Sons learn life skills from their dads

A new Father's Day poll shows nearly 75 percent of Australian dads learned their most valuable and important life skills from their own fathers.

Top among those skills was how to drive a car, how to ride a bike, changing a tyre, changing a light bulb, building a fire and knotting a tie.

According to parenting expert and author Michael Grose, the findings of the Braun Series 7 Father's Day Poll in Australia reinforced the importance of the father and son relationship in a child's development.

"We know from previous scientific research that boys who have active and involved fathers are more likely to do better academically, socially and emotionally," he said in a statement.

"Given that many dads of today credit their father as being their most important teacher of life skills underscores just how important male role models can be for young boys."

The survey was conducted online by Galaxy Research this month among 410 fathers, ahead of Father's Day next Sunday.

Mr Grose said the reason why dads were No. 1 when it came to teaching their sons life skills was because activities were at the centre the father-son relationship.

"The language of fathering is all about doing things - sometimes it's kicking a football around, other times it might be helping to tinker around with the car," he said.

The survey also found the quality most admired by sons in their fathers was their hard working approach, followed by honesty, supportiveness, loyalty, strength and kindness.