how to connect

50 Ways to Connect with Your Son

I’ll never forget the image. My son was around three years old, and we were at my daughter’s softball game. He’s a typical boy and had been playing in the dirt for most of the game. As we were leaving, he took my daughter’s glove and threw on her hat. Then he turned to me and said, “Throw me the ball, Dad!” There he was, covered in dirt, ripped jeans, hat turned sideways with an oversized glove waiting with anticipation for me to throw him the ball. An older man passing by said he looked like a Norman Rockwell painting.

Being the father of a boy is wonderful. All you have to do to bond with your son is do stuff together that they love. Yes, that might mean getting dirty, but it is well worth it. Are you looking for ways to connect with your son? Here are 50 ideas to make the connection.

1. Work on a project together.

2. Play catch.

3. Have a picnic.

4. Watch a game on TV.

5. Make your own banana splits with toppings and sprinkles.

6. Play a game.

7. Download a new iPad app and play it together.

8. Make cookies.

9. Go listen to live music.

10. Give him a backrub.

11. Write letters to soldiers.

12. Shoot hoops.

13. Go camping.

14. Grill dinner.

15. Make homemade bubbles.

16. Play Frisbee.

17. Write him a note telling him how proud you are of him.

18. Read stories about heroes in the Bible.

19. Go on a bike ride.

20. Build something: bookshelf, a giant tower of gumdrops.

21. Read the comics.

22. Play mini golf in the backyard.

23. Make a fort.

24. Create an iSpy mission together.

25. Go on a long drive.

26. Design and build a family website.

27. Make popcorn and watch a movie of his choosing.

28. Go bowling.

29. Put together Legos or Trio blocks.

30. Toss a balloon back and forth and see how long you can keep it in the air.

31. Make a video of him performing an awesome stunt.

32. Go on a nature walk.

33. Play flashlight tag.

34. Create a secret family code.

35. Have a coloring contest.

36. Go on a scavenger hunt.

37. Make breakfast for dinner (Don’t forget the bacon!).

38. Learn a magic trick.

39. Make it a competition: fastest heel-walker, slowest dancer.

40. Start a collection.

41. Look through cookbooks and ask him what recipes look good.

42. Learn to play the guitar.

43. Play speed stacking with plastic cups.

44. Challenge him to solve a mystery (like what happened to the chocolate chip cookies you put in the cookie jar just last night).

45. Search for insects with a magnifying glass.

46. Watch funny YouTube videos.

47. Make slime with cornstarch and water.

48. Build a city out of blocks.

49. Work out together—go on on a run, lift weights.

50. Try to break a world record.

Sound off: What is your favorite thing to do with your son? 

Adapted from: “21 Ways to Connect With Your Kids.” Copyright © 2012 by Kathi Lipp. Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR. Used by permission.

Huddle up with your kids and ask, “What is your favorite memory of the two of us?”