In the hustle and bustle of life I sometimes find it hard to connect with each of my children individually. I am constantly connecting with all three of them (as you can imagine) but I struggle to find time for precious, much-needed 1-on-1 time. Recognizing this, I decided to change it! Just as Jon and I need our date nights to connect; so do my kids and I!
I have been most diligent in doing this with Hallie, my 4 year old. We have done movie dates, shopping outings, and ice cream dates! It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant; just something simple that allows you to give them your complete attention and make them feel extra special. I try to plan ahead so that she has plenty of time to get excited for our special time together. I really try to make sure she knows how special she is and how much I love her. I also like to tell her how beautiful she is and how proud she makes me! I try to take off my “mom hat” for a bit too and just be goofy with her! I have to say, they are some of my best dates (Don’t be too jealous Jon!)!
I think it is important to note that this is also a really great Daddy practice too! Mommas, encourage your hubby to have date nights with your kiddos too. I am not sure I can think of anything more attractive than when my hubs taking my babies out!
Here are 10 ideas for date nights with your kiddos!
- Movie (Child’s choice with your approval.)
- Ice cream (Maybe splurge and let them have 2 scoops or a blizzard!)
- Shopping (Let them pick an item out!)
- Bike ride or nature walk (Talk about all the things you see and find.)
- Dinner (Maybe let them “pay the bill”.)
- Baking night (Let them put in the ingredients and choose what you’ll be making.)
- Library or Book store (Let them check-out or buy a book.)
- Coffee/smoothie date (Make them feel like a grown-up.)
- Scavenger hunt around your town (requires a little planning)
- Your child’s favorite (What is your child most interested in? Soccer, dance, animals, etc. Pick something related to their favorite things!)
Fishing is one thing that my husband wants to start doing with the girls as they get older!!
Great ideas Katie! I love taking Drake out on little dates. Our favorite is lunch out and then feeding the ducks at nearby pond.
My mom used to do this with me and my sister. It gave each of us a chance to get all the attention.
A holiday favorite with my oldest son is a date to Olive Garden (his favorite) and then present shopping for his brother and dad–just the two of us!
Great ideas, Katie! This is something we are definitely mindful of, but we haven’t entirely figured out how to fit so many dates into our schedules. What is working for us right now is to keep it simple by involving a kid in something we would be doing anyway–such as taking one kid with me to Hy-vee on a Saturday morning (and getting him/her a free cookie from the bakery while we’re there!). 🙂