On Saturday, 27 June 2026, SMA collaborated with the Centre for Fathering (CFF) to organise the Afternoon Tea with Dad Workshop at the Father's House located in Geylang. Held during the June holidays, it was the perfect time for fathers to take a break from their work and create meaningful memories with their children.
A cosy group of ten father-child duos attended the free session, which was open to SMA Members with children aged five to eight. As the venue and materials were sponsored, participants could focus entirely on their bonding.
The two-hour session, adapted from CFF's popular Breakfast with Dad programme, was facilitated by trained personnel from CFF. It was structured yet low-pressure with a clear goal: intentional father-child connection through play, conversation and shared activity.
The afternoon was filled with laughter and surprises. In the trivia game, fathers and children discovered how well they really knew each other. Answers went beyond "doctor" to describe what their dads actually do for a living, and fathers were tested on questions like who their child's best friend is. All fathers got that question right!
In the "I Love You" game, children and fathers were separated by an opaque sliding door. The facilitator would point at a child, and the child would say "I love you". The father had to recognise the voice and say the name of the child. Then they would swap roles, with the father speaking and the children guessing. Interestingly, the dads were better at recognising their child's voice than the children were.
A crowd favourite was "Hunter and the Squirrel". Fathers formed a "rooftop" by raising both arms and joining hands with another father. When the facilitator shouted "Hunter!", the little squirrels – the children – ran to their dads' houses. Those not quick enough were "caught" by the hunter. It was active and interactive, and everyone had fun.
During the tea break, children took charge of selecting food they thought their dads would like. There was coffee, bread with jam and peanut butter, and other light refreshments prepared together. It was a simple but touching way to practise thoughtfulness.
This workshop reflects CFF's vision of "Turning the Hearts of Fathers and Children Towards Each Other" and its mission of "Inspiring Fathers to Strengthen Families". Founded in 2000, CFF is a non-profit organisation that promotes active and involved fathering in Singapore. We thank Dr Theodric Lee for this initiative and sponsorship and CFF for delivering such a heartwarming complimentary workshop. For busy fathers, family time often gets squeezed. Afternoon Tea with Dad gave participants a dedicated space to slow down and be present with their children, and it is one of SMA's ways of supporting our Members holistically beyond clinical practice.
Dads, kids and lots of smiles. Thank you to all who joined us for Afternoon Tea with Dad!
Fathers and children raised "rooftops" as kids scrambled to find their "safe haven"
