Mother-child dates are a wonderful way to get to know your kids better. One parent, one child, and a great chance to get to learn more about your child’s worries, hopes, dreams, and a time for you to answer their questions and discuss their problems. Taking your kids on regular individual dates gives you the chance to build a stronger relationship and to have a regular time for them to discuss their worries with you in a private setting.
How often should you plan dates? Once a month works well, but if your work schedule is difficult, you can work around that (every 6th Saturday, or the 2nd night home from a regular business trip, etc). You might also switch off monthly mother-child and father-child dates if it works better for your family. If you have several kids, you can switch off months or simply reserve one night each week for one child; you can work out what works best for your family, there are no rules. Things to do can be free to expensive, or a mix to fit your budget. What you will do depends more on the age and interests of your child. You can do the same thing every time—breakfast, for example—or you can completely mix it up, exploring new places and activities. As your kids grow, they won’t outgrow these dates, but what you do may change, and that’s OK. It’s not what you do that matters—it’s the tradition of spending time one-on-one on a regular basis.
Do you already go on regular dates with your kids, but feel like you're in a rut? Mix it up! The list below should gve you plenty of new ideas that can be adjusted for kids of any age.
Feed Yourselves
• Go out to breakfast, lunch, or dinner—try a new place or go to an old favorite
• Get ice cream or donuts
• Have a picnic you make yourselves—go all out with fried chicken and potato salad, or just take sandwiches and a blanket
• Make cookies at home
• Cook a new type of cuisine at home
Get Active
• Go bowling
• Go to the park and play basketball, soccer, frisbee, stomp rockets, or take a bat and ball
• Go mini golfing or to the driving range (or play a round of golf if you are both up for it!)
• Go ice skating or roller skating
• Take a hike or neighborhood walk
• Go on a bike ride
• Go swimming or to the beach
• Try a new sport together—standup paddle boarding, surfing, tennis, yoga, or the batting cages
Learn Something
• Check out a museum, zoo, or aquarium—try a spot you’ve never been to before, or see the latest traveling exhibit
• Take a local walking tour (guided or self-guided)
• Sign up for a class together—cooking, crafts, language, sports, or whatever your child finds interesting
• Volunteer together—you might find drop-in events (often trail maintenance or beach/park cleanups) or register in advance for training at an animal sanctuary, library, museum, or garden
• Go to the library or bookstore—pick out a book to read together, find a movie, or get a cookbook to try out
• Find out if there are any Little Free Libraries nearby—grab some books to trade and walk, ride, or drive to swap books
Just Have Fun
• Have a salon day or get mani/pedis
• Go fishing
• Catch a movie at the drive-in, movie theatre, or at an outdoor movie night
• Watch a live sporting event or game together (professional, college, or high school)—try watching a sport you've never seen before
• See a live show—community theatre, professional, or at the local high school
• Enjoy a free concert in the park