19 Things to Do With Your Dad at Home

Spending time engaging in activities with your dad is not an activity for children and adolescents alone but also for adult offspring. This is why this article will include activities for all age groups so that you can pick those most appropriate to you.

You might be interested in Things To Do With Your Mom At Home and Things To Do With Your Sister At Home.

1. Listen to music

Music heals the soul and has been known to connect people across the ages, so it would be perfect to engage in when spending time with dad. You can both learn more about each other from this activity as you play your favorite tunes for the other to listen to. For instance, you could both play your favorite albums or make a playlist of your favorite songs.

With the wealth of music out there and the advantage of an age gap between the two of you leading to different interests, this is sure to be a recurring activity that will provide endless hours of bonding between father and child, unless, of course, you disagree with each other’s taste in music.

2. Play a video game together

Gone are the days when video games were for the young alone as a significant number of fathers were children when video games started, and they thankfully forgot to drop this habit as they grew older.

If you are looking for activities to do with dad, look no further than that gaming console in your house. If your father doesn’t already indulge, you can invite him to play your favorite game during his free time but don’t go too hard on him so that he can come back; give your father a taste of that fun that you have with your friends.

3. Construct an indoor fort

This activity for younger children is one of the most exciting things to do with your dad at home as it involves getting some alone time with your dad and constructing something together.

Once this impregnable fortress of blankets and pillows is built, you and your dad can retreat into it where you can engage in a wealth of activities such as talking, playing games, watching movies on a mobile device, and anything else your mind suggests.

4. Build a lego city/ building together

There’s an episode in Malcolm in the Middle where Dewey and his dad bonded over the construction of a lego city. Sure they had professional help, but that only helped them build it faster. Therefore, a fun game to play with your dad is the construction of your very own lego city. 

This project can take a lot of time (and quite a bit of cash), so if you can’t afford either, you can stick to building something smaller together, like a single building or street.

5. Make plans

Spending time indoors with your father can be fun but let’s face it, a lot more fun can be had outside. This is why stuff to do with your dad indoors can also include planning for stuff to do outdoors, such as coming up with fun places to go with your dad.

You can make these plans based on what hobbies both of you have, places both of you would like to go, and activities you would both fancy. Some examples of plans you can make include:

• Hiking and camping
• Fishing
• Sports game
• Music event
• Domestic/ International trip
• Road trip

Check out What to Pack For a Trip?

6. Talk to your dad

When looking for what to do with your dad at home, you don’t have to look at activities alone because there are other ways to bond with your dad, and talking is one of the most important.

Talking allows you to learn more about your dad, his motivations, interests, goals and dreams, happiest memories, life experiences, and several other things. As a conversation is a two-way street, this also gives him a chance to learn more about his child, leading to increased father-daughter bonding and a stronger father-son connection.

7. Clean up the house with him

Some dad things to do include cleaning up and working on the house by, for instance, mowing the lawn, cutting the hedges, cleaning the backyard, and fixing minor issues around the house.

Kill two birds with one stone when you accompany (and help) him do some of these things because you would be spending time with him, helping him, and learning valuable skills that you can apply to your house someday.

8. Play games with your father

Apart from video games, there are several other games you can play with your dad at home that are fun and sure to keep you entertained. These range from outdoor games such as basketball in the yard to board games like Scrabble, jigsaw puzzles, and chess.

With most games these days being played by both sexes, there is almost no such thing as father and son games which means that there is a wealth of games to play with your dad at home, and we wish you the best of fun as you do so.

Check out Family Games to Play at Home with No Material.

9. Cook with dad

Research has shown that a significant number of men engage in cooking and that this number has risen in the past decade. What does this mean for you? Another entry on the list of things to do with your dad.

By joining your dad to cook, you will not only engage in a potentially wholesome experience, you will pick up a skill or two in the kitchen, such as what secret recipe he uses to get the chicken to taste so good.

10. Engage in some DIY construction

Generally speaking, men like to build things regardless of whether they are architects or engineers. This is why one of the best gifts you can get a man is a toolset that he can use to engage in some DIY projects.

If your father is one of those men, you could offer to build something with him as a father-child project. He would probably welcome this because fathers love to show off their construction skills, and this would be an excellent opportunity to do so. Be sure to take safety precautions, as we don’t want this to become a lesson on how to scare your dad.

11. Learn from your dad

Your dad is a repository of information, owing to how much longer he has been on Earth than you have. If you are looking for what to do with your dad when you’re bored, why not pick his brain on some of this information and learn what you can?

Some of the things you can learn about include:

• Learn an instrument.
• Learn to work on cars – change the oil, change tires, and more complicated things depending on his knowledge base.
• Learn to build stuff like DIY projects.
• Learn financial stuff such as investing and filing taxes.
• Learn to play sports – he could explain the rules of his favorite sports while watching it, or you could play it in the backyard if possible.
• Learn to cook

12. Exercise with dad

Bond with your father while getting in shape by exercising with your father at home. It is known that more exercise is done when you have a partner, so why not make that partner your father and get fit together.

Exercise is beneficial to humans in general. It is appropriate for all ages and genders, which means this can also be a great father-daughter activity for adults and children.

13. Watch something with your dad

In addition to television, the internet has increased the number of things we can watch exponentially, which is good news if you are looking for things to do with your dad at home.

Some examples of things you can watch include movies and series on Netflix and similar sites, sports, anime, documentaries, and just random videos on Youtube and other social media. Pro-tip on how to make your dad laugh – go through Instagram videos.

14. Take selfies

Have some fun by taking selfies with your dad to let people know where you get your good looks. This can be made even more fun by the multitudes of filters and backgrounds provided by different camera apps that allow you to take anything from goofy, corporate, to outwardly pictures. Also, your dad needs a new wallpaper, so why not help him out.

15. Have a backyard picnic

Picnics are always fun with family, and being home doesn’t mean you can’t have one. Home picnics can be had in the backyard or even indoors with the right materials, so being home should not limit you. There are countless ideas on the internet that you can use to set one up, which you can then invite your father to for a great time.

16. Engage in some cosplay

Cosplaying has been around for a long time dating back to when little girls dressed up as princesses and boys as superheroes. With many more cartoons, anime, and fictional characters now on offer, cosplaying has mushroomed into a prevalent activity in this day and age.

Tap into that and cosplay with your dad at home because he probably has someone he would like to dress up as too. You can then immortalize these moments in a barrage of selfies and photos.

17. Virtual field trip

Technology keeps changing and improving how we do things, and field trips are no exception. It is now possible to go on field trips without actually having to be there, thus allowing you to spend time with your dad at home while going to different places together and learning new things.

18. Call relatives with dad

It is vital to maintain contact with family – the good ones at least – so you could use this time at home with your dad to reach out to those family members. The sight of a father and child calling to check up on you can be very therapeutic, so don’t just do this for you, do it for your relatives.

19. Backyard family barbecue

A barbecue with family almost always promises a good time, so if you are stuck home with your dad and can throw one, you should. You could also invite the neighbors over if that’s fine and turn this into an even grander occasion; this is all if you don’t mind sharing the meat (or vegetarian equivalent), of course.

Check out other ideas at Fun Things to do in the Holidays at Home.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I have fun with my dad?

• You can play a video game together.
• You can go on a road trip.
• You could attend a sports event.
• You could go to a concert.
• You could engage in some DIY with your father.
• You could watch some series or movies.

2. What can dads do with daughters?

• Go to an event/ concert/ sports game.
• Go skating.
• Go on a trip together – local or abroad.
• Cook some meals together.
• Listen to music/ go for karaoke night.
• Build an indoor fort.
• Come up with special gestures such as unique handshakes and hand signs.

3. What can a dad and daughter do together at home?

• Talk to each other about your issues, goals, ambitions, and motivations.
• Watch some series and movies together.
• Listen to music and sing along.
• Exercise together.
• Play games – video games, board games, outdoor games.
• Take a virtual field trip.

In Conclusion

Parents spending time with their children is highly recommended, and we hope you get to do so with your dad. We also advise that you be patient with him if he works a lot and is usually tired in his free time as rest is essential. Seeing as these activities can be done at home, however, your chances of doing them even when he is tired are not too bad, so do try to suggest some when you can.