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100 Easy Ways to Connect with Your Children

by Mindy Carlson.
(This article is part of the Positive Parenting FAQ series. Get free article updates here.)

100 Easy Ways to Connect with Your ChildrenDoesn’t it sometimes catch you by surprise how hectic our world has become?

We’re running all over the place, scheduled to the absolute limit of space and time. There are some days when I have been so busy it has taken me until 4 pm to notice that my kiddos still have a smear of breakfast Nutella on their faces!

It makes me worry.  Life, for all of us, is only going to get busier and busier. And If I can’t even find time to really look at them for breakfast smears how on earth am I going to stay connected to them as they grow up??

Thankfully, with just a little bit of intentional action, there are lots of easy ways for us to stay connected with our kids.

I’ve made a list of 100 of these. Many of them only take about 10 minutes of real, quality time, and some not even that. Doing just a few of these everyday will create a deep and meaningful connection that will keep us bonded together despite our hectic lives.

Bookmark this page and come back to it often to spark up some new ideas in your mind to stay connected throughout the year. OK, here we go –

  1. Read together
  2. Cuddle on the couch while watching TV
  3. Say “yes” to something you’d normally say “no” to
  4. Give them a hug
  5. Draw together
  6. Feed some ducks at a pond with them
  7. Visit your local library and see what books inspire them
  8. Build something with them – Legos, toy models, dog houses
  9. Spend a Saturday together at a museum
  10. Pick a day to leave work early and spend that time with them
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  11. Teach them how to make their favorite cookie recipe
  12. Go to the park
  13. Play a video game where you are on the same team
  14. Take them swimming
  15. Build a fairy garden with stuff from the dollar store
  16. Play a board game or card game with them
  17. Teach them the Cat’s Cradle yarn game
  18. Listen to their favorite music
  19. Leave messages in their lunch box or backpack
  20. Learn about one musician they love
  21. Journal with them
  22. Do yoga together
  23. Ask them about their favorite things
  24. Have dinner together
  25. Have a post-dinner dance party
  26. Go out on a parent-child date
  27. Show your child what happens when you put Mentos into a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke
  28. Have a water balloon fight
  29. Play catch
  30. Hit the road for a weekend road trip
  31. Have them clean with you
  32. Watch a movie – at home or in a theater
  33. Make a movie
  34. Play dress-up or costume maker
  35. Go fishing
  36. Give them a compliment about something they struggle with or have been working on
  37. Let them sit on your lap
  38. Say “I love you”
  39. Let them plan an outing for the whole family
  40. Walk them to school
  41. Have them explain Pokémon, or Little Pony, or Transformers to you
  42. Share a secret
  43. Tell them you believe in them
  44. Write a story together
  45. Go camping overnight together, even if it is in your backyard or in the living room
  46. Go hiking away from technology
  47. Take them to a concert
  48. Enjoy an ice cream at the neighborhood ice cream shop or right at your dining table
  49. Take lessons together where you both learn a skill
  50. Have a at bedtime routine where you do at least one thing together (brushing teeth, getting ready for the next day or reading together – they all count)
  51. Be silly
  52. Take them to a sporting event
  53. Have a picnic
  54. Go on a train ride
  55. Get them to tell you about a book they read or a game they played at school
  56. At dinner go around the table and talk about what you are grateful for
  57. Talk to them in the car, whether it is deep meaningful conversations or silly goof off topics, they all count
  58. Make cards and decorations together for whatever holiday is coming up next
  59. Tell them riddles and have them find some of their own to stump you
  60. Help them throw a birthday party for their favorite stuffed animal
  61. Invite them to a tea party (real or pretend)
  62. Fold origami cranes together
  63. Make these simple suncatchers
  64. Tie-dye t-shirts in the backyard
  65. Get everyone together for a family game night
  66. Sit with them while they do their homework
  67. Hold their hand when you are walking together (somewhere, anywhere)
  68. Fold clothes together
  69. Make up silly poetry together
  70. Do some Mad Libs with each other
  71. Build a Dungeons and Dragons adventure to play as a family
  72. Find a nice path and go for a bike ride together
  73. Tell them about someone from history and why you admire them
  74. Make pizza together
  75. Tell them one thing about them you think is awesome
  76. Take them to the Renaissance Festival and spend the day speaking like knights and queens
  77. Go fly a kite
  78. Pick flowers and arrange them in vases
  79. Make them breakfast in bed
  80. Let them make you breakfast in bed
  81. Talk about the pet they would get if they could get anything they wanted
  82. Go to a flea market and find something to fix up together
  83. Rake up some leaves and have your kids jump into the piles
  84. Find a big hill and go sledding with them in the winter
  85. Make a fleet of paper airplanes and see which one goes the farthest
  86. Tell them about how you met their dad (or mom)
  87. Tell them how happy you are to be their parent
  88. Go to a pick-your-own farm and pick some fresh fruit – apples, strawberries, blueberries
  89. Take some of that fruit and make smoothie, fruit salad or jam together
  90. Go on a nature walk and pick up leaves and sticks to make into a hanging mobile
  91. Make a bird seed feeder and see what birds come to visit
  92. Help them learn to roller skate
  93. Tell them stories from when you were a kid
  94. Listen to a book on CD together
  95. Watch them when they practice their instrument or sport
  96. Paint their toes and have them paint yours (boys and girls, doesn’t matter)
  97. Let them cry on your shoulder whenever they want, for as long as they want
  98. Enroll in mommy-and-me class (music, swimming, Zumba… it’s all good!)
  99.  Have them teach you about emojis

And the absolutely bestest way ever to connect with your child…

  1. Listen to them. Honestly and earnestly.

So, there you have it. 100 different ways to stay connected with your kids. Even though it looks like a monster list, I know I have only scratched the surface. I’d love to hear some of your favorites.

What do you do to stay connected with your kids on a day-to-day basis?

Think it over for a bit and leave a comment below. Let’s put together the most awesome list ever that we can all come back to time and again!

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About Mindy Carlson

Mindy Carlson, M.S.O.D., grew up as an animal- and mystery-loving girl in Iowa before heading to California to see what she could make of her life. Now she lives in Maryland and is a successful parenting author, with pieces appearing in The Washington Post, Big Life Journal, and AFineParent.com. Her Dying Day is her debut novel. She blogs about parenting, cooking, and travel as the Swiss Family Carlson at http://www.MindyCarlson.com.

Comments

  1. Rashmi says

    January 2, 2017 at 11:30 am

    I give my son everyday extra minutes for bathing… it’s done in a calendar way. For example if it’s 20 December ..we both start countdown from 1 to 20 and then say “STOP SHOWER STOP”
    In this way he too enjoys those extra minutes of shower as well as know the day and date.

    Reply
    • Malinda Carlson says

      January 2, 2017 at 6:15 pm

      That sounds tremendously fun! I will have to do that with my little one.

      Reply
  2. Joshua says

    January 3, 2017 at 12:52 pm

    Hi Melinda! Thanks for the ideas. I’m the father of a 2-month-old, so many of these I can’t do yet, but I saved your list and I’ll be using a lot of these as inexpensive date ideas for my wife! Most of these would be great for bonding with a spouse, I’m very glad you shared it.

    Reply
    • Sumitha Bhandarkar says

      January 4, 2017 at 10:22 am

      What a brilliant idea, Joshua! A strong between parents is the best thing you can offer your child… so that’s two birds with one stone 🙂

      Reply
  3. Klinik Psikolog Serhat Damar says

    January 10, 2017 at 7:42 am

    Dear Malinda. Your article is great. I work as a clinical psychologist. Working mainly with families with children. You tell the ways that create a deep connection with our children in your article. Thank you very much for your nice work. I’ll be following your writings. Best regards from Istanbul, Turkey.

    Reply

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