Ever since my son has been little he’s been a busy body; play with something for 10 seconds and move on to the next. This made buying toys extremely difficult as he never showed interest in anything for very long.
As he’s gotten older, we’ve started to get it figured out. I’m the type that likes to go on adventures- and while he is too, he truly values one-on-one time doing something he wants to do. He’s just about to turn 6, and here are some of our favorite things that we do together.
•Magnatiles
My son is very creative- loves to build, create, and think outside of the box (he’s much like his daddy). Magnatiles have been a staple ever since they’ve entered our house when he was around 2. He gets even more play out of them though if my husband and I sit down with him and get in on the creativity with him. While I have started with and stuck with the original Magnatiles, there are also some really good similar products out there.
•Tubelox
These are a bit more in-depth builds, but these were a great Christmas gift a few years back. He gets so excited about the different things we can create that he can interact and play with daily.
•Subscription Boxes
My son is typically all tractors/backhoes/mud. I noticed though that he always wanted to get creative in the kitchen, which usually meant some sort of mess and wasted food if I really let him play freely. While he typically helps me bake and cook, it didn’t seem to be scratching his “itch”. I stumbled upon some STEM based cooking kits for kids and decided to try them out. These were a huge hit and he looks forward to our box every month as it’s just a mom-son activity.
•Forts/Tents
Forts, tents, you name it, both of my kids love this options (as does any kid I’ve ever known 😉). Fort building is something we love doing. We recently snagged a food truck tent, and that has been a HUGE hit as well; Everyone suddenly loves cooking up food for everyone. These play couches are also a staple for good fort making.
•Obstacle courses
This is another fun idea that we can create/navigate together. I started off with some balance beams and let my son get creative. We added a slide, our climber, and a few other things and had timed trials. We’re both competitive so this was a lot of fun!
•Going for a walk
Last but not least, a simple walk is always something that’s great for bonding. It leaves space for your kids to casually talk about their day or what’s bothering them without it being too much pressure (plus it’s great before bed if you need them to burn off some energy).
Hopefully you can use some of these ideas to connect with your kids! I’d love to hear ways other families intentionally connect with one another.
Harvesting moments 
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