A master list of screen-free things to do with Jethro V, Kenny, and the baby brother arriving in February. Filter by who's there, how much time you have, and what you want to build. Each activity is tagged with the DRDP domains it exercises and the relationship move it makes.
Jethro V, 9Kenny, 5Baby brother, due Feb 2027
Your Dad Week
The boys are with you on alternating weeks, Wednesday to Wednesday. Both handoffs fall on a Wednesday, so Wednesdays stay calm and the big stuff goes on the weekend in the middle.
Wednesday · arrive
Land softly
Handoff Landing Routine
What Animal Are You Feeling?
Kenny's Transition Busy Box in the car
No outings, early bedtime
Thu, Mon, Tue · school nights
Small and steady
Kenny's Special Time, 10 min
Read-Aloud a Notch Up with Jethro V
Rose, Thorn, Bud Dinner (devices away)
Three Good Things and One Question
Notebook swap Thursday and Monday
Monday: Snack Run with Jethro V
Friday
Family night
Kid Chef Night or Family Card Night
Freeze Dance with DJ Dad
Saturday
The big block
First Dad Week of the month: Kid-Planned Saturday (boys alternate)
Second Dad Week: an outing (Railway Museum, hike, farm day)
Afternoon: Brothers' Secret Mission
Dad Date: Jethro V in one Dad Week, Kenny in the other
Sunday
Family and roots
Sunday Dinner Crew with Papa and Mama
Midgett Story Night (once a month)
Cousins day when it fits
Tuesday night to Wednesday · leave
Send them off well
Pack together Tuesday night
Wednesday Send-Off: breakfast, a note in the backpack, the handshake
No big talks at the door
Mom's week
Your week to refill
Mom-Week Mail to each boy
A date with Cassandra
Training, DJing, cooking
Restock the house and car bins, plan next week's Saturday
Focus for the next eight weeks
Kenny
Emotions and regulation
Every school night: Special Time plus one feelings tool (animal feelings, bubble breathing, glitter jar)
Practice calm skills when he's already calm, using Superhero Training Academy's Calm Power
Use the "Kenny's focus" filter on the Activities tab
Adjust after tomorrow's evaluation
Jethro V
Opening up about feelings
Notebook twice each Dad Week, plus a line on Wednesdays
One side-by-side Snack Run every Dad Week
Comic of the Week as a back door to how his week felt
Second focus: Club Scout so he can find his people
Monthly budget, $300+
A starting split
About $120: one class or club for Jethro V (sports, building, art, or games)
About $80: a running, climbing, or ninja class for Kenny (movement helps regulation)
About $60: Dad Dates
About $40: supplies and one outing
Seasons ahead
Nov to Jan
Before the baby
Family Media Plan Meeting and House Rules Poster
Big Brother Job Description
Kenny's Middle Brother Promotion
Build the Baby a Gift
Parol Lantern Making with Mama (December)
Feb to May 2027
Newborn season
Keep both boys' one-on-one time
Talk Coaches, Tummy Time Cheer Squad, Baby's First Library
Outing crew: Papa and Mama, Danica and Bri, the cousins' families
Lean on low-prep ideas: car games, Forever Puzzle, Invitation Tray
Spring and summer
Outside again
Papa's Garden Box and Weather Station
Strawberry picking, tide pools, Backyard Campout
Kenny's CDC graduation in June: let him plan the celebration
Cousin Olympics
Your plan so far
What you've decided, and what still needs someone else. Tonight is the last night of this Dad Week, so two of the open items can happen before the Wednesday handoff.
Still open
Decided
How the list is built
DRDP domains (the tags on each card)
The Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP 2025) is California's observation tool for children from birth through kindergarten. Kenny is in the Preschool/TK/K view, and the baby will be in the Infant/Toddler view. Each activity is tagged with the domains it gives practice in. This is practice, not assessment.
The DRDP stops at kindergarten. It does not cover Jethro V at 9. For him the list uses his third grade standards (reading fluency, spelling, multiplication, fractions) plus the relationship tags below.
Relationship moves (the dashed tags)
Each activity is labeled with one of the five elements of Search Institute's Developmental Relationships Framework. It covers every age, including the parent side of the relationship, which is why it works for all three boys.
Research the list leans on
Replace screens instead of only cutting them. The AAP's 2026 policy statement on children's digital ecosystems moves away from fixed minute limits. It recommends a family media plan made together, device-free meals, parents modeling, and offering other activities. EdSurge summary · AAP Family Media Plan tool
Serve and return. Back-and-forth exchanges between babies and the people who care for them build early brain architecture. Older siblings can be part of this. Harvard Center on the Developing Child
Executive function games. Freeze dance, Simon Says with rule switches, and similar games give practice in impulse control and working memory. The Harvard Center publishes activity guides by age.
Child-directed play (PRIDE). These skills come from Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, one of the best-studied parent programs for young children. PCIT International
Dialogic reading. In Whitehurst's PEER method, the adult asks and expands while the child tells the story. It shows reliable gains in preschool vocabulary.
Green time and attention. Faber Taylor and Kuo (2009) found children with attention difficulties concentrated better after a walk in a park than after a walk in town.
Rough-and-tumble play with fathers. Studies link energetic play with clear limits to children's self-regulation. The rules are what make it work.
Preparing siblings. Older children adjust better when they have a meaningful role and their own time with the parent stays protected. Turning them into helpers who parent the baby works against this.
Developmental Relationships Framework. Express care, challenge growth, provide support, share power, expand possibilities. Search Institute