How to build a strong relationship with your kids: Real-life tips for parents 

A strong emotional connection with your child is about being present. Children who feel seen, heard, and valued are more likely to grow into confident adults who can manage their emotions and form healthy relationships (Image: Canva)

Parenting is easily one of life’s most rewarding, yet toughest, roles. Between school runs, meal planning, tantrums, and teenage moods, it's easy to lose track of what truly builds lasting bonds with your children. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), being available, emotionally responsive, and consistent helps nurture healthier, more resilient kids. These aren’t just good-to-have traits, they’re the building blocks of your child’s emotional well-being and sense of self.

Here’s how to strengthen the bond with your children:

• Connection over perfection: A strong emotional connection with your child is about being present. Children who feel seen, heard, and valued are more likely to grow into confident adults who can manage their emotions and form healthy relationships. Maintain trust, empathy, and resilience to help the bond grow. Life is full of bumps, and it’s your relationship that will act as your child’s safety net. So forget about trying to always get it right, focus on showing up in small, meaningful ways.

• Build emotional safety: Children are incredibly intuitive, they pick up on more than you think. Being consistent in your responses, showing empathy during tough moments, and setting gentle boundaries gives them a sense of safety and predictability. These moments, when your child knows they can come to you without fear of judgement, are where real trust is formed. From shared laughs to serious talks, your day-to-day interactions shape the emotional pattern they carry into adulthood.

• Spend quality time: Put your phone away, look them in the eye, and be fully present, even for ten minutes. Children remember how you made them feel, not how much money you spent.

• Guide them, don’t just instruct: Teaching values and life skills is more effective when done through explanation and example rather than orders. Let them understand the “why” behind your rules.

• Listen without judging or fixing: Sometimes your children don’t need advice, they just want you to hear them. Reflect back what they say so they feel understood, even if you disagree.

• Set clear and kind rules: Boundaries show love and provide structure. Kids thrive when they know what to expect and what’s expected of them, so be firm, but fair.

• Include them in age-appropriate decisions: Whether it’s choosing dinner or picking a weekend activity, involving your child builds confidence and makes them feel valued.

• Celebrate efforts, not just wins: Praising hard work over outcomes helps kids develop a growth mindset. It teaches them that trying matters more than always being right.

• Repair after conflict: All relationships have rough patches. Apologise when needed and talk through what happened, this models emotional maturity and resilience.

• Laugh and play together: Shared joy creates emotional glue. Silly games, shared hobbies, and inside jokes strengthen your bond in ways words often can’t.