10 Ways To Bond With Your Father This Father’s Day

With Father’s Day around the corner, you might be turning your brain gears for activities you could do with your old man. If you’re still stuck in a rut, never fear, for we have done the heavy lifting for you!

While most would recommend doing sports or going outdoors with your father to bond over ‘manly’ activities, this curated list for Father’s Day is not only CMCO-friendly, but can also be carried out by both sons and daughters.

1. The Greatest Showman

Given lockdown restrictions, the commonplace Father’s Day activities such as attending a sports game or seeing a movie are sadly on pause. Nevertheless, if you can’t bring your father to the show, bring the show to your father! If you have a knack for instruments, entertain your family with a few tunes; Have a passion for singing (regardless of how good you are)? Create an impromptu karaoke session. If you think you’re the next Copperfield, work your magic. As long as it puts a smile on your father’s face, anything is worth it.

2. Prepare A Scrumptious Meal

When you live in Malaysia, love for food is the one thing we all share. Dedicate yourself to the kitchen and whip up a meal that will make your father drool. This is a prime chance to channel your inner-Ramsay while making sure your father gets to savour a dish made from love. If you fancy going the extra mile, don’t be shy to cook up a three-course meal for your dad on Father’s Day!

3. Let The TV Marathon Begin!

If your father is a movie buff, spend time in front of the TV watching his favourite genres and films. This is an inexpensive bonding activity since all you need is a streaming service and a television. No matter what’s playing, there’ll always be something to discuss, be it the plot, the cast, the cinematography, or dialogue. With a vast selection of movies available, you are bound to find something right up his alley.

4. Storytime Narrated By Dad

There isn’t a single person on Earth who would turn away from sharing their life stories if handed the chance. Sit down with your father and ask him to recount his younger years; he will be over the moon to know that you want to learn about his past. You might dig up some fascinating chapters from before you were born. You might also notice some habits or activities that you and your father have in common.

5. A Trip Down Memory Lane

What better way to appreciate your father than being reminded of how far both of you have come? Retrieve the photo albums and start from the very beginning. Those stationary photos are worth a thousand words – they are snapshots of your growth as a kid and his progress as a father. You might even come across a memory that you’ve shoved into the back of your mind! Noticing how fast time flies by will also probe you to hold on to the moments you have now with your father and cherish him even more, even after Father’s Day.

6. Click Goes The Camera

You’d be surprised at how few photos you have with your family members. Set up a fun at-home photoshoot for you and your father. If you need some inspiration, Pinterest is your best friend. You can even include your whole family! Make serious faces, act goofy, tell a story in pictures—the possibilities are limitless! This way, the precious moments spent on this year’s Father’s Day will be captured, and years from now, it’ll be something you and your father can reminisce about.

7. Family Game Night

Pull those board games out of the closet and get the dice rolling. Though you live under the same roof, most family members are too involved in their own life that they forget to check up on one another. Family game night is a great way to engage everyone in a mindless activity while allowing for room to catch up. From Monopoly to chess, the choice is yours!

8. Craft A Secret Handshake

We’ve seen spies and best friends perform their secret handshakes in movies and marvelled at how cool they looked. You can achieve just the same with your old man. Put your heads together and come up with unique moves for your handshake. You can even throw in a catchphrase to make it all the more special. Now, there’s something that belongs exclusively to both of you.

9. Jam Out!

Music is regarded as a universal language; if you’re not big on communicating with your father, this is for you. Figure out your father’s favourite jams from his time and make him a playlist. Alternatively, you could curate a playlist of your favourite songs and allow him to enjoy them as well. This could be done through Spotify or, if you are old-school, put together a mixtape! If you want it to be extra special, you could even arrange the songs so the first letter of every track spells out a secret message.

10. Bonding While Learning

A crucial part of parent-kid relations is learning from each other, and that goes beyond communication and respect. Perhaps you’re well-versed at tap dancing or painting and your father has never set foot in the skills you possess. Take this opportunity to teach him something new, even if it’s just the basics. This way, you can bond over the learning experience and will end up having one more activity in common that you can perform more frequently.

Or you could reverse the roles! Your father has been in this world longer than you have and has undoubtedly acquired more skills than you. It might be fascinating to see where your old man sources his leisurely happiness from, be it fishing, building, maybe even knitting! Whatever it is, your father will be elated to know that his child takes an interest in what he does in his spare time.

Kudos to you for trying to make this Father’s Day special for your old man; the pandemic has taken a toll on all families, so make sure you do the best you can to make your father feel appreciated. And to all the fathers out there, Happy Father’s Day!