Wow, I can’t believe we’re already more than half way done with the adventure challenge! There are only a few weeks left – it’s really been flying by quickly! But we’ve definitely been loving it. Soon it will be time to start dreaming up a new challenge … but that’s another post. Stay tuned! :)
Anyway, not to get ahead of myself, I still have four adventure posts, including this one! Actually, though, I had this week off for the adventure. Because this week was a Daddy-Daughter adventure! Little one absolutely loves her special times with Daddy, and was super excited about this one. The time that kids spend with their fathers is so important, and so Tim and I wanted to share several ideas for Daddy-Daughter adventures – the last two being what Tim and little one did for this week’s adventure.
All of these are fitting for the adventure guidelines from the first post of this series – including the one about costing less than $15. Many of these don’t have to be exclusive for daughters, they could also be for sons as well. Since we have only a girl right now, we think in terms of Daddy-Daughter time, but by no means wish to exclude the little boys! Little boys learn from their fathers what kind of man they should grow up to be, and little girls learn from their father what kind of man they should marry. Both very important. :)
Here is a list of 10 ideas that Tim and I came up with for Daddy + daughter adventures, I hope it gets spurs your mind to think of your own ideas, too!
10 – Share some special memories from your own childhood! If you live in the same area you grew up in, take a drive (windows down, music loud – that was a prerequisite of special drives with my dad!) and drive by your childhood home, where you went to school, where you learned to drive, etc. If you don’t live in the same area, visit the library and check out your favorite books from when you were a kid, go to the grocery store and buy that treat you loved when you were little, go to the park and play your favorite childhood games. Tell her about what it was like growing up, things you liked, things you learned, things you dreamed, and watch her enjoy them as well.
9 – Go to an event from the community calendar! Check to see where your community’s calendar of events might be. It could be on your town’s website, maybe at the library, maybe in the newspaper, etc. These calendars have lots of info about upcoming concerts, local farmers markets, events at pick-your-own farms, jam-nights at the bluegrass parlor, museum events, local productions of plays etc. etc. Generally this can be a gold-mine for interesting activities to do together, and highlight interesting things in your own community.
8 – Teach her some of your car skills! There are lots of practical things girls should learn from their daddies on how to handle themselves in emergencies, like how to change a tire, jumping the car battery, and driving in the snow. Yes, it’s work – and yes, it’s fun! I remember loving it when Dad would show me stuff about how to fix something on the car, not because I was particularly interested in cars, but because it was fun to spend time together and it made me feel much more confident to have that knowledge and the fact that he wanted to share it with me.
7 – Go on a date! Put on a tie, let her wear her favorite dress, and take her out. Show her how a gentleman behaves – open the doors for her, the whole shebang. Teach her to expect to be treated with respect by men, and in turn to be encouraged to behave like a lady. You don’t have to go somewhere formal or spend a lot of money, you could go to the ice cream parlor, but it will feel special to her to spend time with you on a Daddy-daughter date.
6 – Find somewhere to volunteer together! Many wonderful bonding moments come not from just doing something for entertainment, but from working together. And working together for a good cause will teach her the satisfaction of spending time in a valuable way. Seek out a volunteer opportunity in your area, and make a Daddy-daughter adventure out of it!
5 – Take your daughter to work! Whether on an actual take-your-child-to-work day, or not, taking your kid to work can give them a great look into what you do. Let them see the good that you do, how you work hard – so they understand it’s not just that you disappear for hours and come home with a paycheck. She may or may not be interested in pursuing your field as an adult, but it will still be good for her to see you at work. Or, if your work environment isn’t suitable to bring a child along while you’re working, have her come on your lunch break to eat together and give a little tour.
4 – Share your hobby! If Daddy likes to play the guitar, do gardening, or work on cars, or make carvings, or shoot targets, or has some other hobby, why not spend some time sharing that? It’s good for daughters to see their Daddies’ talents – plus it’s fun as the daughter to learn something new! My dad got me involved in his antique business, which was a lot of fun to do together, going to auctions to hunt down new finds, learning from him on how to figure out the date of an item, setting up what we found in the antique booth, etc. But it doesn’t even have to be such a long-term project. Spend an afternoon sharing something you enjoy with your daughter! This is my dad showing me how to shoot a rifle:
3 – Take a hike! Learning how to climb trees, how to figure out which way is north, recognizing and avoiding poison ivy … little girls need to learn these things too! State or national parks often have beautiful hiking trails, so head for the woods, enjoy being in nature, and have some Daddy-daughter time teaching her about the outdoors. Daddies are good at the whole rugged-manliness thing, and it is good for daughters to see that. :)
2 – Go out for breakfast! This is one I remember doing with my dad, and I always loved it. It’s an exciting way to start off the day, and since (at least in our family), breakfast is not usually a meal we would eat-out, that also gives it an added layer of “special”. Plus, breakfast is generally a pretty cheap meal, and it’s easy to have some one-on-one time over biscuits and gravy (that’s what I always got on daddy-daughter breakfasts!) without breaking your budget. It was always a lot of fun for me to go out for breakfast with my Dad. And when Tim called me on his adventure with little one to say they were going out for breakfast, it made me happy to hear. :)
1 – Build something together! Tim and little one’s adventure was centered around this one. If you live near a Lowe’s you should definitely check out their free “Build and Grow” kid’s workshops. Every other Saturday you can take in your kids to build a wooden project. And it’s free! I mean, really, spending one-on-one time together, building something fun that you can take home, and not spending money? That’s hard to beat! You can check out the Build and Grow schedule here. Or, if there’s not a Lowe’s near you, just build something together in your backyard! Supplies for a simple project don’t have to cost very much. Tim was talking recently about building a marble machine out of PVC pipes. Working on a Daddy-daughter project is not only fun, but there are plenty of things for the little ones to learn in the process.
Tim and little one had a great time. :)
I hope this can inspire you to think of ideas of your own!
Share your ideas and thoughts in the comments below, I love to hear from you!
Love, love, love this post:) and all of the people in it:)
love, Bertina (mom)
Aw, thanks! Love you too :)
i’m seriously considering taking weekly explorations inspired by your adventure challenges! seriously april, i spend way too much time sitting at home or at work in front of the computer. haha i loove the ideas you suggested!
I think most of us are guilty of that sometimes! That is part of why I started this challenge … especially through the winter I felt like we spend too much time indoors and in front of screens. Ick. So now that the weather is warming up, I really wanted to get out and about with more family time – and hoped to inspire others to do the same! :) You’ll have to let me know if you do it too – have fun and good luck! :D
Wow. You two are doing a good job. Love y’all. Great blog. Go Leila go. And may she grow up to be a talented bloggerdudette someday, among other more wonderful things.
Aw, thanks Dad! It was fun writing this post with Tim and thinking back on fun Daddy + Daughter times you and I have had together – thanks for taking the time to do special things with me. :)
I love going into work with my Dad (even at 23)! He hosts a radio show, so I will often go in and hang out and then we will go to dinner afterwards!
Oh how neat, Lindsey!! Yeah, Daddy + Daughter time isn’t only when you’re little – that picture of my Dad showing me how to shoot is very recent :) Thanks for your comment! :D
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150324141748492&set=a.10150267293918492.338351.679923491&type=3
We have what we call, “the adventure list” and whenever we think of fun things to do, we add it to the adventure list! Both of my parents are really good about carving out time with both my brother and I!
Hm, the link isn’t working .. probably because its from your personal facebook, I can’t see it? But that sounds really neat! :)
My dad and I do stuff together a lot, but I’m excited for our outing to a Braves Vs. Yankees game this summer – yay go Yanks! haha
Oooh, yeah, that’s classic Dad time – go to a baseball game! :) Have fun Jessica! :D
such a cute idea.
And I love love love that font you’ve written ‘adventure’ in. what is it please?
em. xo
Thanks so much! :)
Are you talking about the word adventure in the title or the word adventure in the graphic at the top of the post? If you’re talking about in the graphic, the font is Avondale from Apostrophic Labs … but it doesn’t usually have a map design in the letters, I did that myself out of a vintage map image. :) I hope that helps?
My dad and I used to sit in the garage late at night fixing cars he’d bring home for side work. I remember feeling so wonderful that I could grab the right tool for him when he needed it and blushing like crazy at all the curse words flying out of his mouth when something wasn’t going right!
We have a daughter now and are expecting another, and I can’t wait for more Daddy-Daughter adventures! It is just sweet to see them interacting together and know that they have their own special bond, a kind of bond I can never have in the same way and would never want. It’s their special time together. :)
Thanks for adding some ideas to our adventure days!
-Tiffany from Mom’s Daily Zen
Thanks for stopping by, Tiffany! It’s definitely true that fathers and daughters have a unique bond. And, of course, so do mothers and daughters. Or fathers and sons and mothers and sons. All special bonds, and equal – but all very different, like you said . I think that’s part of the beauty of how God made the family. :) Different roles, different relationships, all wonderful and all one family. :)
Could there be a cuter post? No way! Daddies & Daughters are the cutest. Men tend to be though of as so masculine but when their daughters come around – there is no stopping the mushy melting love!
Just stopping by to say hello as I have been on a blogging break for a bit! Hope to back soon!
Hugs – Brandi
Hey Brandi!
Yeah, I saw you were on a little break – I think we all need that sometimes!!!
And totally agree about the softer side of men you see when they are with their daughters. :)
Looking forward to seeing you back on your blog after your time off! :)
april, this is adorable, such a great list!
Aw, thanks Danielle! :D
My hubby works long hours & commutes 6 days a week, sometimes 7, but ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS finds time for our princess, 1 on1! I really wish he could take her to work, as she’s autistic & really doesn’t get the whole work thing, but it’s literally impossible, even for lunch. His job won’t allow it AND he commutes an hour away! But I think I may be able to solve that issue afte reading your post!!! Thanks!
How sweet and beautiful that he makes time for her. Life is always so busy … but before we know it, it has whisked by, and we need to be making the most of the time. Thanks for sharing :)
Great ideas! Can’t wait till my daughter is *just* a bit older to have fun with some of these!
Yes, it’s certainly a little different when they are still tiny! But cherish those special days, they fl by so fast. :)
Love your list. Amazed at how many daddy and daughter have done without pre-planning as adventures. I would add to the date night idea, go to a community daddy daughter dance. Our elementary school had 3 while she was there and both dad and daughter will always cherish those memories. I’d love to see some ideas for mother son adventures. I have a 15 yr old and find it very difficult to come up with ideas we both can enjoy. Any ideas?? Thanks.
Hmm … well, I don’t have any sons at this point, so I can’t speak from my own experience as a parent, but I do have several brothers. Maybe if your personal interests don’t overlap very much, what about working on a project for others together? Maybe ask him what kinds of causes and charities he would really like to do something for, and then find a way to work together on that. For instance, if he has a lot of respect for the military, maybe you could make some care packages together to send overseas. Or, if he is concerned about the poor, maybe you could both volunteer somewhere in a building project … or Heifer.org is a really great one because you can send a goat or other farm animal to a third world family and that serves as a continual source of income, so maybe come up with an idea for how to make some money to do that. Or, if he really cares about animals, then maybe volunteer together at an animal shelter or park, etc. I think something like that could be neat, because instead of trying to find common ground on a activity, you’re finding common ground in a cause, and could be a great opportunity to draw him out and get him talking about what he cares about, etc. :) Anyway, that’s just one idea! Since you’re talking about an older age it’s hard to suggest anything really specific, since it will vary more person to person, but a few other ideas would be outdoor type activities like hiking, paintballing, caving, etc. or fun projects like building a Rube Goldberg machine, or learning how to carve, or stuff like that. I would tend to think projects might be a good idea … teen age guys aren’t really known for being chatty, so working on something together might be a good way to interact and get conversation flowing rather than putting him in a situation where conversation is more the focus (like going out to eat and things like that). So there are a few ideas, for what it’s worth! :)
Great ideas! For the mother of a teenage boy I just wanted to add that paintball is another fun activity. And in regards to the free building projects at Lowe’s, Home Depot also does those, for those that maybe have a Home Depot close but not a Lowe’s. Really love the teaching the car skills idea!