Great Mother Daughter Bonding Ideas
The mother daughter bond is like nothing else in this world. The bickering and hard times? Inevitable, unfortunately, especially during the adolescent years. But if you make an effort to establish a close bond and have the type of relationship you want with your little one, hopefully you’ll be able to weather the hard times that you just can’t get around when you’re raising a daughter. The moments you spend together now can take you through those difficult times that are bound to come; with some girls, the teen years can bring distance and independence that makes you feel like an intruder in her life; with other girls, maybe you’ll butt heads over certain issues or others still will have an issue with rules, curfews and discipline. The good news is, most of us emerge unscathed on the other side of it all and eventually find our way back to mom.
Developing and strengthening your bond can come naturally, but making time specially dedicated to this helps create memories that will last you both a lifetime and will stick with her through adolescence and into womanhood. Cherish the moments you have together now and the memories will last forever! Here are some great ways to spend real quality time together:
Teach her something fun or learn something together
Your mini-me already has plenty of tedious work to take on at school. Leave the long division and past participles, linking verbs and hyperboles to her teachers. Teach her something you enjoy and that maybe she’ll enjoy - like baking cupcakes, making origami or planting flowers. If you have a more specialized skill, share it with her! It doesn’t even have to be something you know how to do - yet - look up some youtube videos or take a class together and learn something new together! No pressure, learn together, make mistakes together and laugh about it all, together.
Take a weekend road trip somewhere
There’s so many places to see, no matter where you live! If you happen to live close to a theme park, that’s perfect. But if not, you can find a natural attraction, a museum, a nature reserve, a historical site or anything else. Whether it’s an hour away or a few hours away, you’ll have time to yourselves to get to know each other and enjoy the trip.
Read a Book Together
Taking the journey of reading a book together is something that can really bring you together. Take turns reading it aloud in chapters or sections, and before you know it, you’ll be having discussions about the characters, what you think will happen with them, and so much more - like your very own, private book club! You’ll get to know about how she sees the world, takes in information and interprets it, what makes her think, and so much more.
Game Night
This is a great one for the whole family, but sometimes, if you just want one-on-one time with your daughter, maybe you can have dad and the boys have a boys night. Grab some Jenga, Monopoly, Hungry Hippos, or whatever game you happen to have and let the fun fly! Even the occasional video game is a great choice!
Get outside and Get moving
Whatever your styles are - whether you prefer hiking, swimming at the local swimming pool, river, lake or beach, whether you enjoy playing tennis, golf, basketball, or whatever, getting moving together is a perfect way to make some memories together.
Plan a Surprise Party Together
Is it almost Grandma or a sibling’s birthday? Is father’s day approaching? Plan a surprise party or a surprise outing for that person - start a few weeks in advance, assign projects and have deadlines. It’s actually a great way to teach her time management and project management - but more importantly, the thrill of keeping an exciting secret together and working on it together will bring you two closer than ever!
Volunteer Together
Is she passionate about helping kids? The elderly? Animals? Whatever cause pulls at your heartstrings, decide on a cause and find a local organization that does something about it - whether it’s a beach cleanup, a soup kitchen, a program that visits kids in the hospital, an animal shelter or whatever - it’s a chance for you both to give back, be responsible members of the community and to participate in changing the world for the better, together. It will help set an example for her and expand her thinking when it comes to being a global citizen.
Learn a Language Together
The world is becoming more and more global by the minute. Your daughter’s generation will likely need to know different languages, or will at least benefit more by knowing other languages than your own generation. Set her up for success by encouraging a global perspective. Also, kids are great at taking in new information and for you, well it’s never too late to learn! You can enroll in a language class together - or, if you can’t afford to, there are so many youtube videos, books and flashcards that can help you two learn. Choose a language you both like and go!
The Usual Suspects - Spa Day, Shopping Day and Beauty Day
These are the typical mother-daughter activities, but they’re so much fun, we couldn’t not mention them! Plan a girl’s day together! Even make it more fun by dressing up and twinning together with matching mommy and me matching outfits! Have a fun filled day with spa treatments (you can go to a a spa or just do these at home, with exfoliators, skin cleansers, masks and more) hit your favorite stores and get some new clothes together, get your makeup done, have dinner together and just celebrate your special mother-daughter bond and girl power!
