20 Daddy Daughter Dates

The semester just ended and that means my little family has daddy back home. The school year is an insane time for my husband, especially since he transferred to a new program. We didn’t get to spend a lot of “quality” time with him as a family.

My kids have soaked every minute they can of his mornings. They want him to make them breakfast. They want him to play with them in their room. They want him to sit and watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Lord of the Rings with them. Fine by me, because this means I get to stay in bed longer ????

As busy as he is, I love that he takes time out to spend with them. He’s managed to squeeze in some “dates” with Coco and “guy time” with Chaucer. The kids come home radiant with his attention. Quality time is so. so. important for both parents and children. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: one on one time with your kids will benefit both parties and make your relationship sweeter. Guaranteed.

I’ve gone in depth in the past with Mother-Daughter Dates, and Mother-Son Dates. Somehow, I forgot to include for the Dads. So, this weekend I’ll be sharing Daddy Daughter Date ideas, and next weekend we’ll look at the Daddy-Son options.

1.) Donut Date. Maybe its cause my dad always made the donut runs, or maybe its just because of the alliteration Dad’s Donut Date. Sounds nice, right?

2.) Shoot Hoops. Have you seen Father of the Bride? The montage where Steve Martin remembers playing basketball with his little girl is just precious. It ought to be repeated in every family, in my opinion.

3.) Trip to the aquarium.  Ok, this is a great family outing as well, but one on one would be so special for a little girl. He’ll probably get swindled into buying some really overpriced stuffed dolphin, but whatevs. The memory for her will be priceless.

4.) Beach Date. Yes, there are plenty of things to do at the beach to get quality time with your little one. Check out this Beach Bucket List for some inspiration!

5.) Shopping at the Mall. I know a lot of men don’t enjoy shopping, but if you go with your little girl it will kind of be like hunting for a prize. They’re going to want something fun, shiny, maybe sparkly. Just be a hero and buy her something and get a Wetzel Pretzel when you’re done.

6.) Ribs. Women ought to know how to eat ribs. Their fathers ought to teach them. This is something Matt has done with Coco and it really sticks with her!

7.) Go to the Movies. Duh. This is a no-brainer. But take her to the movie SHE wants to see. Be enthusiastic. Participate.

8.) Home Depot Workshop. Maybe you want to get sort of crafty but you’re not necessarily Mr. Fix-It (this is my husband). No fear! Home Depot hosts these really cool kid workshops where they teach your child how to build/construct something with their parents.

9.) Roller Skating. My daughter loves her skates. Me? Not so much. I like to delegate this experience to her Daddy.

10.) Go Fly A Kite. DUDE. Have you seen Saving Mr. Banks? Just please, for the love of Emma Thomson fly a kite with your child. It will mean the world. I promise.

11.) Batting Cages. Ok, so there’s no montage to go with this but just imagine it being like the basketball experience–only baseball!

12.) Photo-shoot. Take her on a fun photo-shoot and capture nature, people, or each other. Coco and I did this with my dad and the day is just a golden memory. We gave Coco a disposable camera and let her “shoot” whatever she wanted. It was a hit!

13.) Horseback Riding. Every kid should get to experience this. Might as well let Dad take her on her first horseback riding trip.

14.) Hiking. This is a tradition that can extend throughout the ages. My sister is getting married next weekend and she just had her “last” hiking trip with my dad before marriage. Sniff sniff.

15.) Tea Party. Men, suck it up. Haven’t you seen the commercials of studly fathers sipping from little pink teacups? You need to do this. And you need to let someone document it with photos.

16.) Fishing. My dad took me fishing a few times. I didn’t love gutting the fish, or even catching them, but I loved the anticipation and the snacks.

17.) The movies. This is a no-brainer, right? But I might as well list it because it’s always a hit.

18.) Volunteer Together. So maybe its not the most glamorous thing to do, but volunteering at a soup kitchen or helping out at an animal shelter will speak volumes to your little girl. This will be both a memory and a conviction for later years. You can check out this list of places that are children-friendly for volunteer work.

19.) Limo Ride. What if you picked her up from school in a limousine? Yah, major points there, Dad.

20.) Go Shopping For Mom. Hear me out, men. You will score points on all fronts with this one. Take your daughter to help pick out your wife some perfume (this is something my dad continues to do with me for my mom’s birthday). Have her pick out a nice candle, or jewelry, or purse. Make a date out of it and you will have two happy women.

Have any more ideas you’d like to share? I’d love to add them to the list!