Making Moments Count: 10 Easy Ways to Connect with Your Son

Overview: Discover 10 quick and easy ways to connect with your son in just 10 minutes or less. Strengthen your bond and make meaningful memories with these practical tips for busy parents.

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Having a son can be confusing! They can be loud and stinky and loud. Did I mention boys can be loud?  

We love our sons, but sometimes we have a hard time figuring them out. And as they get older, we can also have a hard time connecting with them.

Our sons are precious! Taking the time to connect with them is so important. It doesn’t have to take hours to build a good relationship with your son. If you’re having a hard time figuring out how to connect with your son, I have some ideas which should help.

Here are 10 ways to Connect with Your Son in 10 Minutes or Less:

1 – Follow his passion

We all have certain activities that we find ourselves getting lost in. Whether it’s music or Legos or digging in the dirt to look for buried treasure, there is something that your son absolutely LOVES to do.  

The next time he is doing it, ask if you can come along and do it with him. Ask him questions about it. Listen patiently when he wants to talk on and on about it.

Don’t just act interested – BE interested!

2 – Do something physical together

Boys love to get physical. This can take on a lot of different forms depending on your son. Be willing to go jogging with him or go for a walk.  

Go swimming with him. Go rock climbing with him. Dig holes with him. Have a mud fight with him. There are endless possibilities with this one.

One of my sons has developed an interest in frisbee golf and we’ve been able to connect while playing it together. Believe me, I’m not able to produce a competitive score! But just walking from hole to hole together and laughing over poor throws has been a wonderful experience.

3 – Eat together

We’ve all heard that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. There is some truth to that. And it’s also somewhat true with our boys as well.

Consider taking your son on a date to his favorite restaurant. Make his favorite meal. The next time you get groceries, pick up a box or two of his favorite snacks. He will definitely appreciate the effort!

4 – Play video games with him

Most of our boys LOVE to play video games. Ask your son if you can play with him! Sometimes our family has Family Wii time where we all play a few rounds of Mario Kart or Nintendo Land.  

If your son is playing a single player game, see if you can watch him play for a few minutes. Again, ask him questions about what he’s doing and why. Just don’t ask so many that he gets annoyed. Less is more!

5 – Talk to him

It isn’t always easy to get boys to talk. But there are certain times where they have more of a tendency to open up.

Take your son on some errands with you in the car. Boys seem more willing to talk when they are sitting next to us rather than across from us.

Another good time to talk with them is right before bed. Consider tucking your son into bed even through his teen years.

6 – Create memories with him

It’s always fun to be able to look back and reminisce and laugh together. Try to spend time coming up with fun field trip ideas. Go on short weekend jaunts as a family. Come up with crazy activities to do together.  

Our family has had a blast at home with just a video camera and some old clothes. We’ve laughed ourselves silly trying to recreate and film episodes of The Amazing Race together. You don’t always have to spend money to make life memorable.

7 – Ask for his opinion

Who doesn’t want to give their opinion?!? Your son will feel respected and cherished if you not only let him give his opinion about something, but if you actually ASK him for it.

8 – Do something kind for him

Random acts of kindness aren’t just things we should do for strangers. We should be willing to do them for our family as well. It’s especially important to do these things for our son when he’s going through a rough patch or an extremely hormonal season of life.

9 – Work side-by-side with him

This is a great way to let your son know that he is capable. My sons do yard work with my husband all of the time. He makes sure to tell them how helpful they are to him – and that they work so hard it’s almost like having three of him out there.  

This helps them to not only see the value of work but also to bond with him. Rather than always having separate chores, consider tackling a few larger tasks together.

10 – Laugh at his jokes

Sometimes our sons are really good at telling jokes. Sometimes they aren’t. But most boys enjoy a good joke.  

Whether he is funny or not, make your best effort to laugh. Appreciate his attempt. He will get better at delivering lines as he practices. And he will love you for encouraging his sense of humor.

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be hard to connect with your son. Boys WANT us to come alongside them and enter their world. They want their parents to appreciate their strengths – even if we don’t always understand them. They want to let us in!

Question: Could you share any other ways you’ve found to connect with your son? I’d love to hear what has worked for your family! Please leave a comment below.