Inside: 13 mother daughter date ideas to bring you closer
“Mommy will you play the lion game with me?” My daughter asks me.
I’m in the middle of working. I have no idea what the lion game is, but I’m sure it’ll be lengthy.
“Just give me a few minutes, I need to finish this up” I tell her.
My intentions are good. I plan on playing this lion game with her.
But you know how it goes. You get wrapped up in what you’re doing and it takes more than a few minutes. Then you realize you need to start making dinner, start the laundry, start the dishes, or any of the other 67 tasks you have for the day.
That opportunity to connect with your daughter disappears into promises of “let me just finish this”, or “just a few more minutes”.
You know how important connecting everyday with your daughter is but it’s so easy to get wrapped up in what you’re doing that you unintentionally put it off.
Our lives are so busy, but we can’t make the mistake of letting those 67 tasks we have to do overshadow the opportunity to bond with our little girls.
I’ve always tried to have one-on-one time with my daughter but now I make it a priority. My baby’s getting older and I want to revel in her littleness for a little longer.
(Check these out if you’re looking for mother son date ideas!)
I wanted to share with you some of our favorite mother daughter bonding activities so you have a list you can use at a moments notice.
13 perfect mother daughter date ideas that’ll strengthen your bond
1. Bake something together
You can bake cookies, muffins, cupcakes, or a full cake. Not only are you teaching your daughter the important life skill of making food, you guys can also taste the batter and enjoy the delicious baked goods you made together when they’re done!
2. Read a story together
Cuddling up and reading stories is a wonderful bonding experience and it’s a great way to teach her literacy skills too! We like to grab a handful of books, (I pick some and my daughter picks some) then I read the books I chose to her, and she “reads” her books to me, (she tells me the story based on the pictures and her imagination).
Related: 10 Diverse Books For Strong Girls
Related: 10 Best Books For Toddlers
3. Watch a movie together
Let her pick her favorite movie, or you can pick your favorite childhood movie and sit down with a bowl of popcorn or a tray of fruits and veggies and enjoy the show!
4. Draw or paint a picture
You could either make a picture side by side, (so you’re each making your own) or what my daughter and I love to do, is make one picture together. Sometimes it ends up being really silly, (giants, jellyfish, giraffes, and leopards lol) and sometimes they end up being a cute cohesive picture, (a forest scene with squirrels, the sun, flowers, etc.). The bonus is you can hang it up after you’re done!
5. Play a game with her
You can let your daughter choose her favorite game or introduce her to a new game. Currently my daughter and I are loving board games so we’ll play those pretty often.
If board games aren’t your thing, you can play dolls, dress up or any other game you guys fancy.
6. Ask each other questions
You can take turns asking and answering questions. The trick is, just let your daughter talk when it’s her turn.
If she’s little it may take awhile to get her thoughts out but it’s worth it to just sit back and listen to what she has to say. (Make sure to answer her questions too!)
These questions can be as simple as what’s your favorite color, if you could be any animal what would you be, and who’s your best friend, to questions like what do you want to be when you grow up, what’s your favorite thing to do, what do you love to learn about, etc.
This is an amazing opportunity for both of you to learn about each other!
7. Look at family photos
Kids love looking at pictures of themselves when they’re little. You can tell your daughter stories about what was happening in the pictures, show her your favorite pictures, and show her pictures from when you were little.
8. Have a pillow fight
A very entertaining way of expending energy with lots of laughs along the way!
9. Put makeup on each other
What little girl doesn’t want to try her mommy’s makeup?! She’s probably not allowed to play with your makeup every day so have a day when you can put makeup on her and she can put makeup on you. She’ll feel extra special she got to wear something of yours and she’ll LOVE getting to do your makeup!
10. Go for a nature walk
Go for a long walk around the neighborhood or in a forest preserve. You can collect pieces of nature, (pinecones, leaves, flowers, acorns, sticks, etc.) and bring them back home. Then you can turn those pieces of nature into art!
You can paint them, put glitter on them, glue feathers on them, glue gemstones, or any other form of art and when you’re done, you can hang them up in your house.
Related: 25+ Awesome Fall Activities For Kids
11. Exercise together
This is a fun way to teach your daughter how to keep her body healthy. You can pull up beginner yoga videos, (or mommy and me yoga videos if your daughter is younger) beginner dance videos, (or music videos!) or have her lead you in an exercise.
My daughter LOVES leading the exercises! She’s the teacher and tells me what exercise to do. This always ends up in lots of silliness and giggles!
12. Go swimming
You can go to a public pool, the beach, or an indoor pool and enjoy swimming or playing in the water together.
Related: 8 Favorite Summer Activities For Kids
13. Go out together
Take her out to a museum, a tea party at a hotel, a bookstore, or any of her other favorite places for some one-on-one time.
Final thoughts
We all get absorbed in our hectic lives. But taking time out of your busy schedule to have one-on-one time with your daughter is vital to keeping your relationship strong.
These mother daughter date ideas are a great way to bond with your little girl.
So the next time she asks you to play lion, (or whatever game it is) take a few minutes to play. You won’t regret it!
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