Common hobbies

How fathers and children discover common interests

Text last updated: 2024-07-03

Come on, let's do something together!

Doing something together and really immersing yourself in something, simply for fun and without any pressure to perform: shared hobbies are fun and strengthen your father-child bond and understanding for each other. As a father, you get to know new facets of your children and, conversely, your offspring get to experience dad in a completely different environment. Because it is sometimes not so easy to find something that is equally fun for everyone, you will find a variety of ideas here.

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Joint activities are a wonderful thing. Do you often have far too little time in your day to devote to a hobby or project with your child? This makes it all the more important to create space for such activities in your free time and at weekends. Joint activities strengthen the relationship between you and your child, provide conversation topics and ensure a deep connection.

Learning from each other and discovering common interests

Do you already know the many talents your child has? As a parent, you may often be surprised at what your child can already do. Joint activities are the perfect way to find out what your child is good at, where they would like to learn more and where your shared interests lie. If you already have a hobby that you enjoy, why not take your child with you? Perhaps you can infect them with your passion - without "imposing" your own interests on them, of course.

Which activity suits me and my child?

Any activity that is fun is generally suitable. This starts with parent-child music classes and doesn't end with joint triathlon training with teenagers.

When looking for a shared hobby, the general rule is: it should be fun! To ensure this is the case, you should consider your child's preferences, abilities and age. Start a new hobby together, ideally approach it without too many expectations and take the pressure off that it absolutely has to be fun. Especially with children, the initial euphoria is often huge, but it quickly subsides. As a father, you should not be too disappointed, but try to find the fun in trying out very different things. Take your child's wishes into account when choosing the next activity and please always help your child not to be limited by social gender stereotypes: many girls also like to play soccer or love climbing and many boys like dancing or horses.

What are we doing today: technology, music or nature?

A shared hobby with your child is also a great way for you to discover new territory and celebrate a hobby premiere together. You can find lots of ideas for the next free afternoon (or more) here:

Where can I find help and advice?

Are you looking for a shared hobby for you and your child? Numerous internet portals provide valuable tips for inspiration and ideas. Local sports clubs or music schools also offer appropriate courses.

There are countless sports clubs in NRW. The club search of the Landessportbund NRW e. V. helps you to find a club with the right offer for you and your child.

The portal of the NRW State Association of Music Schools will direct you to a music school near you.

Information and tips about the hobby of geocaching can be found on the portal of the same name

The German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) and its youth organization NAJU offer a wide range of ideas for gardening and environmental protection projects.

The German Alpine Club has compiled an overview of climbing and bouldering halls in NRW.

Free programming tutorials for children and young people are offered, for example, by the Start Coding e. V.

Many local authorities bundle free and affordable services and contact addresses relating to family life, parent-child courses, play and contact groups, health promotion and much more on a special search portal. You can find the link to the online service of your city or municipality via the list on our Familienportal.NRW.


Personal stories and experiences from fathers in NRW can be found on our YouTube channel in the "Active Fatherhood" playlist.