Coming soon · For fathers & father figures
Be the man your kids remember.
Pick one small thing to try with your kid. Catch the moments it happens. Look back and keep what works, with a few mates in your corner. And soon, the dads down the road you haven’t met yet.
This week · 3 moments
My week
Your intention
CharacterDuring weekend projects, I will let him have a go before I step in.
Build a mini campfire
Shared
Let him run the pancakes
Just for you
Ten one-handed catches
Shared
- Build a mini campfire
- Junior chess club
- Let him run the pancakes
- Learn to swim
- He orders and pays
- Kids’ jiu-jitsu
- Best bit, hard bit
- Ten one-handed catches
- Service his bike
- Gymnastics
- I cut, you choose
- Creative & STEM classes
How it works
Intent. Moment. Reflect. Then round again.
Every dad means to show up more. Meaning to isn’t a plan. The shed turns it into a loop small enough to stick with: pick one thing, catch the moments it comes up, and look back on whether it helped.
- 01Intent
Choose one small action.
An intention is something you want to practise in how you interact with your child.
When my child asks for help, I’ll give them time to try before stepping in.
Take a look ↓ - 02Moment
Notice what happened.
A moment is any interaction with your child, planned or spontaneous.
She struggled with a puzzle. I waited until she asked for help.
Take a look ↓ - 03Reflection
Choose what comes next.
A reflection helps you learn from a moment or your week. Notice what you want to repeat or change.
Waiting gave her room to try. Next time, I’ll ask whether she wants help before stepping in.
Take a look ↓
What you learn becomes your next intention
01 · Intent
Choose one small action.
An intention turns the dad you want to be into something you practise: “At bedtime, I’ll put my phone away and listen.” Choose a focus, start with an example, and make it your own.
- A choice you can practise. An intention is about how you respond, not how your child behaves. Listen, pause or give them room to try.
- A small action in a real moment. Connect what you want to do with an everyday situation: “When getting dressed, I’ll give my child time to try before offering help.”
- Activities that fit. Find activities linked to your chosen focus while you practise.
Your intention
What will you try?
What will you do?
let him have a go before I step in
When or where could you try it?
weekend projects
During weekend projects, I will let him have a go before I step in.
02 · Activities & moments
Everyday moments count.
A moment is an interaction with your child: a conversation, a shared laugh or a difficult goodbye. It doesn’t need to be a planned activity. Log what happened and how you responded, so you can look back and learn from it.
- Planned or spontaneous. Breakfast, bedtime or a walk together all count.
- Ideas when you need them. Browse activities or find nearby classes.
- In your own words. Record the interaction, whether or not you were practising an intention.
- Physical
- Mind
- Character
- Connection
- Creativity
- Diligence
Log a moment
Linked activity
Build a mini campfire
What happened, and how did you respond?
He wanted to strike the match himself. I kept my hands in my pockets and let him have three goes.
When did it happen?
A chance to try my intention
Share in the Shed
Your mates see it when the week reveals. Otherwise it’s just for you.
03 · Reflect
Look back. Choose what comes next.
A reflection is a chance to learn from your interactions with your child. Notice what you want to repeat or change, then choose one small action to try next.
- Start anywhere. Choose a logged moment, recall an interaction or think back over your week.
- Learn without a score. What helped? What got in the way? If you tried an intention, was it useful?
- Carry it forward. Keep, adjust, replace or pause your intention. Come back later to see how it went.
Reflection · since 21 Sep
Was it useful?
Your own sense of it. There’s no wrong answer.
- Yes
- Partly
- No
- Too early to tell
- Not sure
In what way?
Having time helped. When we rushed, I took over again.
04 · The shed
Share the moments you choose. With mates you trust.
A Men’s Shed gives blokes somewhere to do things together, and lets the conversation happen naturally, shoulder to shoulder. That’s the spirit here, too. Every moment starts just for you. Share only the ones you want your mates to see. On the same morning each week, everyone’s shared moments open at once. Your intentions and reflections stay yours.
- One moment at a time. Sharing is off until you switch it on, moment by moment.
- #the-shed. One channel for the banter, for sorting out Saturday, and for passing on what’s working.
- A few dads you actually know. Invite-only. No public profile, no followers.
Revealed today
All your mates at once
Sam
4 sharedDan
2 shared+ 2 quiet this week
# the-shed
Dan: Bike track, 8am Saturday. Bring spare tubes.
Marcus: Letting them have a go first is harder than it sounds.
05 · Find your people
Coming soonEvery dad needs a shed. Some have to find one.
New suburb, new baby, mates who’ve drifted. We’re building a way to meet fathers near you with kids around the same age, matched on what you’d actually do together. The first meeting is a Saturday at the bike track, not a coffee with nothing to say.
- Dads nearby, with kids around the same age as yours.
- Matched on the doing. The classes, trails and projects you’re both into.
- Opt-in, and separate. Your own shed stays closed. Meeting new dads is a door you choose to open.
Want to know when it opens?
This weekend · within 5 km
Dads nearby
Open to join
- You’re in
Bike track, early
Sat 8:00 · 1.8 km
JMAK3 dads goingKids 5–8 - I’m in
Fishing off the jetty
Sun 7:30 · 3.2 km
DS2 dads goingKids 7–12
Start to finish
A week in the shed.
Whenever1
Set an intention
“During bedtime, I will put my phone away and stay for one more story.” Or skip it and just log what you get up to.
Saturday2
Do the thing
A fire in the backyard. He stacks the kindling and strikes the match; you steady his hand.
Moments later3
Log the moment
What happened, how you responded, and whether it was a chance to try your intention. Share it, or keep it.
Monday4
The shed opens
Every mate’s shared moments open at the same time. Nothing went out early.
When you’re ready5
Reflect
Was it useful? Keep the intention, adjust it, or try something new. Then round again.
From the blog
Writing while we build.
No feed to scroll.
The app’s job is to get you off it. Logging takes seconds, and there’s nothing to keep checking.
Yours until you share it.
Every moment starts just for you. You choose, one at a time, what your mates see. Your intentions and reflections stay with you.
Nobody grades your fathering.
No scores, no ratings, no “you missed a week”. Whether something worked is yours to say.
Your kids aren’t content.
No public profile, no followers. Photos of your kids only ever reach the mates you chose.
Questions
Fair questions.
When does it launch?
We’re building it now. Put your email down and you’ll hear first, along with the odd piece of writing while you wait.
Do I have to reflect every week?
No. There’s no schedule and no reminder nagging you. Reflect when you’ve got something to look back on. It takes a few minutes, one question at a time, and covers everything since your last one.
Is there research behind it?
Yes, on the method, though not on this app. Research on how parents change their habits points to the same few steps: set a small goal, notice how it went, look back and adjust. That’s the loop. Being present, and choosing how you respond instead of just reacting, comes from mindful parenting. And a 2024 trial of Family Man, an online programme made for dads, found fathers will actually use parenting help on a screen.
Where is it available?
We’re starting in Perth, so that’s where the classes near you are first. Intentions, guided activities, reflections and the shed work wherever you are.
Can I book classes through the app?
You find them in the app, in a list or on a map, with times, prices, distance and what they build, then enrol on the venue’s own site. Once you’ve been, log it as a moment like anything else.
What ages is it for?
Toddlers through to teenagers. Every activity shows its age range and matches to the kid you’re doing it with. Got more than one? Pick who came along.
Do I need mates on it?
No. Intentions, moments and reflections all work on your own, and going it alone is a proper way to use the app, not a half-finished one. Bring mates in with an invite code whenever you like.
Is it just for dads?
It’s built for fathers and father figures: stepdads, grandads, uncles, anyone showing up for a kid.
How will finding other dads work?
It’s the part we’re taking slowest, because trust matters more than speed. It’s opt-in and separate from your mates, and your shed stays closed either way. Leave your email in that section and you’ll hear when it opens.
So grab your kid, and get into the shed.
We’re building it now. Put your name down and you’ll hear from us first.
In the meantime, read the blog