55 Special Mother Son Day Ideas For Kids & Teens

Are you looking for fun and adventurous Mother son day ideas? If yes, then this list is just for you! These mother-son activities are the perfect way to spend quality time with your sons and nurture the special relationship you have.

These mother-son date ideas have something for everyone, from adventurous outdoor activities to relaxed and fun things to do at home together.

The Mother-Son Bond: Why It Is Important 

Mothers connecting with their sons is highly impactful in shaping their cognitive and emotional development during the formative years.

Little boys don’t always need to be surrounded by tough male role models. The relationship a son has with his mother or female parent figures is equally essential!

Mother and son bonding is beneficial for many reasons, just as every parent-child relationship matters.

Growing up in a warm and caring environment helps sons develop a healthy attachment that supports future relationships.

It also leads to improved communication skills and better mental health, knowing they don’t always need to act tough or adopt hyper-masculine stereotypes. Healthy expression of emotions also supports emotional regulation.

Are These Ideas Just For Mums And Sons? 

No, these ideas don’t need to be reserved just for mother-son dates. They can give great inspiration for mother-daughter, father-son, or father-daughter day ideas too.

These activities are equally fun ideas for spending time with other adults in their life too, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles and older siblings.

Everything on the list is an effective icebreaker that strengthens family ties!

The Best Mother Son Day Ideas

To help you choose the perfect activity for your time together, this list has been sorted into quick activities that take 15 minutes or less, fun activities that require more time and mother son ideas that are great for time with teenage sons.

Quick Mother-Son Activities That Take 15 Minutes Or Less

Sometimes all it takes is a short amount of time to connect with your child and these little moments of quality time will be so meaningful to your young sons, even if it’s just 15 minutes of mother-son time.

1. Throw A Frisbee 

Pump up your mornings with a quick frisbee game in your backyard! It’s great for exercise and for their motor skills.

2. Kick A Football

Visit a nearby football field in your neighbourhood or set up a net at home. Mums will enjoy an invigorating short game with their sons, especially if this is something your son wouldn’t normally expect to do with his mum.

3. Have A Dance Party

Another quick and fun idea is having a dance party. Turn up the music and rock out your craziest dance moves in your living room. Teach them moves that will make you both laugh yourself silly.

4. Make Hot Chocolate

Enjoying a warm cup of hot chocolate is perfect for cold seasons. This is often a great chance to get your child talking too. You can try out some of these conversation starters for kids.

5. Read A Book Together

Help them enhance their reading skills with one-on-one time reading children’s books. This is especially a great option for younger kids who are still developing their reading skills and it can help boost their motivation to want to read more often if they know it means they get you all to themself.

6. Flip Through Old Photo Albums

Showing them old photos allows your son to connect with his family history and share stories together about the past. This doubles as a special way of passing on family memories too.

7. Stargazing In The Backyard

Your mini astronomer will love the idea of spending some time together in the backyard, staring up at the stars and learning more about constellations.

8. Watch Funny Videos Together

Watching funny videos together might mean more screen time, but sometimes you both need a giggle and a few minutes of watching funny cat videos might be the simple fun you need to wrap up a busy day.

9. Jump On The Trampoline

Jumping on the trampoline is so much fun, no matter your age.

Well… it is fun, but as some of us mums know, it might be short-lived fun depending on how your pelvic floor is going after kids. Worth it for the pure joy on your son’s face though!

10. Give Him An Extra Big Cuddle

Never underestimate the importance of a simple cuddle. Snuggle time with your son can relieve your stress and help your son feel secure and loved! Cuddles are a great source of serotonin.

11. Ask Questions To Learn More About Each Other

Show your interest in his thoughts, experiences and feelings by having regular time together talking. For toddler boys, conversations with them every day help them learn and understand the world around them.

For older boys, daily conversations are a significant foundation for an open relationship. You will be grateful you started this habit early when you’re trying to get your teen boys talking!

12. Play Catch

Grab a ball and mitt and spend some time in the backyard playing catch. You can also do this at local parks if you live near one and don’t have a large enough backyard.

Fun Mother-Son Date Ideas

Mother and son date ideas aren’t limited to things you can do together at home. There are so many fun ways to spend time together making memories and cherishing one another’s company.

13. Go Geocaching

If you have a son that loves the great outdoors, geocaching might become your new favourite shared hobby. You use an app to track the GPS location of the geocache and find what treasures have been left behind before leaving something for the next person to find.

This is a really great way of getting kids and teens outdoors if you are struggling to get them active.

14. Visit An Amusement Park

Make sure you wear your comfiest shoes for this mother-son date! An amusement park is always a fun day out and this fun just increases as your child gets older and can enjoy even more of the activities on offer. Hello, thrill rides! Are you ready, mama?

15. Get An Ice Cream

Take a break in between fun mother-son activities with an ice cream parlour date. Enjoy a cup or cone of your favourite flavours. Sometimes the most simple things are the most exciting for kids.

16. Play Board Games

Improve your son’s strategising skills and cognitive development while in a friendly board game match! Try your classic board game favourites or battle it out in a brand new game together.

17. Backyard Camping

Set up tents and your sleeping bags in your backyard for the coolest backyard camping trip. This is bound to be one of the best mother-son date nights and such a perfect way to spend time with older kids. Don’t forget to make s’mores!

18. Play Laser Tag

Go for an action-packed session that will leave you shouting for victory and learning the importance of teamwork! Laser tag is such a fun way to spend time together doing something a little more unexpected and adventurous.

19. Go On A Mystery Picnic

Discover somewhere local in a new way by going on a Mystery Picnic with AmazingCo. They have picnic locations in major cities around the world and the whole experience is so fun.

You get clues that take you to spots around the picnic location, including cafes and restaurants to pick up your picnic supplies. Then off to a beautiful spot to enjoy your food. Solving the clues is a lot of fun.

We’ve done one as a family but it could also make for executing mother son date ideas.

20. Do An Escape Room

Test each other’s problem-solving skills as you two work on solving riddles in an escape room challenge. Depending on where you live, there are a variety of escape rooms in most major cities that suit different age groups.

You can also do an online escape room challenge instead if you can’t get to an in-person one.

21. Have A Movie Night

Make some popcorn and make it kids’ choice for movies! A fun movie night, watching the Marvel Cinematic Universe (our fave), DC, or Disney films. You can even introduce them to a childhood favourite of your own such as The Karate Kid, ET, Home Alone or The Goonies.

22. Bake A Special Treat

Of course, young boys should always learn how to do things in the kitchen. Bake a special treat with your son or cook dinner together with him as your special helper. He learns great skills and you get one-on-one time too.

23. Visit The Local Library

Your little bookworm will most definitely enjoy this mum and son day out idea! Many local libraries have special programs for younger kids and you can spend time reading together in a reading nook or borrow some books to bring home.

24. Go For A Bike Ride

A bike ride is one of the best ways to enjoy the fresh air and get some exercise while enjoying a special date outdoors together. Ride bikes around the local park or go somewhere new for a change of scenery.

25. Do Lawn Bowls

Lawn bowls aren’t just for the oldies! Get him ready for a few rounds of barefoot bowls. This is a popular activity here in Australia and a great way to keep the local lawn bowl venues busy with a new generation of bowlers.

26. Have A Water Balloon Fight

Fill up a load of water balloons and have the perfect way to cool off on a hot day. Each set up a bucket of balloons and have a blast pelting each other with water balloons around the backyard. A water fight is always so much fun and it sure beats running through the sprinkler to cool off.

27. Play A Card Game

Rain or shine, playing card games can be a load of fun with your child. Many card games have the added benefit of helping your child with their skills in memory, maths and problem-solving too.

28. Open A Subscription Box Together

Why not create a monthly mother-son tradition by subscribing to a subscription box you can enjoy together. There are awesome subscription boxes to suit every interest and age group. When it arrives on your doorstep each month, you can prioritise time together to explore.

Our favourite subscription boxes for families and kids are the KiwiCo Crates for hands-on educational fun. They have a crate to suit every age group and for different interests.

For younger kids, the Kiwi Crate is a great option and for tweens and teens, check out the Tinker Crate. Use code ‘HOLLY‘ for 50% off your first crate.

29. Take A Train Ride To Somewhere New

Train rides are fun, especially for a kid that loves Thomas and Friends! Riding a train is an adventure in itself, and you get to explore a new destination at the end of the ride.

30. Have A Nerf Gun War

Get your Nerfs ready for an all-out battle in the backyard! You can get some seriously cool Nerf accessories these days at the local toy store and online and your son is going to think you’re the coolest mum ever as you roll and dodge each other’s shots.

31. Go For a Swim At The Local Pool

On a hot summer day, there is no better treat than cooling off in the pool. So if you don’t have a pool of your own, head to the local public pool for a swimming session.

32. Have A Living Room Sleepover

Young boys love sleepovers just as much as little girls! Get out your sleeping bags and air mattresses, snuggle up and watch movies or tell stories. Make sure you have lots of snacks for the best night ever. This is a great idea if the rest of the family have plans for the night so it’s just the two of you.

33. Cinema Trip

Some movies are better with the cinematic experience. Book tickets to the latest release film that your son wants to see. It’s a lovely treat to see a movie on the big screen during your mother-and-son date.

34. Do A Fun Science Experiment

Be scientists for a day find some fun science experiments to try. You can find some simple ideas online or on YouTube using kitchen supplies, or get yourself a science kit to try at home. It could be something as simple as making slime.

35. Go Ten Pin Bowling

It’s never a dull day at the bowling alley! Practice your bowling skills and see who is the champion after a few rounds at the bowling lane.

36. Plant A Garden

Gardening skills are always great to have and you may discover your son loves this hobby. Visit the local nursery for some seeds or plants and nurture his green thumb at an early age. The best part is that this may become an ongoing hobby as you work together to maintain your new garden bed or pot plants.

37. Do A Scavenger Hunt

Use the whole house or your backyard as a scavenger hunt arena! It’s a fun mother-son activity and your son will be thrilled to figure out clues. Especially if there is a surprise at the end!

38. Mini Golf

Test out your putting skills at a local putt putt centre with a round of mini golf. Many of them have themed holes that your little boy (or teenage son) will love trying to conquer.

39. Pokemon Go

If your little guy is a Pokemon fan, they are going to love PokemonGo. We got obsessed with it during lockdowns and it had us going for so many walks. After all, you gotta catch them all!

The app is free and it has randomly occurring Pokemon appearing around you that you need to try and catch and collect. While it’s not helpful if you’re trying to reduce screen time, it is a lot of fun for getting you both active.

Ideas For A Mother-Son Day With Your Teenager 

Finding ways to connect with your teenage son might not feel as easy as it did when your son was younger. That’s a good reason to schedule in new ideas and fun activities to try together.

These mother-son date ideas are perfect for spending time with your teen sons:

40. Go Rock Climbing

If you are both adrenaline junkies, rock climbing is the perfect mother-son date idea! You two can go rock climbing in the great outdoors with a guided professional or practise your skills in an indoor park. Rock climbing is also an epic full-body workout.

41. Go To A Sporting Event

If your son loves sports, take him to watch his favourite team play. Show support for their passion by bringing them to sporting events. Cheer loud, eat hotdogs and get carried way with the hype of the experience.

42. Visit An Arcade

An arcade is a great retro activity that makes a perfect mother and son date! Beat each other’s score on Pac-Man or Donkey Kong. Don’t forget air hockey! This is a day out that you will both love!

43. Go On A Weekend Camping Trip

It’s time to bring your teen boy on a real camping trip out in nature! Allow your son to learn the ropes of staying outdoors and far away from the digital world. Camping is a great learning experience and there’s no reason you need the whole family to come for it to be special.

44. Take A Mini Road Trip

Jump in the car and head on your own road trip. It might be a day trip driving a few hours from home or an overnight stay somewhere new so you can stop and explore different places along the way. Make sure to choose a playlist with songs that you can sing at the top of your lungs!

45. Do A Cooking Class

Enrol in a cooking class together and try out new recipes for the next family dinner. This also helps your son develop valuable skills that will help him feel confident in the kitchen when he’s older.

46. Dine Out At A Favourite Restaurant

As far as mother son date ideas go, bonding over food is always a great option! Indulge in your son’s favourite restaurant and splurge on dessert. This is a great time to chat about life and hopefully have a deep and meaningful while you’re enjoying your meal.

47. Visit A Local Art Museum

For your aspiring young artist, take him to a local art museum where he can find lots of inspiration. Give him a boost of motivation to create artwork of his own or have a little fun interpreting the art you see on display.

48. Take An Art Class

Upskill together by enrolling in an art class. Taking them to an art class can help your son discover their hidden talent for ceramics, sculpting, pottery, photography, or drawing.

49. Volunteer At An Animal Shelter

Teach your son the importance of community by volunteering at an animal shelter. The experience of caring for animals may ignite a passion for a new career path.

50. Go To The Driving Range

Practise golf swings together at a driving range! This can be an exciting way of trying a new sport together.

51. See A Drive-In Movie

Seeing a drive-in movie is certainly rare nowadays, but if you are lucky enough to still have one operating nearby, this can be a cool mother son date night.

52. Cook A Family Dinner Together

Use everything the two of you learned at cooking class the other day! Show off skills to the whole family and cook dinner with love. Mums can also pass down other kitchen tips and tricks to her handsome sous-chef.

53. Volunteer At A Food Bank

Another act of kindness that your son should learn is extending care to those in need. Volunteer together at a food bank to help with preparation and distribution. Time together doing something for others can really help unite you as a team.

54. Go To a Concert

Is his favourite band or artist coming to town soon? Suprise him with concert tickets. Enjoy the concert experience or a full music festival together. You will be the cool mum for sure, but also a chance to show him you appreciate his interests. The two-hour concert event will surely become a core memory for the both of you. 

55. Go Karting

Head to the nearest go-kart track and race each other around. This is a serious adrenaline rush and one that most boys will love!

These mother son date ideas are sure to give you plenty of new ways to create special time with your sons. The date ideas listed above aren’t only beneficial for the child, but also wonderful for you as a mum looking to better connect with your son.

Read next: Father-daughter day ideas