Date your daughter. It is not a new concept but if you are anything like me, then you too can always use a few new ideas (and some reminders) on how to spend some quality time with your growing girls! These years are so important and the amount of time you spend investing yourself into her life will have it’s rewards!
Here are a few ideas:
Find a neighbor, a friend, church member or even a stranger that you can serve! Idea: prepare a meal, clean a closet or babysit their kids or pets.
Start a journal together. Secretly write notes to each other and hide the journal in a place that she will eventually find (in her drawer, under a pillow, etc.) When she finds it she will write a note back to you and hide it! Make this an ongoing treat!
Take a picture walk. Go to a beautiful or cool place, and take pictures while you talk.
Relax together with a mani & pedi at home or at a salon.
Find a local place with cool, pretty pottery pieces to paint!
Attend a concert or local event together. Choose something or an artist that she enjoys and invite yourself into her world!
Make new memories while remembering past experiences together and create a scrapbook!
Exercise! Do fun dance exercises, home videos, attend a class or even swim together.
Write a creative story together. Example let her write the first three sentences and you write the next few. Continue developing the characters and plot by finishing where each of you left off!
Choose a recipe from online or in an old family book and cook together!
Invite her to be a part of your everyday grownup life. Idea: take her to work with you, to run a few errands, to an appointment or fancy “grown-up” business meeting.
Choose a fun book, devotional or even the Bible to read together!
Play an old game! Examples: Old Maid, Marbles, Jacks, Cat-in-the-Cradle, Hand Games like Miss Mary Mack
Each day share your “high’s” and “lows!” Example: “Today my high was meeting a new friend, and my low was getting 3 wrong on my spelling test.”
Spend quality time on a nice, long bike ride!
Just let loose, pump up the music and dance!
Pack sandwiches, salad, fruit, or fun treats. Sit on the grass or somewhere pretty and have a Picnic!
Go for a walk! Idea: Go for a nature walk, collect things, bring in flowers to dry and flatten them in a book or look for a cool craft for the things you collect.
Find a challenging puzzle to put together!
Sign up together to take a lesson doing something new! Idea: Take a lesson on dancing, cooking, scrapbooking, photography, etc. Often, communities will host affordable lessons at local public schools or community centers for community members, so make sure you look into those types of opportunities.
Plan and throw a Mother-Daughter Party for your family’s closest mother daughter friends or you invite yours and she invites hers- get to know each other friends! Ideas: Throw a fancy dinner party or a slumber party!
Craft Day! Ideas: Make holiday decorations, gifts, cards, home decorations, things for her room etc., but make it a regular thing (like every Wednesday or one Saturday a month) and stick to it!
Have a “Girly” movie night. You can never go wrong there!
Spend time together while you praise & worship! Idea: Make up a dance or movements to a praise or worship song and perform it for an audience, like dad, other siblings or friends. Don’t be shy!
Make something together- your own jewelry, blanket or artwork!
Give each other a complete makeover! Take pictures, have a fashion show and celebrate your new looks!
Find a cozy corner, blanket and pillows and just be together! No plan, no agenda- just time to let your hearts connect.
Spend time together making a checklist, schedule and researching places and things that you want to do together!
Go out for tea or stay in and have a private tea party.
Pray for each other. Be honest and share prayer request or things that you are struggling with and ask her to pray for you and vice versa. Make this a normal part of your life together.
Take Pictures and share your time together with us! We love to see what you and your girls are up to! #forgirlslikeyoumag
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/monkeybusinessimages
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