into meat before grilling. A basting sauce can be used with the rub if desired.

• Remember to wash hands with a child before using the rub.

• Make a creative label and place in a recycled spice jar for a unique Father’s Day gift.

#4 If you are looking for a quiet, simple, and fun activity for all ages that encourages thinking skills, give this idea a try.

• The object of this game is to take turns with a partner or small group of friends and coloring in a space so no two spaces of the same color touch each other.

• Select one person to color in the first space and pass to next player.

• Continue to color until all 16 spaces are colored in correctly.

• You may have to start over from the beginning a few times. That’s OKAY! Remember this is a thinking game.

• You can make this harder by only using 4 colors and making sure that no two spaces of the same color touch each other.

• You can make it easier by using 8 spaces and 6 colors.

#5 Our country’s Independence Day on July 4th is celebrated in many ways. Here is a thinking game for two or more players that uses words having to do with July 4th.

• Select one person to begin who draws one word from container.

• This player writes the chosen word on a large piece of paper or erase board for everyone to see but scrambles the letters. For example, if the word drawn was FLAG – the player could write LFGA, GALF, or a different combination.

• Remaining players write the correct word – flag – on the sheet of paper next to #1.

• Play continues with each player picking a word until ten words are unscrambled and written on their paper.

• If a duplicate word is chosen, select another word.

• When ten words have been chosen, see who has gotten the most scrambled words written correctly on their paper.

This can be made easier by giving a list of holiday words to choose from or more difficult by setting a 30 second time limit per scrambled word.

Here are some words that could be used for the July 4th Word Scramble:

Let me know by e-mail what your favorite activity was this month. I am compiling information for a resource book and want your input. Thanks.