Defining Family Time

• Shared meals & conversations
• Engaging in hobbies together
• Participating in community events
• Family trips or vacations

*Key: What resonates with *your* family.

Strengthening Bonds

• Encourages open communication
• Builds a sense of belonging
• Enhances emotional resilience
• Fosters mutual respect

*Outcome: Lasting memories & trust.

Impact of Communication

• Safe space for sharing
• Practicing active listening
• Encouraging expression of feelings

*Result: Deeper connections & harmony.

Prioritizing Well-being

• Emotional support & belonging
• Improved communication & trust
• Stress reduction & happiness

*Benefit: Essential for emotional health.

Wildlife parks have been evolving and are very different from the traditional zoo that was simply a place exhibiting exotic animals – not always making the welfare of these animals the prime consideration. Nowadays wild animals are kept in enclosures as close as possible to their natural habitats. Visitor viewing has also improved with animal walk-throughs and elevated board walks. The emphasis on breeding and conservation is a priority in these six wildlife parks funded by entrance fees and special experiences including close encounters with a variety of animals.

My personal experience of visiting six wildlife parks this year has changed my view of these attractions all of which offer different experiences to their visitors. But they all ensure visitors of all ages and abilities will enjoy good facilities including eateries, picnic sites plus playgrounds and attractions especially for the children.

Bristol Zoo Project

Sitting on the steps of a small viewing area and watching the wolves prowling through its glass front is a magical moment at the Bristol Zoo Project. A treetop walkway through Bear Wood leads to this viewpoint. Bear Wood replicates a wood in ancient Britain and features information boards along the way describing these woods at different points in time. Bears do live in these woods but they hibernate in the winter however it is possible to see them curled up and asleep on the webcams. The red panda spends most of the time feeding up a tree so easy to spot and a delight to watch. This fluffy little mammal with its white face bears no resemblance to the large black and white panda. They are linked only by name as panda means bamboo eater, a characteristic both animals have in common. Don’t miss the lemur walk throughs – these animals are close enough to touch but, of course, that is not allowed. Children will love the Explorers Basecamp; a multi-level adventure play area.

Bristol Zoo Project, formerly known as Wild Place Project, is a wildlife conservation park in North Bristol run by Bristol Zoological Society and covers 136 Acres.

Chester Zoo

Heart of Africa is a recent addition to Chester Zoo. The focal point of this new area is a Savannah-like grazing area where visitors can enjoy the unusual sight of mixed grazing in a wildlife park. Zebras, giraffes and ostriches all have access to it from their separate enclosures. Luxury lodges are available in The Reserve, adjacent to the Heart of Africa. The giant otters racing across their large pool and chasing each other through the trees that surround it are always entertaining to watch. . The seriously endangered Komodo dragon, a large venomous lizard, is part of an important breeding programme at this zoo in order to conserve this species for future generations. The Madagascar Zone here features several different species of the lemur, native only to the island of Madagascar, but also its only natural predator, the very unusual Fossa. This strange creature resembles an elongated weasel with the head of a cat.

Chester Zoo is located in Upton-by-Chester, Cheshire, in the North West of England. Covering 128 acres it is one of the largest wildlife parks in the UK

Cotswolds Wildlife Park and Gardens

The beautiful Cotswolds Wildlife Park was created on an old country estate. Animal enclosures are interspersed amongst shrubs and flower beds and inside the old kitchen gardens. The latter includes the otter pool where the Asian short-clawed otters are as curious about us as we are about them and take up a stance resembling a meerkat while they peak over the wall surrounding their pool. Most wildlife parks nowadays offer close encounter experiences with a selection of their animals. Not only does this raise money for wildlife conservations projects both in the UK and abroad but it also offers visitors a rare and memorable experience. Close encounters here include feeding the lemurs in the Madagascar exhibit and meeting the rhinos in the Rhino house. Despite their terrifying appearance rhinos enjoy socialising with humans – at a distance.

Cotswolds Wildlife Park is located in Burford, Oxfordshire and covers an area of 160 acres.

Marwell Zoo

At Marwell Zoo The Keeper’s Kitchen located in the plaza at the entrance is open all day serving breakfast, lunch and early evening drinks. Entrance to this eatery is free but great views across the wildlife park beyond will no doubt encourage patrons to venture inside the park itself. Here they will find a great variety of animals including several members of the big cat family from the magnificent tiger to the elegant serval. Marwell also features a Wallaby walk-through which has been designed as a relaxing area for both visitors and wallabies. Benches scattered around this open area allow visitors to relax while watching these fascinating animals. A tourist train (charges apply) that meanders around the perimeter of this park offers easy access to all visitors and an opportunity to enjoy the sight of a wide variety of animals grazing in the open fields.

Marwell Zoo is located in Hampshire, England between Colden Common and Bishops Waltham, 8 miles from Winchester. It occupies 140 acres of parkland. 

Twycross Zoo

A day out here is perfect for families with young children as it features both an indoor play area, an outdoor play area, a splash area and plenty of spaces to enjoy a picnic. This zoo is run by an award-winning conservation charity. It is the only zoo in the UK that has all four of the great apes, the gorilla, the chimpanzee, the orangutan and the bonobo. Twycross is the only place in the UK where the bonobo can be seen. A successful breeding programme for this endangered species has been established here.  The Lorikeet Landing walkthrough is popular with visitors here as they can hand-feed the colourful rainbow lorikeets that flit amongst the trees in this large enclosure (special bird seed available to purchase). The Gruffalo Discovery Land is a ground-breaking experience that aims to teach children about the importance of protecting the natural world that surrounds us through storytelling. Group sleepovers are also available here (minimum numbers apply).

Twycross Zoo is located on the Leicestershire/Warwickshire border in Atherstone and it is approximately 100 acres in size.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park

Yorkshire Wildlife Park occupies a large expanse of open countryside traversed by accessible wooden boardwalks that wind through various habitats. At Point Lobos where Californian Sea Lions frolic in two naturalistic lakes; Inside  Leopard Heights, home to the critically endangered Amur Leopard, a viewing platform goes up to the same level as the top of the leopard’s climbing frame. Project Polar houses the only polar bears in the UK. Six magnificent males enjoy a habitat that reflects there natural summer home – lakes, caves and grassy areas. These males are part of a breeding programme and are often out on loan. Dinosaurs on the Pangea Trail offer an interesting insight into the animals of ancient times. And a large hotel in a retail and dining complex means visitors can enjoy an incredible short break here.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park is located in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. It is 150+ acres in size and features several walk-through animal reserves. 

Not only are these six attractions amazing places to visit but they are also increasing awareness of the number of endangered species and supporting projects designed to protect and preserve them. Just one visit to one of these attractions is a contribution to wildlife conservation as well as a memorable day out.

If you decide to forsake making maximum money to become a FIRE parent or stay-at-home parent, then you had best spend more time with your kids. Otherwise, you might as well go back to the office and grind under fluorescent lights for 10 hours a day to make that sweet coin.

One of the greatest benefits of FIRE is the freedom to fully lean into parenthood, especially during summer and winter breaks. While working parents scramble to juggle camps, childcare, and schedules, you can relax knowing that if a spot doesn’t open up, Daddy Day Camp (or Mommy Day Camp) is always ready to go.

Even though I no longer consider myself a stay-at-home dad after eight years of being one, my goal is to return to full-time parenthood every summer and winter until my kids leave home. It feels like the optimal balance: enough flexibility to savor these years, while still writing about ~15 hours a week to keep my brain engaged.

Given that my kids have about 48 vacation and in-service days during the school year plus another 80 or so days off in the summer, they’re out of school for more than four months each year. You could argue this dilutes the benefits of FIRE since parents naturally get plenty of time with their kids anyway, if they can take time off from work. Or you could argue it makes FIRE even more valuable, because it gives you the freedom to truly take advantage of all that extra time together.

Either way, having kids doesn’t diminish the FIRE lifestyle, it enhances it, because they give you more purpose. So for all of you who no longer have to work, don’t be afraid of having kids. You will find a way to provide for them financially if necessary.

The Financial Case for DIY Camps

Whether you are a stay at home parent, FIRE parent, or working parent, I highly recommend trying your own Daddy or Mommy Day Camp at least once. It does not have to last a whole summer or winter. Even a week or a few days sprinkled here and there can make a huge difference.

The beauty of running your own Daddy or Mommy Day Camp is that it can be whatever you want it to be. You’re the counselor, the coach, the chef, and the chauffeur. You set the schedule, design the activities, and, best of all, actually spend time with your kids in ways that create lasting memories for both of you.

From a financial perspective, the savings alone are eye-opening. In San Francisco, for example, summer camps typically range from $600 to $1,200 per child, per week. Let’s say you have two kids and want to keep them busy for six weeks of summer. That’s $7,200 to $14,400, basically the cost of a used car or a family vacation to Hawaii.

Hiring a private coach to teach your kids tennis, swimming, soccer, basketball, music, or anything else often costs $60–$140 an hour. By coaching them yourself, you not only save money but also build a stronger bond—a true win-win.

DIY Day Camp Is An Extension Of Homeschooling

When the pandemic hit, we homeschooled our son for 18 months. It was one of the only few good things to come out of that era. We also realized how much more efficiently he could learn at home. In just 1.5 hours, we could cover what might have taken eight hours in a traditional school setting.

So if you’re not ready to take the step in homeschooling just yet, you can take a baby step through DIY camp first to see how it goes. If your nerves aren’t frayed by the end of it, you might just be cut out to be a homeschool teacher.

Not only do you save thousands of dollars, but you also get to reallocate that money toward investments, travel with your family, or simply padding your savings. If you have the time, you could conceivably run a camp for other family’s children too. Building wealth for your children before they become adults alleviates stress and creates a nice safety net.

Daddy Day Camp can also help you assess your children’s abilities early on. If you notice above-average talent in a sport or activity, you can choose to dedicate more resources accordingly. At the same time, you’ll avoid wasting money on lessons and activities they have little interest or aptitude for. Because you’re directly involved in the teaching, you’re less likely to fall victim to the Dunning–Kruger effect—overestimating your child’s abilities compared to reality.

The ROI is clear: Daddy and Mommy Camp offers both financial savings and emotional dividends.

Activities for Daddy Day Camp

When I first tried Daddy Camp, I thought I needed elaborate activities, but I quickly realized kids don’t care about fancy. They just want fun and attention. A ten dollar soccer ball or a stack of board games often goes further than the priciest setup.

It’s the same with houses. Sure, my kids enjoy running around a bigger yard. But their happiness isn’t any different from when we lived in a smaller place with fewer en suite bathrooms and only a deck to run around on. At the end of the day, all kids really want is a parent’s love, time, and attention.

Here are some easy activities to get you started:

• Sports Day: Organize a mini Olympics in the backyard with running races, soccer drills, and basketball shootouts. Add medals or silly prizes for fun.
• Cooking School: Let the kids choose a recipe and cook it together. It might get messy, but kids love eating what they made. They might even start appreciating all the time you or your partner spend time cooking for them, and volunteer to cook and clean up in the future.
• Adventure Hikes: Explore a new trail or park nearby. Bring snacks and make it a scavenger hunt for certain plants or animals. During COVID, we made it a mission to visit every playground in San Francisco. We found some cool hidden gems, like a slide in Bernal Heights that ran down one block.
• DIY Projects: Build a birdhouse, paint a mural, or even set up a lemonade stand to teach entrepreneurship. My favorite physical activity so far is landscaping a rental property. Nothing like a hands-on lesson in marketing, margins, and customer service. Eventually, these properties will be theirs to manage.
• Board Game Marathon: Rotate through Monopoly, Chess, and Uno. Keep score for an end of camp prize like choosing what’s for dinner. Great way to sneak in strategy, math, and negotiation skills.
• Water Play: If you don’t have a pool or hot tub, a garden hose, buckets, and water balloons are enough for hours of laughter.
• Library and Movie Day: Pick out books in the morning to read, then make popcorn and watch a family movie at night. The library is one of the best free resources around.

For children 8 and under, the ideal amount of time to spend for each activity is 45 minutes. Any longer and many children start to really lose focus.

Also, when kids are younger, it’s easier to teach them everything you know. One day, though, they may surpass you and that’s when a more experienced (and pricier) coach may be worth it.

Our Customized Daddy Day Camp Activities

For the last week of Daddy Day Camp this summer, we packed up and headed to Sonoma County, just a quick hour and twenty minute drive away.

I set three fun challenges for the kids and me this week:

1. Master a safe and proper dive into the pool
2. Work on forehands and backhands in tennis
3. Be proficient at breaststroke and freestyle swimming

We settled into a steady routine: tennis and pool in the mornings, then tennis and pool again in the early evenings. Over five days, I logged seven 45-minute tennis sessions with the kids, seven 1.5-hour swim-and-play sessions, and five 20-minute soccer passing and dribbling drills. With all that practice, their skills took a noticeable leap forward by the end.

Midday was for recharging, especially with the daily 90–103 degree heat. We’d head out for lunch, followed by a little Pokémon-hunting adventure, and then it was quiet time. Mommy and Daddy took a nap while the kids curled up with books, sketched, or battled over board games.

The Hardest Parts About Daddy Day Camp

To make Daddy Day Camp work, I woke up at 6 a.m. to write until 8. Luckily, I’m a morning person and have kept this routine since 2009. If mornings aren’t your thing, you may need to carve out time in the evenings instead.

A successful Daddy Day Camp starts with enthusiasm. Kids pick up on everything. The moment they sense you’re not excited about heading out for another activity, their interest fades too.

Consistency is another key. When you’re tired, it’s tempting to skip a session. Don’t. By sticking to the schedule, you show your kids you’re serious about camp while also teaching them the importance of showing up. I truly believe the key to success is long-term consistency. It’s hard to lose if you never quit.

Teaching kids new skills also tests your patience. Accept there will be tantrums and meltdowns! For some reason, kids often listen better to other adults than to their own parents. It can drive you crazy when they keep ignoring your instructions and repeating yourself or the 100th time, but your job is to stay calm and keep leading with kindness and enthusiasm.

When your child makes the same mistake ten times in a row, or keeps smacking the tennis ball into the net despite your reminders to start from low to high, you’ll want to quit. But this is when you need to carry on with encouragement. Don’t give up on them!

The Breakthrough Moment After Reaching The End Of My Rope

After nearly ending a tennis session when my son threw a tantrum, I decided to change my coaching approach. Instead of repeating instructions, I leaned hard into positivity. After a miss or bad hit, I’d say things like “Almost!” “Great effort!” or “You got this!”—instead of “Try to hit the strings, not the frame” or “Remember to swing low to high.” Steady encouragement kept my kids far more motivated than constant corrections ever did.

Finally, mix things up to keep them fresh. By day three, my kids were bored of forehand and backhand drills. So I added cone runs, practice swings, and live hits to end the drill. Suddenly their “Do I have to?” turned into “That was fun!”

After the tennis session was over, we transferred over to kicking the soccer ball in a triangle. Then we put cones out for them to dribble around and beat their own time. They were thrilled. Then of course, it was time to do some diving and cool off in the pool.

As parents, it’s up to us to make activities engaging while also teaching that hard things get easier with practice.

Fun Example Of How It Started

Diving instructions on first day: Place your hands together above your head, break the water cleanly, tuck your chin, enter with the top of your head, and keep your legs fully extended.

The end result! Frog legs entry and face plant with hands apart.

Making Up For The Missing Pieces In Your Childhood

To be frank, my main reason for running Daddy Camp is not to save money. It is to avoid a future where my adult children ask why I was not around. That fear comes partly from my own childhood. Both of my parents worked full time, and when I longingly wanted to throw a baseball in the backyard after school, my dad often came home too tired. My sister had her own interests.

Since my parents did not return until after 5:45 p.m., I had hours of freedom once school ended at 2:30. Too often, I used that time poorly when it wasn’t tennis season. I got into trouble in middle school and high school, and I still feel guilty for disappointing them. In some ways, Daddy Camp is not just for my kids, it is also my way of making peace with my past.

You might also discover that running your own children’s camp helps heal parts of your own childhood.

I have met too many adults who carry strained relationships with their parents. Sometimes parents truly were not around. Other times, children simply remember it that way, even if the reality was different. But in the end, perception becomes truth.

That is what I fear most: my kids one day saying, “Dad was always working or distracted on his phone. He never had time for us.” It stings because I know I spend more time on my phone than I should. That is the narrative I want to avoid.

Consecutive years of Daddy Camp are my safeguard. If my kids ever decide to misremember, I will at least have the evidence to show them: I was there

You Won’t Regret The Time You Spend With Your Kids

Daddy Camp is not about being the perfect parent. It’s about being present, being engaged, and making the most of the precious years we get with our kids.

Money is important. We all need it to survive and to provide stability for our families. But beyond a certain level of financial security, the tradeoff between money and time becomes obvious. You can always make more money. You cannot make more time with your kids when they are little.

When they are grown and gone, you will not wish you had worked longer hours or made a few more dollars. You will only be thankful for the memories you created together.

So this upcoming summer or winter, if your kids can’t get into a camp, don’t panic. See it as an opportunity. Run your own camp. Create your own traditions. Laugh together, get frustrated together, get messy together, and make memories that will last a lifetime.

That is the magic of Daddy Camp and its true ROI.

Parents, do you ever run your own little “camps” or activities for your kids during the summer or winter? What fun things have you tried at different ages? For those of you who are FIRE parents or stay-at-home parents, do you ever find yourself missing work during the ~8 months when the kids are in school? And how do you balance taking care of the kids with still doing something purposeful for yourself?

Subscribe To Financial Samurai 

Pick up a copy of my USA TODAY national bestseller, Millionaire Milestones: Simple Steps to Seven Figures. I’ve distilled over 30 years of financial experience to help you build more wealth than 94% of the population—and break free sooner. To be able to spend more time raising your kids is a gift you will never take for granted.

Listen and subscribe to The Financial Samurai podcast on Apple or Spotify. I interview experts in their respective fields and discuss some of the most interesting topics on this site. Your shares, ratings, and reviews are appreciated.

To expedite your journey to financial freedom, join over 60,000 others and subscribe to the free Financial Samurai newsletter. You can also get my posts in your e-mail inbox as soon as they come out by signing up here. Financial Samurai is among the largest independently-owned personal finance websites, established in 2009. Everything is written based on firsthand experience and expertise.

I’ve been doing a lot of posts about games lately (see also my post about printable board game templates) because I think games are a great activity when it’s hot outside. Or cold outside, depending on where you live. Or it’s raining. Or really any time you just need something to do. 

I never really got into video games as a kid (or as an adult, other than a couple I play on my phone to pass the time) but I did always like Tetris. Did you know you can play a Tetris-like game without a screen?

One Mama’s Daily Drama designed a printable Tetris board, complete with brightly colored shapes like the classic game. 

You can play it a couple of different ways. Start with a stack of shapes and try to put them together like you would in classic Tetris. Then you can either move the pieces down as you fill rows, or just play until the board is full and you can’t make any more moves. 

This is fun as a solo game (and would be great for a road trip if you laminate the pieces for durability) but you can also print out multiple sets and have people challenge each other to see how many pieces they can use before they run out of space or how long they can play moving the full lines.

It might also be a fun challenge, instead of drawing shapes to place in order, if you worked with the shapes like a puzzle and tried to fill in as much area in your board as possible using whatever shapes you want. 

I think this would be a great one to add to your printable games arsenal, and kids and adults will both want to get in on the fun. 

You can grab the printable Tetris game pieces from One Mama’s Daily Drama. 

[Photo: One Mama’s Daily Drama]

8 Educational Board games to make homeschooling easier [Kids Crafts]

A Great Idea for Storing AND Decorating With Your Board Games [Home and Garden]

Board Game Templates You Can Print [Lesson Plans]

This Father’s Day, skip the clichés and opt for gifts with quiet intention, pieces he’ll use, wear, and appreciate without needing to say much. From Thomas, we’ve gathered 15 considered ideas: fun scratch adventure challenge, the perfect grilling thermometer, comfortable sneakers, unstructured blazer, sleek sparkling water maker, and other essentials that blend form and function. For something a bit different, he suggests planting a tree or refreshing the summer garden together (choose a favorite local nursery or tree variety). These are all gifts with staying power: understated, useful, and made to be part of his everyday rhythm.

This outdoor projector delivers crisp 4K visuals and immersive Dolby audio, perfect for transforming Dad’s backyard into a personal cinema.

Packed with 50 surprise activities, this scratch-off book offers families a fun way to bond and create lasting memories without screens.

These lovingly restored 35mm film cameras combine vintage charm with modern reliability, allowing Dad to capture adventures in timeless style.