Most kids love getting out of the house. It can be tempting for a dad to come home from work and search out his own down time. Once you’re home you may not want to go out. But for kids, there is a whole world out there that they haven’t explored, and who better than their dad to show them around. Here are 36 ideas for daddy daughter dates.
Whether you are considering taking a 1-year old, 4-year old, 12-year old, or teenage daughter on a date, this list is a good starting point. As I will continue to mention, you should take your daughter on more than one date.
In this post I will provide tips for taking your daughter out, date ideas for outside the house, and stay-at home daddy daughter dates.
Tips for taking your daughter on a date
Most of these should just be fun opportunities to build memories together. Don’t forget to use these as teaching opportunities too. Teach them how they should expect to be treated on a date. Depending on the type of date, you might consider teaching different parts of dating. How to hold a conversation. How to ask and answer questions. What to say when you don’t want to answer a question.
When you are taking them out, make it special. Ask them on a date. Get dressed up. Plan it out days or weeks in advance. Make it a big deal.
Teach them the difference between a date and just hanging out. This should be something more than just running to the grocery store together. While yes, that time together is important, specifically going out, together, with a purpose, will teach them what to expect when they get older and start going on dates.
The goal is that this daddy daughter date night is not a one off. Instead, you should consider doing this quarterly or monthly as your schedule allows.
While this is a list of ideas, once you get the ball rolling, ask them what they would like to do on a date. It might surprise you what they come up with.
Going on daddy daughter dates outside the house
- Go shopping for each other
- Attend a sporting event together
- Go to the local pet shop
- Get ice cream
- Go to the beach
- Go on a hike
- Ride bikes on the trails
- Go to the library and see who can find the weirdest book
- Get dressed up for a dinner date
- Go geocaching
- Find a pick-your-own fruit farm
- Float down a river
- Go kayaking/canoeing
- Go dancing for a local salsa night
- Play mini-golf
- Go to a concert
- Go bowling
- Drive go-karts
- Go to an old arcade
- Experience different cultures (church worships, festivals, ceremonies, etc.)
- Do service for someone
- Go to a trampoline park
- Try on Halloween costumes
- Explore a historical site in your city
- Go stargazing with the free SkyView Lite app (it will show you where constellations are when you hold your phone up to the sky)
Daddy daughter dates at home
Sometimes it can be hard to get away, or you just want to create memories of being together at home. You don’t have to go out to go on a date. Teaching your kids to have fun where they are will help them be present rather than having to be somewhere else in order to have a good time. Break up the monotony of daily life with these fun, at-home daddy daughter date ideas.
- Create a music video
- Host a LipSync battle
- Build something simple
- Break something
- Fix something
- Have her teach you something
- Paint self-portraits
- Attend a hot air balloon festival
- Make dinner together
- Play truth or dare
- Host a beauty salon at home
- Play board games
Now you have a list of ideas for daddy daughter dates that you can use at anytime. Reference this list as you start to plan date nights with your daughter, then build upon this list to make it your own.
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