The Best Way to Nurture Your Mother-Daughter Bond: 101 Fun Mom-Daughter Date Ideas
With four kids in our family, our daily responsibilities as parents take up most of our free time.
It starts from the minute we wake up, when my husband and I start planning out the day—Who’s picking up the oldest from school? What’s for dinner tonight? Do we have enough food for every kid to have a lunch that consists of more than a stale tortilla and three dried-out carrots?
While we figure all that out and more, my husband makes three bowls of oatmeal alongside his own, and I clean the toddler’s grubby high chair from dinner last night because I forgot and…is that an ant?!
We’re constantly in go-go-go mode just to get the bare minimum done, and that doesn’t leave much time for stopping to connect with our kids.
But That’s a Big Problem
A healthy connection with our kids is essential. Research shows that in order to have a healthy relationship, for every negative interaction, you need five positive interactions to balance it out.1Benson, K. (n.d.). The Magic Relationship Ratio, According to Science. The Gottman Institute.
For example, when I lose my cool over my toddler coloring on the walls, we need five positive interactions to balance that out, or our relationship will suffer.
But I don’t need the research to tell me that because I can see it for myself.
When my connection with my children starts to suffer, the result is more power struggles and less cooperation from them. And when the power struggles wear down my patience, I sometimes turn into an angry mom, which feeds the disconnection even more.
And then above all, my goal is to build a strong mother-daughter bond that will last a lifetime. As it turns out, a healthy mother-daughter relationship can be the strongest of all family relationships throughout your child’s life.2 Bojczyk, K. E., Lehan, T. J., McWey, L. M., Melson, G. F., & Kaufman, D. R. (2011). Mothers’ and Their Adult Daughters’ Perceptions of Their Relationship. Journal of Family Issues, 32(4), 452–481.
But it’s when my daughters are young that I must invest in a solid foundation for our relationship. If we don’t start out with a healthy connection now, it certainly won’t magically appear when they’re teenagers or adults.
Related: How to Stop Being an Angry Mom Now Using 5 Hair Ties {Printable}
Here’s the Solution…With a Catch
Nothing gets us back on track like some good quality bonding time, whether that’s reading our favorite picture books on the couch together or playing one of our quick family bonding games for an emergency dose of connection.
All it takes is a few minutes, and we walk away smiling and feeling that invisible string between our hearts again.
But sometimes my kids let me know that what they really need is more than a group bonding activity. They need one-on-one quality time with me.
Because my daughters all have such different personalities, the way they communicate this manifests in different ways:
- My oldest gets quiet and disappears behind a book
- My youngest daughter acts out by climbing the furniture, dumping her water bottle out on the floor, or morphing into a toddler-sized Godzilla and destroying her older sisters’ prized Magna Tiles creation of the day
- And my middle daughter, whose emotional intelligence outstrips my own, will walk up to me while I’m doing dishes or folding laundry, slip her little hand into mine, and say, “I want some mama time”
Sometimes I’ve made the mistake of ignoring or pushing off these pleas for connection, and I always regret it later. But more power struggles and less cooperation don’t exactly make for a happy family. So I’ve learned to pay close attention to my daughters when they show me or tell me they need one-on-one time.
The Tricky Part?
One-on-one time sounds great in theory, but we do still have a household to run and four kids to parent, so I can’t always drop what I’m doing and have a full-fledged mother-daughter day to get that one-on-one time. And with my daughters ranging in age from tween to toddler, what works as a fun mother-daughter activity with one girl may not work with the others.
So when it comes to mother-daughter date ideas, we’ve had to get a little creative.
For several years, I’ve kept a special list of mother-daughter date ideas on my computer for my own use. Every time I came across a new idea for fun mother-daughter dates, I added it to the list.
Any time I feel a disconnect with one of my girls, I go to the list and find an idea of something we can do in the very near future. I don’t have to come up with fun ideas out of thin air, and my girls get the connection they’re craving. Win-win.
Related: 7 Most Powerful Ways to Get an Emergency Dose of Family Connection {Printable}
101 Best Mother-Daughter Date Ideas for Every Age, Budget, And Situation
Recently, it dawned on me that I may not be the only busy mom looking for simple ways to connect with my daughters, so I decided to clean up the list and share it here with you.
If you’re looking for mother-daughter things to do that will help you feel closer to your girl, check this epic list for the best ideas.
Decide how much time you have for your one-on-one bonding, then find that section for oodles of ideas for fun things to do with your daughter.
Quick win: Get these Family Connection Cards so you can stop feeling guilty about whether you’re spending quality time with your daughter and nurture the kind of close relationship that will stand the test of time—in just 10 minutes a day. The cards feature the ideas included in this article, plus bonus ideas.
But First, a Disclaimer
My husband has also used this list over the years for father-daughter date ideas, and I’m absolutely planning to use this list with my son when he’s a little older. Out of this whole list, I counted only a handful of ideas that may not be the right fit for some boys.
So if you have a son or if you’re a dad (or grandparent or aunt), please go ahead and use this list too!
But because I’m a mom and I have three older daughters I’ve been having one-on-one time with for 13 years, I wrote this as a mother-daughter date ideas list.
20 Minutes or Less: Quick But Powerful!
These fun mother-daughter date ideas are perfect when you need a spontaneous dose of healthy connection with your daughter.
Free, or Less Than $10
All the mommy-daughter date ideas in this section are quick, and they’re also no-cost or low-cost. Score!
1. Have an impromptu dance party.
Research shows that listening to music together creates healthy bonds and builds positive memories.3Boer, D., & Abubakar, A. (2014). Music listening in families and peer groups: benefits for young people’s social cohesion and emotional well-being across four cultures. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 392. To help kick off your mother-daughter dance party, I’ve curated a few of the best songs for kids in these playlists: girl power songs, funny songs for kids, love songs for kids, and family dance party music.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
2. Ask each other interesting questions.
Our favorites are from this set of adorable family conversation starters. We use these questions every night with our kids, and they’ve been a game-changer, helping us end every day feeling connected, loved, and happy.
- Ages: Preschooler to teen
for a quick dose of connection.
3. Read aloud.
If she’s old enough, you can take turns reading out loud to each other from the same book. If reading aloud is already part of your daily routine and feels a bit too routine to be special, you can switch it up by changing genres. For example, you might read poetry or magazine articles to each other. When my oldest daughter and I want to connect one-on-one, we’ll take turns reading to each other from Harry Potter.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
4. Take turns taking photos of each other.
Odds are that as the mom, you’re the one behind the camera most of the time so there aren’t many family photos of you. So your daughter may appreciate the honor of capturing some rare snapshots of you. You can dress up if you want or keep it simple. Feel free to be as silly as you want!
- Ages: Preschooler to teen
5. Make art together.
You can doodle, design thank-you cards, or try something fancy you found on Pinterest. Not only is creating art important for your child’s development,4Lynch, G. H. (2012, May 16). The Importance of Art in Child Development. PBS. but it’s also been shown to impact health by reducing stress and anxiety, increasing positive emotions, and reducing the likelihood of depression.5Clear, J. (2015, December 23). Make More Art: The Health Benefits of Creativity. The Huffington Post.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
6. Take turns telling each other jokes.
If you don’t know many jokes, these two joke books are our favorites, and they’re both super inexpensive: Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids† and Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids. (If you like those, this author has a ton of joke books for even more ideas!) We also enjoyed this full-color book of kids’ jokes from National Geographic.
As an alternative, you can take turns asking each other funny questions because research shows that when you laugh together, you feel more connected and strengthen your relationship.6Suttie, J. (2017, July 17). How Laughter Brings Us Together. The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley.
And for that, all you need is this list: 120 Funny Questions to Ask Kids for Guaranteed Giggles.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
7. Look at pictures.
Grab a family photo album and look at old photos together. Whether you look at her baby pictures or pictures from when you were a kid, kids love a trip down memory lane. For bonus points, throw in a few childhood stories.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
8. Make up a story together.
You make up one sentence, then pass it to your child for the next sentence. For even more fun with this mother-daughter bonding activity, use one of the Create and Tell Me a Story card decks. We always keep that fun game stocked in our family-owned game shop!
- Ages: Preschooler to tween
Limited time: 10% off game orders $50+ with code HAPPY10, 15% off $100+ with HAPPY15, and 20% off $200+ with HAPPY20. Plus free shipping!
Create a Story Cards
“This little game is quick, easy, and fun! You pick a card, say “Once upon a time…”, and let your child fill in the details. Then you can ask follow-up questions like “and then what happened?” until they peter out. I love that this requires minimal brainpower from me when I’m tired (which is always) and my daughter LOVES coming up with the stories. Great for her imagination!” – Fiona
9. Dress each other.
Let your daughter pick out your clothes for the day, then you do the same for her. Then head out to run errands or to your regular daily routine wearing what you picked out for each other.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
10. Write poems about each other.
My oldest daughter had a project in fourth grade where parents were encouraged to write a poem about their kids. I was nervous to write a poem since that’s not in my wheelhouse, but when I read the finished poem out loud to my daughter, she beamed. Sit down and write poems together, then read them aloud to each other.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
11. Climb into bed.
Pick any time of day and pile into your bed and cuddle together for a few minutes. You may be surprised at what your daughter opens up about after a few minutes of shared quiet!
- Ages: Toddler to teen
12. Tell a story.
Think back to a funny or cute story from when she was younger—or from when you were a child—and share it with your daughter. Even if she’s heard it before.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
13. Stop and play.
Sit down and just play for a few minutes—no smartphones, no multitasking. Just follow her lead.
- Ages: Toddler to tween
14. Start a game of chase or hide-and-seek.
For younger girls, she’ll love it if you pretend her hiding place is so good you can’t find her.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
15. Start rough-housing or a pillow fight.
Research shows this kind of play builds emotional intelligence and brings joy for kids—yes, even girls!7DeBenedet, A. T., & Cohen, L. J. (2011). The Art of Roughhousing: Good Old-Fashioned Horseplay and Why Every Kid Needs It. Quirk Books.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
16. Talk in the dark.
When you put her to bed, turn out the lights and snuggle in bed with her. Ask questions and listen. Here’s one of our favorites: “When did you feel most loved today?”
- Ages: Toddler to teen
17. Ask for help.
Ask her to help you with something like doing laundry or paying bills. Not only is this one of the best kinds of mother-daughter bonding activities, she may learn a new life skill, too.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
18. Welcome the day.
Wake up early and watch the sunrise together.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
19. Have a hula hoop contest.
The winner gets to pick their favorite meal for dinner, an extra piece of candy after dinner, or just bragging rights.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
20. Make slime or play dough.
Then play with it together.
- Ages: Toddler to tween
21. Color on the sidewalk.
Use washable sidewalk chalk to create a masterpiece or invent a new game. If sidewalk chalk is a regular activity for your daughter, make it special with glitter chalk or a mandala stencil. For creative inspiration, check out Chalk on the Wild Side, which has 25+ chalk art projects, recipes (glow-in-the-dark chalk!), and chalk game ideas for you.
- Ages: Toddler to tween
22. Learn a new language together.
Try the Duolingo app, or listen to language lessons on Audible or on Libro.fm. (By the way, Libro.fm is the same price as Audible, and you’ll support a locally owned bookstore with every audiobook you choose!)
- Ages: Elementary to teen
23. Meditate together.
Our favorite app is Headspace because it has sections specifically for kids.
- Ages: Preschooler to teen
24. Give each other massages.
This works for a wide age range, and it’s easy to do anytime or any place.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
Between $10-20
If you have a small budget to work with, try one of these fun mother-daughter activities.
1. Color together.
Get a special mother-daughter coloring book, which has one intricate page for mom and one simpler page for your daughter in each spread. Our favorites are this book with adorable animal illustrations and this one with more variety that a family therapist helped create. Coloring is perfect as a mother-daughter bonding activity because you can do it in short spurts of time. And if you’re feeling a little disconnected, the action of coloring calls on both logic (staying in the lines) and creativity (picking colors and color schemes), which helps your brain relax.8Santos, E. (2014, October 13). Coloring Isn’t Just For Kids. It Can Actually Help Adults Combat Stress. The Huffington Post.
Don’t forget to pick up some snazzy new coloring pencils or fineliner pens to go along with your pretty coloring books!
- Ages: Toddler to teen
2. Do a crossword puzzle.
We love this series of crossword puzzle books because they have perforated pages you can tear out so you can solve a puzzle on the go.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
3. Take turns writing.
Get a shared journal for kids and parents and write back and forth to each other. This is my favorite mother-daughter journal because it gives you a magical way to get your kid to open up about what’s going on so you can stay connected. Or if you’d prefer to share a drawing journal, the co-author of this gorgeous mom and me art journal is a licensed art therapist so it’s specifically designed to improve your mother-daughter relationship.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
An Hour or Two
When you have a little more time to spare, these fun mother-daughter activities will help you feel close and connected.
Free, or Less Than $10
Every mother-daughter activity in this section is free—or close to it!
1. Go for a long walk or hike.
Without the distractions of daily life at home, your daughter may open up and share her heart with you on the walk. Plus, outdoor time is good for your relationship, according to science. Research shows time spent in nature helps mothers and daughters get along better.9Izenstark, D., & Ebata, A. T. (2017). The Effects of the Natural Environment on Attention and Family Cohesion: An Experimental Study. Children, Youth and Environments, 27(2), 93–109.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
2. Have a coffee date.
Bring your favorite board game or card game to your neighborhood coffee shop, then treat yourselves to a fancy drink while you play—coffee for you, hot chocolate for her. Here’s a list of our all-time favorite family board games for all ages. (The bestselling card game in our family-owned game shop is perfect for coffee dates: Sleeping Queens.)
- Ages: Toddler to teen
Sleeping Queens
“My daughter and I love Sleeping Queens! It teaches them math without them even realizing it – or me, for that matter. I remember my daughter laid down a sequence that was like 1 + 3 + 5 = 9, and I thought ‘How did you know that…?’ Then I realized she just figured it out from doing math in the game. So cool to watch her learn right before my eyes.” – Ann
3. Browse the bookstore.
Take her to a bookstore and browse the shelves in the kids’ section together. Whether she’s at the picture book, chapter book, or young adult level, pick out a book or two and read out loud to her. (Kids are never too old to be read to!) If you need some ideas, here are our absolute favorite picture books of all time—and we read a lot. For a special treat, surprise her by buying her a new book she has her eye on.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
4. Host a movie night for two.
At home, watch your favorite movie, her favorite movie, or a new movie you’re both interested in. Then afterwards, talk about your favorite parts.
- Ages: Preschooler to teen
5. Get a mani-pedi.
You can go DIY style with a spa day at home and paint each other’s nails, or make it an extra special event by taking her to a nail salon for a manicure and/or pedicure so you can both relax while you’re pampered.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
6. Trade makeovers.
Get your makeup bag out, and let your daughter do whatever she wants—then swap roles. You may look ridiculous after she’s done with your makeover, but she’ll love being “in charge.”
- Ages: Toddler to teen
7. Get moving together.
Pop in a workout DVD (we like Jillian Michaels’s Yoga Meltdown) and have fun keeping your bodies healthy. Or if that’s not your style, go for a quick run or bike ride together.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
8. Do a buddy read.
Read the same book—together as a read-aloud or separately on your own—then have a meeting where you talk about what happened in the book, your favorite characters, what surprised you, and so on. Even better: Host your book club for two at the local coffee shop or bakery.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
9. Make a meal.
This is extra fun if you try out a new recipe for the first time together. Or if you don’t want to make a meal, bake a treat together (cookies are quick and easy!) or make homemade ice cream.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
10. Put on a fashion show.
Try on clothes from your closet that you haven’t worn in a while, and your daughter can do the same. If you’re close in size, you can even let her try on your clothes. As an added bonus, you may get new ideas for how to wear what you already have—or at least you’ll be able to clear out stuff that didn’t work out.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
11. Play a board game or card game.
For an extra treat, pick up a new game you haven’t played before. If you need ideas, check out Forget Candyland! This Is the Best List of Board Games for All Ages. For the perfect one-on-one date, check out 7 Wonders Duel. My daughters beg me to play that one with them on our dates! If you have more than an hour or two, try a game night for just the two of you.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
12. Camp out in the living room.
After the rest of the family goes to bed, set up your sleeping bags in the living room and stay up late talking, watching a movie, or playing a board game—or all of the above.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
13. Go on a photo scavenger hunt.
You can find free printable photo scavenger hunts online like this simple printable and this one for tweens and teens.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
14. Paint rocks.
Then leave them somewhere for a stranger to find so you can brighten their day.
- Ages: Toddler to tween
15. Go to a park, just the two of you.
Join your daughter on the swings, and go ahead and try out the big slide too. If your local park doesn’t have a playground, try driving to another park in your area that does.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
16. Stargaze.
Stay up late and lay in your yard, counting stars.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
17. Get literary.
Go hear an author speak at a local bookstore. Bonus points if it’s one of your daughter’s favorites.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
18. Feed the ducks.
Visit a nearby pond with ducks. (Just make sure to bring defrosted frozen peas or corn, never bread!10McLendon, R. (2022, June 22). 4 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Feed Bread to Ducks. Treehugger. )
- Ages: Toddler to tween
19. Go swimming.
Visit the local swimming pool or splash pad, just the two of you.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
20. Try geocaching.
Have fun exploring together.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
21. Try on shoes.
Go to the best shoe store in your area and try on as many shoes as you want. You don’t have to buy anything—in fact, it can be even more fun to try on wild styles you’d never consider buying.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
22. Make something.
Find a craft or DIY project on Pinterest and make it together. (My Playful Parenting board has tons of fun ideas.)
- Ages: Toddler to teen
23. Go skating.
Try roller skating, ice skating, or rollerblading.
- Ages: Preschooler to teen
24. Visit the library.
Then pick out books for each other that you think the other person would enjoy.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
25. Play a sport together.
Try something like tennis, or visit the batting cages or driving range.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
26. Scrapbook side-by-side.
Print a few family photos and look for other tidbits like ticket stubs, notes you’ve written each other, or your child’s artwork, then sit down together with a scrapbook and preserve those memories. For older kids, you can print funny text message threads between the two of you and paste them into a scrapbook.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
27. Train for something.
Sign up for a race like a 5K and train for it. Then run it together.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
28. Declutter as a team.
Go through your closet and pick things to rehome, then switch and go through her closet.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
29. Round up spare change.
Then decide together on a charity to donate it to. Check the couch cushions, the bottom of purses, junk drawers, and cup holders in your car. (Whenever we do this, my girls always want to throw in some of their piggy bank money to donate even more!)
- Ages: Toddler to teen
30. Purge the pantry.
Get rid of expired food, and bag up any other food you can to donate to a local food bank.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
31. Invent a recipe.
Start with a favorite recipe and experiment with switching it up to make it even better, or start from scratch to come up with something new together.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
32. Get inspired.
Look through magazines and Pinterest to find ideas for redecorating her bedroom. Clip any photos you love and make a vision board. (For fresh ideas, try my Kids’ Room Ideas board.)
- Ages: Elementary to teen
33. Do each other’s hair.
Find a fun hairstyle on Pinterest and practice it on each other. (Check out my How to Be a Girl board for ideas.)
- Ages: Toddler to teen
34. Fly a kite.
Take turns flying a kite at a nearby park.
- Ages: Toddler to tween
35. Have a slumber party.
Join your daughter in her room for one night, just the two of you.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
36. Play with paper dolls.
Print a cute set of color-in paper dolls, then cut them out and color them together, then play dress-up. I downloaded a set of the most adorable paper dolls from this Etsy seller, and my girls had so much fun! Even my 13-year-old.
- Ages: Preschooler to tween
Between $10-20
Got a bit more budget to work with? Here are a few ways to spend your mother-daughter quality time.
1. Solve a jigsaw puzzle.
We do a lot of puzzles in our family, and our absolute favorite puzzle-maker is Ravensburger because the pieces are nice and sturdy—perfect for little fingers. A few of my daughters’ favorites have been this magical 150-piece unicorn puzzle, a panoramic puzzle featuring the Frozen characters, and this playful carnival scene.
But if you’re both whizzes at puzzles, maybe you’re brave enough to try this impressive 33,000-piece puzzle that’s the world’s largest.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
2. Take her out for ice cream.
Let her order whatever she wants. The more scoops the better!
- Ages: Toddler to teen
3. Grow something.
You can go all out and start a garden or just find an empty pot and plant a pretty flower in it. This mother-daughter bonding activity is great because you can take care of the plant together every day. Here’s an all-in-one garden starter that we’ve used and loved. If you’re new to gardening and your daughter is young, you might also want to pick up a kid-friendly set of garden tools.
On the other hand, if you have a black thumb (hello, that’s me!), you can skip the plant aspect and try a butterfly-growing kit.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
4. Have a picnic.
Grab a basket and pack yummy food, an outdoor blanket, and a fun treat like sparkling juice. Side note: If you enjoy picnics together, you might want to invest in a great outdoor blanket that’s waterproof and will last a while. We went through a couple duds before we got this stud of an outdoor blanket, and it’s fantastic.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
5. Meet for lunch.
Pick a random school day and meet your daughter for lunch. Bring her favorite meal, even if it’s fast food. Or for a smaller treat, bring a cookie or another surprise dessert.
- Ages: Preschooler to teen
More Than $20
When you can splurge a bit, these mother-daughter date ideas will create lasting memories for both of you.
1. Take a class.
Find a class you’re both interested and sign up, like an art, pottery, sewing, photography, self-defense, or cooking class—or something else altogether. If you’re on a budget, most home improvement stores offer free kid-friendly workshops. Learning a new skill or trying something you’ve never done before can be a little stressful in the moment, but research shows it pays off with increased happiness in the long term.11Howell, R. T., Chenot, D., Hill, G., & Howell, C. J. (2011). Momentary Happiness: The Role of Psychological Need Satisfaction. Journal of Happiness Studies, (12), 1–15.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
2. Go thrifting.
Shopping is one of the most stereotypical mother-daughter bonding activities, but it doesn’t always fit the family budget, and you may not want to foster a love of “stuff” from a young age. If that’s the case, take her to a thrift store, a flea market, or garage sales and look for hidden gems.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
3. Take her out to eat.
Pick a restaurant you both love, a new restaurant you’ve never tried before, or just get a couple slices of deliciously greasy pizza, and share a meal just the two of you.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
4. Go to a yoga class.
Find a class your daughter will feel comfortable with, and do it together.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
5. Catch a movie.
Go see a movie in the theater. Be sure to get your favorite theater treat, whether that’s buttery popcorn, a king size Twix, or the pucker power of Sour Patch Kids.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
6. Visit a local farmer’s market.
Sample as much as possible, and pick up something fun to bring home and share with the rest of the family.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
7. Explore a museum.
Younger kids love children’s museums, and older girls may enjoy visiting other attractions like an art museum, natural history museum, planetarium, science museum, and so on.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
8. Take her to a show.
Find a musical, play, or other performance, and surprise her with tickets. She’ll love the excuse to get dressed up!
- Ages: Elementary to teen
9. Throw a spur-of-the-moment party just because.
You could throw an “It’s Friday” party, a “Rainy Day” party, or even a “We Had a Fight But We Still Love Each Other” party. Remember: A party without cake is just a meeting.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
10. Go bowling.
It doesn’t matter if you stink at bowling. Laugh it off, and it will add to the fun.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
11. Let your daughter decide.
Give her twenty dollars (or ten, or whatever your budget is) and tell her she can decide how you’ll spend your time together. She may decide to spend it all on candy, but research shows that kids are happier when they have a say in how they spend their time.12Barker, E. (2014, March 16). How To Have A Happy Family – 7 Tips Backed By Research. TIME.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
12. Play putt-putt.
Find a miniature golf course, play a game together, and laugh at yourself when you miss terribly.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
13. See an outdoor show.
Take her to an outdoor play or concert.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
14. Host a tea party for two.
Dress up and wear fancy hats if you have them, and do everything the British do for high tea. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, visit a local tea room or hotel for high tea.
- Ages: Toddler to tween
15. Give back.
Pick a project on Kiva to invest in. You can lend as little as $25 to help someone start or grow a business, go to school, and more to help them realize their potential. As another option, you can find a project on DonorsChoose and help kids in economically disadvantaged areas get what they need in order to learn better at school.
- Ages: Preschooler to teen
16. Watch sports.
Get tickets to a sporting event and splurge on the junk food. For an extra treat, get a souvenir to remember the fun day.
- Ages: Preschooler to teen
17. Go on a walking tour.
See your city with fresh eyes by signing up for a walking tour. Some cities even have food walking tours where you can try a few new restaurants in the span of a couple hours.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
18. Book haircuts for both of you.
Schedule them for the same time so you can chat while you’re pampered.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
19. Pick fresh fruit.
Visit a local u-pick farm and pick fresh fruit—berries, apples, pumpkins, or whatever’s in season.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
20. Visit animals.
If you and your daughter love animals, visit a zoo or a farm with a petting zoo. If you don’t have a zoo nearby, a local pet store works in a pinch, especially for younger kids.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
21. Get breakfast treats.
Wake up before everyone else in the family and head out early to get breakfast treats, like breakfast tacos, donuts, or cinnamon rolls. Don’t forget to bring home extras to share with everyone else!
- Ages: Toddler to teen
22. Visit an arcade.
Play as many games as possible together.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
Half a Day or More
As busy parents, it can be hard to set aside a full day or even half a day. But if you can put it on the calendar once every two to three months, do it because these mother-daughter date ideas are so much fun.
Free, or Less Than $10
When you have a bit more time to spend with your daughter, here are the best free (or cheap) mommy-daughter date ideas.
1. Take a mental health day.
Take one day off school and work and spend the day together. Just make sure she doesn’t have any big tests, quizzes, or projects due that day! Or if you can’t afford a full day, pick her up an hour or two early from school and go do something fun from this list.
- Ages: Preschooler to teen
2. Give time.
For younger kids, it can be difficult to find organized volunteer activities, but you can always put together care packages for the homeless in your area or make cards to brighten the day of nursing home residents.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
3. Bring your daughter to work with you.
Pick a day when she doesn’t have anything important going on at school, or pick a day during a school holiday. Then bring her to work and show her what you do every day.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
4. Camp out in your backyard.
Put up a tent for the full experience, and don’t forget the s’mores fixin’s!
- Ages: Toddler to teen
5. Go on a kindness spree.
Pick a day and commit as many random acts of kindness as you can think of. For ideas, check out The Best Acts of Kindness for Kids—For Every Age And Budget.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
6. Be in nature.
Drive to the nearest beach or nature center and soak up the outdoor time together.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
7. Take her to college.
If it’s within driving distance, take her to your alma mater and show her around campus. If it’s too far away, take her to the closest college campus and explore together. Ask questions about what she thinks college will be like, and share any fun stories you can remember from when you went.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
More Than $20
If you have extra time and budget, try one of these mother-daughter date ideas.
1. Take a day trip.
Find a fun destination that’s within driving distance, pack some fun snacks, and head there together to explore. Research shows taking a trip with your child becomes a “happiness anchor” for her—in other words, vacations stick in kids’ brains as vivid memories, and later on as adults those memories can even help them get through tough times.13Becker, H. A. (2017, February 21). Family Vacations Have Long-Lasting Impact on Kids’ Happiness. Parents. (During your road trip, don’t forget to crank up a girl power playlist and sing aloud at the top of your lungs!)
- Ages: Toddler to teen
2. Visit a fair or amusement park.
Ride every ride together and eat all the junk food you possibly can.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
3. Pretend to be tourists in your own town.
Have fun exploring a tourist attraction or two.
- Ages: Elementary to teen
4. Have a one-night staycation.
Book a night at a hotel in your downtown area. For a special treat, order room service for breakfast or for a late-night treat.
- Ages: Toddler to teen
Bonus: How to Reconnect After a Tough Moment With Your Child
Research shows that in happy relationships, you need a ratio of five positive interactions to every one negative interaction. This is called the Magic 5:1 Ratio.
In other words, after a negative interaction with your daughter, you need to reconnect through a positive moment or two so you can close the distance between you and your child. Because if you don’t close that gap and your daughter feels a lack of connection, that will lead to more unnecessary power struggles and less cooperation from her when you ask her to do something.
But unfortunately, when your brain is flooded with stress hormones in the moment, it’s incredibly difficult to think of something fun and sweet to do with your daughter so you can reconnect.
Which is why I created these Family Connection Cards, based on the science of what actually works when you need to reconnect. These cards remove the mental burden of figuring out how to reconnect with your child so you can just focus on nurturing your bond. At any point during your day, you can pick a card to get a quick and simple idea for connecting.
And in just 10 minutes a day, these powerful cards will make your child feel absolutely loved and stop the power struggles caused by disconnection.
Want More?
For more ideas to help you feel even closer as a family, check out 60 Meaningful Family Bonding Activities to Nurture a Loving Bond.
Before you go, get my FREE cheat sheet: 75 Positive Phrases Every Child Needs to Hear
Your Turn
What are your favorite mother-daughter date ideas? Share in a comment below!
While I appreciate the list and the great ideas, I don’t understand why this list is mother-daughter, and not parent-child?
Hi Anna, my son is just a few months old, and I’m already looking ahead to when he’ll be old enough to connect with on this level. Out of this whole list, I counted only a handful of ideas that may not be the right fit for some boys. So if you have a son, go ahead and use this list too!
But because I’m a mom and I have three older daughters I’ve been having one-on-one time with for 10 years, I wrote this as a mother-daughter date ideas list. (And as I discovered while getting this post ready to publish, nobody searches Google for “parent child date ideas”! They search for “mother daughter date ideas”, “mother son date ideas”, “father daughter date ideas”, etc. :-) )
I LOVE this list! I raised 3 sons alone & did a lot of these activities with them. Now I get to do these with my granddaughter! One of our favorites was to take a train ride. Sometimes we’d go to Chicago & go eat at Chinatown or go to the Olive Street beach & Navy Pier. When funds were short, we’d go to a park within walking distance to the train station & have a picnic. It was a lot of fun to take the train to Two Toots Restaurant & get lunch too!
It says in intro that she got it from her husband who uses with their daughter and she intends to use with her son, and it can be used by grandparents, aunts, uncle, etc.
I absolutely love this list! I am a mom of one and I can’t wait to try these ideas with her, especially the staycation! A lot of these activities I do with her already. I can’t wait to make more memories with her! ?
Remember when we learned how to read in kindergarten? If you read the “but first a disclaimer” section of this article the author clearly states that even if you are not a mom and daughter you can use the list.
You must have not read the whole story prior to reading the list ?????
hi, i would love to have a list of all your ideas but i cannot afford the ink to copy them ,thank you for your consideration.
Screen shots. Think outside the box.
My daughter is only 1 year, but I hope one day to create a fairy garden together!
Oh, I love that idea, Marcey! <3
Hello, I joined your Blog because I am a father of a 12-yr-old daughter without a mother, I know nothing about being a girl long enough about being a girl who lost their mother at age 11, she is in counseling and I am not attempting to replace her mother, but tragically she now only has a dad in her life, for the most part, my mother lives with us but she is 80 yrs old and doesn’t relate to her, I let her spend time at friends on weekends and she gets some positive female influences through their mom’s. Some of the ideas on your list I already do every week and I am looking to the list for future ideas for her and me.
Hi Randy,
I wanted to say, I’m praying for you and your daughter. I am so sorry to hear this. I was a young girl who (through divorce) lost her dad at the age of 13-years-old. He tried to maintain a relationship with me and my younger siblings, but it took many many years for me to truly forgive him and my mother (whom I lived with full-time). Losing a parent is so hard. I’m now in my mid thirties, married, with kids of my own. My parents have both been through second (and also failed) marriages and are both single again. It’s still hard for me, and I’m still in counseling myself. I don’t fully understand you and your daughter’s circumstances, but I can relate to it on my own level. There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t wish my dad had not walked out on us when I needed him most (in my tween/ teen years). As you understand, there is only so much one parent can offer for their child/children in the area of love and learning experiences. It sounds like you are an amazing dad and doing your very best for your daughter. I just want to encourage you to keep being the amazing parent that you are for her.
Your response to this father’s comment made me so sad. You would have been much better off just offering your condolences. 75 percent of marriages end and sixty percent of marriages with children under 18 end. My parents divorced. I would never in a million years compare that to this poor girl actually losing her mother and her father now having to learn how to guide his daughter through an incredibly difficult time coupled with being a preteen. My deepest sympathies go out to this family and as a mother who has lost a young child I can say that life ending and divorce are insanely different. People really need to think before they respond to something of such a serious nature.
Terri, I think you completely missed her point. Losing a parent as a child is devastating under any circumstance, despite whatever statistic it falls under and I don’t believe anyone was outweighing anyone’s grief, but rather reaching out in support and encouraging someone navigating an awful situation .
Hi. I would like to say that her response was quite sincere and so sweet. The statistics of divorce do not matter. You are correct in saying that a lot of people divorce, but families that stay together are generally happier and more well. She was offering condolences and prayers, and this dad seems so hard-working and the fact that he’s taking time to work and find ideas to bond with his daughter is absolutely beautiful. I’m sorry for you and for your family with martial and parental issues. I will pray for you, too.
hi there
i’m a working mom with a twin daughter, almost every night we spent night together in pray, and some times, i just ask them what happened that day, i think i will surprise them tomorrow in the lunch time, because my office and their school not far
It would be great to have this as a shorter but printable list of all ideas a 1 or 2 pages. I can not afford the costs at library to print this whole long article.
Can you make a printable list of all the ideas Only?
Pen and paper. Take notes.
Hi I am a mother of 2 used to be of three but my third little girl died sadly about 2 months ago so my other girls are so sad and all three of them used to eat at dairy queen to get blizzards and chicken strips anyways not the point I will surprise my kids at there school with there favorite fast food dairy queen because I have been getting calls at home from the principal saying they were crying or refusing to do work I don’t know if that is something because of counseling or there sister so that should be a nice little treat for them.
Great, thorough, list! My 11-year old would love to do some of these.
Oops, I accidently double posted….Anyway, mother-daughter or mother-son time is very precious. When you have more than 1 or 2, it can be pretty difficult to get some 1:1 time with each child, especially with all the activities going during the school year.
Thank you for sharing this awesome list :)
This is a great list! So many things I haven’t thought about. And most will work for a mommy-son date too. Most will even work for a daddy-daughter or daddy-son date. I have a 4 and 7 yr old. My husband and I are going to start once a month date day with the kids. He’ll take our son, I’ll take our daughter, and the next month we’ll switch. Thanks for the ideas!
Thank you for sharing this list! Love it.
First of all, this is an AMAZING list. To all the critics, bad form.
This is a good list of ideas!
Our latest mom and son date happened a few weeks ago the week before Christmas. We went to the library to borrow some new children’s books, then had lunch at the cafe next to the library. Afterwards I took him on a walk down to the high street where there was a salon for a much needed hair cut. Our last order was at a local ice cream shop for a drink.
These mom and daughter ideas sound good too. I particularly love the one about taking a class to learn a new skill. When the weather has improved, I am taking her on a picnic for two at a local park or to Epsom Common. I’ll have to check out that website in addition. The zoo sounds nice but we do not have any local zoos within driving or walking distance unfortunately. All the zoos I know of are in London.
We do however have some museums within driving distance. I also love farmer markets. In the summer for sure, we will probably go on another road trip around England as a family. My family and I are frequent visitors at local bookstores, it is the perfect rainy day activity. I also enjoy a quick look in our local toy shop from time to time.
One more idea I have tried in the past. When my two were babies of about six months old, I packed a bottle of water and took them to a local park for a family photo shoot.
Thank you for the lovely list. Very much appreciated.
Me and my mom loved watching a movie together!!
I can’t wait for the printable. So many good ideas on your site but most are hard to print & share with my daughter for her daughter. My granddaughter likes to fish so we dig for worms and go fishing. She teaches me games they play at school – GaGaBall is the latest. Science experiments are fun, but be sure where you do them! Lava spreads quickly! Basketball, badminton, softball. Anything to get her outside & off the games. It’s summer so catching butterflies & lightning bugs.
Great Ideas!! Thank you so much…
I needed some new fresh ideas…so thank you!
hi! i know this is quite late as of the blog being posted but i am a 17 year old trying to reconnect with my mom and alot of the time my mom is too busy or tired for me being the mother of three (im the oldest and by the time i get to her shes ready for bed or gaming)
any tips for an anxious quiet teen trying to connect with their tired mom for mom and child dates?