This is what I do, as a husband and dad of three boys.

  • I severely restrict video-game and TV time. I make them play outside. Kids need rough and tumble physical play.
  • We eat together almost every single night, at the dinner table. Kids benefit from shared routines.
  • Each morning, either I or my wife reads that day's chapter from the book of Proverbs. Kids need to learn wisdom.
  • Each boy will have a "Rite of Passage" which I have planned. We have certain milestones planned for age 12, 13, and so on to initiate them into manhood. Kids need help in growing up.
  • They are taught to say sir and maam. Kids need to learn how to treat others respectfully.
  • Once or twice a month, I take one of the boys on an outing (with just me and him). Each boy gets his turn in order, and they get to pick what we do. (Usually we go out to eat or go on a walk. Something simple.) Kids need one-on-one time with their dad and mom.
  • The boys don't get an allowance. However, they often get the chance to do a small job and earn some money. Kids need to learn the value of money.
  • The boys have to finish whatever they start (within reason). If they want to try a sport, they can't just quit if they don't like it; they have to finish the season. If they do a chore, they have to do it completely, clean up, and put the tools away, etc. Kids need to learn good character traits.
  • I read to them almost every single night. We read older books usually (ex: the Little House on the Prairie series). I read one chapter each night. Kids will be lifelong readers and value books when you instill the habit in them through shared experiences.
  • I encourage and allow them to try new things. If they have an interest in something, I try to give them the tools or materials or knowledge they need - and let them run with it. (Ex: one son wanted to try stop-motion video, another wanted to learn soldering. I set one kid up with a tablet and stop-motion app. The other kid got a soldering iron and electronics kit for Christmas.) Kids need the freedom to express themselves and have new experiences.
  • We allow and encourage them to test their limits. Whether it's setting up camp (and trying to sleep alone in their own tent), building a fort out of pallets and using real tools, cooking dinner (on the stove) for the family, trying "sophisticated" new foods, going on a 2-mile hike, or any number of things they might be trying for the first time - I want to allow them to do as much as they can bear. Kids need to try new things and see what they can really do and what they really like.
  • They all have to take one year of a martial art. They are given no choice in the matter; they have to go at least one year. All of them stuck with it of course after the first year. Kids need to learn discipline of body and soul. Martial arts incorporates many good things.

These are just a few things that come to mind.