The bond between the father and his son is a rare treasure. The value is beyond gold. Most sons missed this unparalleled experience. Those who experienced it hold amazing testimonies of how the experience shaped their lives, but those who were not privileged with the experience, are left with an undefined gap deep within their souls. This gap is not only due to absent fathers but some present fathers are clueless on how to connect with their sons
In this article, I intend to share light on plenty of bonding ideas ensuring that there is no excuse whatsoever for fathers not to bond with their sons.
I won’t go any further without being straight about this crucial truth, bonding does not happen by osmosis, it takes intentional fathers to create time, and set the tone for the relationship.
Watch Movies & documentaries
Movies are an old-time bonding game plan. They work well for couples and friends. Movie nights play a very important role in most relationships. They can still perform the same magic of connection between the father and son. Pull a big bowl of popcorns and some drinks, dim the lights, close the door, maybe put a Father and Son no interruption note, find comfortable positions, and enjoy a movie or documentary of choice with each other. To extract value from what you are watching, have a fun and empowering conversation afterward. This is the best time to influence his interpretations and perceptions about the world and life.
Be Vulnerable with Each Other
It takes courage to be vulnerable, but vulnerability breeds deep connection. So if the father aims for a deep connection with the son, vulnerability is not an option. In an age-appropriate way be vulnerable with your son. Fathers should not always put on a superhero mask. They should be willing to express their desirable and undesirable feelings with their kids. Talk about your wins and losses, about your mistakes, and the consequences that came with such mistakes. Share a tear, and allow him to comfort you.
This kind of vulnerability will create a safe and secure space for the son to be vulnerable. This is a kind of environment that will help the boy to let his guard down, and be open with the father even during the worst times of his life. Believe me, every loving father desires this but not all fathers are willing to model vulnerability.
Vulnerability will sure enhance connection and it will remain one of the most crucial life lessons a father can teach his son.
Read together
Read-aloud sessions with kids have always been left to mommies.
Few sessions with daddy is not a bad idea at all. There is no prescription on how to set up or run these sessions. The sessions will be determined by the age and the reading abilities of the child. As children grow to tweens and teens age, you can decide on common reads. Choose a book, read it together or separately and create time to discuss the lessons and juicy details from the book. Book choices can be determined by the interests of the child and the lessons the father wants to drive home.
You can utilize Scribd ( Digital Library with over 1 million books ) to access books that covers diverse interests. Check my full Scribd review here.
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Build, create, fix, or learn something new together.
I recommend getting clues about what to work on from the boy’s interests. There are plenty of ideas that can be carried out on a low budget if with any budget at all. Build with card boxes, papers, explore DIY Crafts on YouTube, and have fun.
- Take a short online course together.
- Learn a new language together. Imagine moments where, while within a group of people you can throw in lines that are only understood by dad & Son.
- Learn a musical instrument together. You can find lessons online or find someone to teach, it doesn’t matter, what truly matters is that I am doing it with Dad (Proud son moments)
Take walks – Take drives
Father and son no agenda walks or drives are beautiful. The conversations are relaxed, the guards are down, the air is different, there are no rules nor protocols, there is minimal eye contact just the right atmosphere to discuss what you both are not comfortable discussing at home with the girls or on a face to face formal meeting.
Journal
Father and son journals can be kept as monuments of their relationship. It is something the son can pass to his sons or at least refer to, during his journey as a father.
Journal about all things, the good the bad, and the ugly. Let the journal and its pen be kept in a place where it will be easily accessible by both parties and agree on how to use it.
The truth is there are days when we cannot put our thoughts into speech but can put them into text. The father and the son can both pour their hearts out on paper during such days. This can just be the beginning of a great conversation that can be continued during the walks, drives, and dates.
Help with school work
Schoolwork can be time-consuming both in and outside the schoolyard. It can leave very limited time for family connections, but as the saying goes ‘ If you can’t beat them join them’ Instead of waiting for the child to finish their homework so that you both can watch a movie or whatever the plan is, get involved in his schoolwork , help him, be interested and be present.
This can be an expression of the value you put on his schoolwork & development. It can also be an encouragement that will results in improved grades
Father and Son dates
Frequent dates have a way of keeping the love candle burning. Dates are perceived as special moments. They have a way of communicating love and value. They tell the next person that you are worthy of my time and in most cases my money. .
Dates are about leaving everything behind just to focus on this one particular person. They can vary from restaurants, outings to walks in the park to a movie night at home or the cinema, to a sporting event, to a camp adventure or a day out fishing. Trying different things will add the necessary spice that you both can look forward to.
Tell stories
Stories are powerful. Share personal stories, other people’s stories or stories you read about. Nothing captures kid’s attention than a well-narrated story. Plan it if you have to. Tell it in such a way that it will engage his senses and imagination.
This is an opportunity to develop storytelling skills, the skill that will benefit you and him beyond this relationship.
Take pictures
Leave no memory uncaptured, take a lot of pictures together. Pictures are great memory prompts, I am sure you sat down at one point in your life and went through an old album, and such moments are usually accompanied by smiles.
Do chores together
Think of a day when you’ll just wake up and announce to everybody in the house, relax, put your legs up enjoy the day, the cleaning and the cooking are on us today. It will not only give others a needed break but it will deepen the bond between daddy and the son.
You can consider gardening, plumbing, and fixing things together. This provides the son with on-job learning, with this kind of shadowing experience he will not fall short of understanding who he is as a man, how to be one and what to do.
Play
Play is known to be the foundation of self-expression. The best way to know and connect with any child is not to sit around a round table with them but it is to play with them. Play happens to be their primary language. Play video games, play chess, play Lego, play board games, play rough and tumble games, build a ford, blindfold each other, pull safe pranks, find more games and continue to speak the language he understands best – PLAY.
Affirm each other
Affirmations are one of the love languages, whether we acknowledge it or not we all have a desire to be affirmed. Nothing turns on the son’s confidence than the father’s affirmation. Fathers are seen as a standard and kids usually want to know that they are meeting the standard. The best way to go about this is words of affirmations.
Tell him, I believe in you, I’m proud of you, you are special, you are my blessing, I’m privileged to be your father, your future is bright, and more.
Observe what he is good at and make sure he never hears the end of it. Catch him doing something good when he least expected you to be watching and blow a trumpet about it. Ooze with gratitude towards him.
Have pet names for each other
There is just something special about calling me with the name that fully expresses how you feel and think of me. Much thought should not be given to what is the best appropriate name, such names naturally flows from the heart. Keep connecting it will soon flow and you will know when it’s the right name.
Design a father & son T – Shirt
It’s time for some creativity. Seal the bond, design a T-shirt that tells the world what your relationship stands for, or how you value this relationship.
This public expression of love and togetherness will surely seal the deal of love, acceptance, and belonging
Final Thoughts
Material possessions can never replace the deep need and desire of a son to connect with his father. It is unfortunate that most fathers limit their value and impact within the boundaries of what they can offer materially.
Hello; Wow! This post is a natural treasure for today’s world. The Father and Son Bonding Ideas cannot be echoed enough in these days when many of our young men behave as if they are experiencing a severe sense of emptiness and bewilderment.
We know the caused if mainly because they do not know a Father’s love and affection. Some of them behave like hooligans they lack personal identity they are growing older every day but they are uncertain about their identity because they do not know what a father’s touch feels like, neither the warmth a father’s smile brings.
Is there a way to compel fathers of the day to bond with their son during their development years? We can start somewhere; how about using this post as a monument to transform the attitudes of many fathers of the day.
DorcasW
Thank you Dorcas
Surely the absence of the father’s love result in the sense of emptiness and bewilderment as you rightly put it . unfortunately many will never even know the cause of their emptiness.
We cannot compel fathers to bond we can only encourage them and continue to raise awareness of how important this is .
Some fathers are so busy these days and they often lack ideas of what to do with their sons, I think your article is awesome. It gives so much great advice on many activities. Spending quality time together and bonding with each other is so beneficial in many ways for both parties
Thank you Lisa
It is beneficial in many ways on many levels. It can make or break the becoming man.
Excellent post and tips. A lot of these tips work to get along with your dad. I know because I’ve been through a lot of these with my dad growing up. He would help me with my school work in a lot of instances. I always remember him staying up late nights, helping me do the math I couldn’t understand.
I appreciate that until this day. Working on a project is an excellent bonding time during the teenage years. What always bonded my father, brothers, and myself was working on a car. Working on a vehicle is one of my favorite bonding times with my dad. And we still do that until this day. Good thing my dad has a great toolbox, it gives me a reason to go over, pop the hood and work on the car with him. Great post, thanks!
Thank you Josh for stopping by .
I am glad you really feel and know what I am talking about from experience.
Treasure those moments with your dad and siblings,very few families have such sweet memories.
Thank you for sharing a lovely, informative article with us. The message of this article is Father And Son Bonding Ideas. It is truly amazing that you covered this subject so well in your post. I’ve learned a lot from reading your post and gained a lot of knowledge about it. The relationship between son and father is important.sports is the best way to connect. I myself played a lot of games with my father which brought me very close to my father and formed a strong bond.
Thank you for stopping by. You are one of the privileged few, who have
solid bonds with their dads. Treasure it and if you are privileged to
have a son, don’t deny him what you enjoyed.
I am actually one of the people who did not experience that father to son bond. I felt he was always absent, and sometimes did not care enough to listen. Thank you for your post on how to develop a father to son bond, so that it grows strong. I will make sure to create that bond with my son so he won’t have to miss all the experiences of having a father as your best friend. It is a great and quality article you have here.
Thank you Rodreck
I understand your sad experience of an absent father. Unfortunately it is an experience of most kids. Lets make it our personal responsibility to change the sad narrative. Our kids should tell a different story.
Your article is something that I intend to apply as I spend time with my grandchildren. As far as I can tell, all of the things that you have listed, I did with my kids. I believe that this helped make them loving, responsible, open adults. I think all the things we did together to bring us closer help us now to get through some of the times when, as adults, we disagree. This is a different time than when I raised my kids. Cell phones, video games and all kinds of devices can take up time and build walls between parents and kids. Your article is important and timely.
Well, this is good and I feel like I would be able to also recommend these wonderful ideas to some parents as well. For me, I believe that one of the best ideas that one can actually get engaged in out of everything you shared here is being on a project together because that is something that is very sure to strengthen the bond between the father and son.
Father and child, it is one of the most misjudged relations ever. It doesn’t boast that defense that a father little girl connection does, or the closeness a mother-son connection does, or the understanding that mother-girl connection has.
A significant portion of this connection is communicated passively. Here action speaks and express rather than words. It is a bond made of admonishing, instructing, picking up, controlling and at uncommon occasions talking your heart out. I will have to book-mark this page for reference purpose or share this article to some fathers that i know. You got a nice article up there.
Hello Bogadi, thanks for this really nice article. I have to say I am happy that such articles are online because over the years parents have always seen the mother bonding more with the child and the father is just another person living in the house. I would really love to have a bond with my kids. I have learned a lot from this article. Cheers
Hello there Bogadi, the bond between a father and son is one that cannot be underestimated or overemphasised. The legacy of a father and the responsibility of bearing his name stands on his son’s shoulder but besides that it is important for there to be a close bond between the two of them and I think the ideas you have posted will be really helpful in achieving this.
Wow this is such a good list of tips. I know it speaks about father and son but many of them can be applied to my daughters and their father. My husband is physically present, but he is not present as a deep connection to his girls. Maybe it is how he grew up in an kind of emotionally distant relationship with his parents. But he can learn. Recently I have been nudging him to spend time alone with them. Yes . Alone without me so they can develop closer ties. I can be a good mother but I can never be the father they desire. Thank you for these great ideas. Now I have more suggestions to share with him.
Hey . I understand what you are talking about. Keep encouraging him, how we were raised affects how we raise our kids. If he never had a deep connection with his parents its a new thing for him to learn but he can get there.
I’m not married yet but I’ve learnt a lot from your article. I will say that I’m much closer to my mom than my dad because we do things together, we spend time talking and laughing. My dad is just far away and this is because of the nature of his job. He comes home once a while. So not much bonding like my mom. Now this is where the question comes in. What will one do when his job is trying to interfere with the bond he has for his family? Though not a threatening one.
Hi Kelly
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy
And thank you for asking that question. I advise parents who are working away from home to focus on spending quality time with the kids when they are around.Most times we focus on quantity than quality
If its quality, you will make it more meaningful. Seek to understand what the child would want to do or play during that time and do exactly that. Be fully present, emotionally and otherwise
Thank you sharing these amazing bonding time for family. I think we are all too busy and easily forgot why we work so hard at work for. We go away to the work place for hours and just do not have that time to bond with our family or sometimes we are too tired.
Watching something together is a perfect win win situation for both. Bonding with food like popcorn or cooking something together is also a great way in my opinion. The possibilities are endless, we just have to be creative.
Hey Nuttane
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy.
The struggle of choosing between work and family is real for most adults. If only we can understand that few minutes of quality time spent with our kids will make a great difference , then we shall find the balance we are looking for.
It is about how present you are in the few minutes than how long you take to spent with the kids.
This is an awesome post on bonding ideas between daddy and his son, and the tips and ideas are all extremely doable, even for a busy dad. It is a matter of making the time for something that is important to you. My husband was a very hands on father to your boys, which helped me as well. He often did the fun bedtime reading with our boys, as I would have done the homework reading, and it certainly allowed them the special time together at the end of the day.
Father and son time are so important and even just five minutes with daddy can make a difference to a boy.
Hi Line
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy
I agree with you , its a matter of making time , to something important to you. & hey your husband must mentor and encourage encourage other fathers to be hands on. You are blessed.
Just loved this article! So many good Ideas for bonding. I think it is very important for young boys that their father is present in their life. A mother can never give a boy what a father can give. It is a precious bond. Many boys grow up without fathers and I am sure that most of them miss their fathers or having a father to bond with. As a mother myself I can see how much the father/son bonding means.
Hi Hilde
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy
I fully agree mothers even if we try we cannot replace father’s in our son’s lives.
Your article is incredible. You have listed all the idea to bonds with our sons. Time spent with our sons is time that we will always treasure. We need to start bonding with them right from the day they come into this world. If you do not bond with your son when he is young by the time he becomes a teenager you will have lost him. Thank you for all these bonding ideas. They are all wonderfull.
Hi Energy
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy. Father and son bond should be taken serious and treasured, agree if you fail to bond when they are young it will be hard when they are teenagers.
Our children are the most important thing in our lives. I have a daughter and I see it is important to bond with your children whether they are boys or girls. Dad especially need to spend more time with their children and develop a deeper relationship. Being a single dad I have seen how important this is I love her more than anything in the world.
Well done Castle
Few are dads like you ,keep the bond growing. Bonding with our kids should be our priority
Many fathers ruin their father-son relationship due to the fact that they do not accept the way their son is or it might be that the son chose a different path in life than the one the father has in mind. This is like accepting or forcing matters for silver while you are exposed to gold. I do agree with taking walks as there will be conversations on the trip which will help the father to better understand his son and thinking so he may give valuable guidance than shifting his son’s goals or dreams in the other direction. Why is it that when fathers do not achieve their goals during their younger days expect their son to achieve them for him?
Hey Cadence
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy
A father and son bond is a must but who the child want to be is his choice and should not even affect the bond.
I value this post. I have tried to imitate this action for quite some time. It is not always easy but I always felt it was necessary to bond with my son and now I feel the same with my grandson. My personal experience and opinion are if you don’t bond with your son someone else will. There are so many people that are a father but not a true dad. There is a difference. Great post thank you for sharing your experience.
Hey Chuck
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy
I like what you said if you don’t bond with your son someone else will. Lets prioritize the father and son bond.
It’s a very beautiful thing to se your son and your grandson approaching your door, I can imagine the kind of joy that flows In the mind, bonding with them is very important that’s why this article will help a lot of family struggling to bring their sons and grandsons together in harmony, thanks for always rendering help and making things better.
Hey J
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible boy .
Fathers should always make it their priority to bond with their sons.
I have spent a lot of time at home these past months. And I am grateful for that. While my kids were growing I missed much of it. But I have spent a lot of quality time with my yongest boy these past days.
I like reading your article. And I’ll also start doing some of the things you suggest. Thank you very much!
Hey Abel
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy
Spending time with our boys especially as fathers is the most important ingredient in ensuring that they mature to be Incredible Good Men. I applaud you for the efforts . Book mark the Father and son bonding ideas article and revisit it when there is a need.
Thank you very much for mentioning in your article an excellent example of the close relationship between father and son. The relationship between father and son is deepened by various activities such as watching a movie together or going for a walk together. I have developed a deep relationship with my father since I was a child and he helped me in all my activities like playing sports and reading my various. Finally, I have read and enjoyed your article so I would like to share the subject of the article in my social media group so that in the present age a close relationship is formed between father and son.
Thank you Arman for stopping by The Incredible Boy
I were one of the very few I know that had an amazing opportunity to bond with their dads, you must treassure that.
And yes please go ahead and share the Father and Son Bonding ideas you have read here. I hope your followers will find value in it
In today’s world there are just too many families that are torn apart. The bonds that are formed when there is a father present for a boy are so important. It’s a wonder that young boys can grow into strong independent men at all. I love the quote you have at the end. I fear many fathers sadly miss this element in their lives.
Hey Marsha
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy
Divided families mostly with absent fathers are a sad reality of our time. We need fathers to rise and understand that nothing can ever replace their presence in their kid’s life.
Thank you so much for sharing these loving ways for fathers and sons to connect. I have personally seen a couple of these to be very strong ways to bond — especially the walking (this is a regular chore if you also have a dog to walk) and reading books together. I also like the ritual of at least one meal together per day with the entire family unit as a way to connect and grow together.
Hey Aly
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy
Bonding of fathers and sons have been perceived difficult to impossible. I fully agree one meal a day is very ideal and doable.
Your post is awesome with tips for a father to build a good relationship with the son. I think the same tips can be applied to my daughter.
Every father wanted their son to grow up to become a better person than them. But father leaves the teaching of children totally to the wife and focus heavily on earning for the family. It is true that poor relationship with a son when they are small will create some unpleasant thinking in the child’s mind.
I am the lonely father working oversea for more than 15 years. When I retired to stay at home, two of my sons already graduated and worked in the country where they studied. Except my daughter who have a good bonding with me, came back to the home town to work for a lower salary.
Your teaching is excellent for every father, but it is too late for me. My sons still communicate with me, should not be so bad our relationship. When I retired in 2019 December, I found out both my sons failed to build up their online business. With the WA platform and support, I hope I can success to create a website for each of them.
Hi stephen
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy and engaging me on Father and Son Bonding ideas. I am so touched by what you said. Redeem the time by bonding with your daughter. Its said that most parents are unable to find balance between earning and bonding with the kids. Keep reaching out to your boys, they need you still.