20 Father-Daughter Dates to Increase Connection

 

This post contains affiliates. The links provide me with a small percentage of commission but do not cost you anything extra.

20 Father-Daughter Dates to Increase Connection

The relationship between a father and daughter is special. A Father is a daughter’s first love. She seeks him out for assurance that she is beautiful and lovely. Daughters ask for hugs from their dads only to run away to see if she will be chased. Fathers have a unique opportunity to model the behavior their daughters will want to find in a husband. A father has the ability to build-up and reinforce a daughters self-worth or be a source of self-consciousness. This list is an opportunity for Fathers to show daughters they are special and important!

Dress up and go out to dinner

Daughters think their fathers are so handsome when they dress up! And if a father dresses up especially for her, it’s all the better.  A dinner date allows a father to show his daughter how she should be treated with future men. The kindness and respect that goes into holding a door or pulling back a chair. I promise ladies, it has nothing to do with a man not believing you are capable of completing the task, but rather, believing you are special and should be treated so.

Go to a drive-in movie

A drive-in movie is not a common sight anymore! But there is something so neat and special about watching a movie outside on a warm Summer night.  You may have to travel a bit to find a drive-in movie but that will just add to the enjoyment of the evening and allow for time to talk to and from the movie.  Make sure you bring some lawn chairs and splurge on some popcorn and candy!

Attend a Father-Daughter dance

I remember when I was a little girl standing on my father’s feet while he danced us around the room. I felt special and loved. All the more enjoyable for a daughter would be to actually attend a Father-Daughter dance. Again, to have her father get dressed up just for her is special. And then add that she gets to be her father’s dance partner all night long is icing on the cake! Girls love to have a dress that twirls, too. Some fathers have gone the extra mile to leave the house while their daughter is still getting ready so that they could ring the doorbell to pick up their date. High-five for getting her a corsage.

Go fishing

Now just as much as a daughter likes to get dressed up with her father, she also likes to go on adventures with him! Fishing is an outdoors activity that doesn’t really require much effort but will make your daughter feel special. You don’t have to have all of the fancy gear or expensive rods and reels to impress your daughter. She will just like that you wanted to spend time with her. Take the time to teach her how to tie a knot in the fishing line and how to bait the hook. Please don’t get frustrated with her if she doesn’t want to touch the worm!

Go hiking

Hiking is another opportunity for fathers and daughters to go on an adventure.  Hiking is about enjoying nature. It’s also about enjoying the process of getting to your destination. That is a great life lesson for all of us to remember. In hiking, if you are only focused on “getting there”, then you miss the journey! Dads take the time to teach your daughter how to read a compass and increase situational awareness.  Don’t forget water and plenty of snacks!

Play miniature golf

Miniature golf is often a pretty equal mix of skill and luck! It can be a laid back competition that focuses on enjoyment and time together for fathers and daughters to increase connection.

Go for a bike-ride

A bike-ride is another adventure that is great for an afternoon together between fathers and daughters. Dads make sure you know the ability of your daughter before leaving.  The point is not to get a fantastic workout but rather to enjoy each other’s company during a joint activity. Dads take the time to teach your daughter how to check her tires and make sure her breaks are working!

Have lunch in a cafe or coffee shop

I love quaint cafes and coffee shops. It’s the combination of character the owners have added with the addition of intimacy of the seating.  This type of atmosphere is great for increasing connection between fathers and daughters. Make sure you have enough time for a long lunch and don’t have to rush through the process.  Allow your daughter to browse the menu before choosing. Often times the smaller places will also have board games to occupy the time while waiting for food or just hanging out afterward.

Go bowling

Bowling is another opportunity for laid back competition. Utilize the time as a way to connect as opposed to crushing your opponent! Dads take the time to chat with your daughter and grab some greasy food while your at it.

Go to a specialty chocolate shop

Ah chocolate! The smell alone is worth walking into a specialty chocolate shop.  Dads let your daughters take their time picking out a chocolate or two from the glass cases. Make sure to savor the eating experience once the purchases have been made.  The point of good chocolate is to savor it. This is a great analogy for fathers to reinforce for daughters.  She is worth spending time on! She is special and unique. Dads you could even use specialty chocolates as a segue to talking to your daughter about her boyfriend. It’s better to go slow!

Have a picnic lunch

Picnics are all about enjoying the outdoors and the company you are sharing it with. An additional way to increase connection would be to prepare the food together before going on the picnic.  Make sure you take some books or a Frisbee to have some activities to do together. And remember, please leave your electronics at home. Your focus should be on your daughter (and hers should be on you)!

Go out for ice cream

Ice cream is a simple pleasure! It usually gets connected with rewards or ways to heal broken hearts. In this instance, dads unexpectedly taking their daughters for ice cream is a special treat.  Daughters feel special anytime they believe their father has been thinking about her. Again, this simple gesture reinforces that she is lovely and worth caring for.

Take her shopping

I know. This one doesn’t seem very fun.  But hear me out. Daughters (and women) want to feel beautiful and unfortunately girls often equate beauty with sexy and provocative clothing.  Fathers have a unique opportunity to reinforce his daughter’s beauty through more classy and modest clothing.  A perfect example is in the movie “What Women Want”. Mel Gibson’s character takes his daughter shopping for a prom dress.  He’s engaged during the process even if he’s a bit goofy and silly.  The point is that he gives her a great reaction when she finds the perfect dress. She initially has a look of apprehension on her face until her dad gives her the approval and then she positively beams!

Have a breakfast date

Breakfast dates are a great way to increase connection that often gets overlooked. Taking the time at the beginning of the day reinforces for daugthers that they are important and worth spending time with.  It’s also a great way for fathers to talk about what is on his daughters agenda for the day or to give her a pep talk for her big test later in the day.

Go geocaching

Geocaching is like the world’s largest treasure hunt! You go to the website and create an account. You then use a handheld GPS to look up various coordinates around your area or the location you are planning on traveling to.  Then you get to find the cache! Some are relatively easy and in large boxes.  Other caches however are micro-size and hidden in plain sight! It is a great adventure for fathers and daughters to increase connection!

Paint her nails and do her hair

Moms paint daughter’s nails and do her hair practically everyday, however, there is something special about when dads do the same task. Maybe not very fair for moms but that’s exactly why it’s special when dad does it. Doing hair and nails tends to be pretty far outside a father’s norm.  A daugther feels loved and cared for when fathers are willing to engage in a behavior that they wouldn’t normally do.  It really is a great way to increase connection even if it only takes a few minutes.

Go to the zoo

The zoo is a great father-daughter date. Who doesn’t love watching animals?! It is also an opportunity to talk while walking around the area. Sometimes dad’s tell me they don’t know what to talk to their daugther about and my answer is – anything! Daughters will remember the time spent with their fathers even if the conversation was only ever about the activity or task they were doing in the moment.

Participate in a tea party

I walked by my daugther’s room the other day to see my husband on the floor with a tea party set up before him. My daughter was in four-year-old heaven! For that half hour her daddy was all hers. He was willing to raise a pinkie and tell her how delicious the cookies and tea were.  I’m pretty sure she told me about her tea party with daddy for the next two days! It was such an easy activity for my husband to do for our daughter but it was to special to her. Try it! You may even enjoy it, too!

Go ice skating

Ice skating takes balance, confidence and a whole lot of practice. The first (or second or third) time you go ice skating you are bound to fall a few times.  A father-daughter ice skating date is a perfect way for dads to show their daughters that no matter how many times she falls, her dad will be right there to help pick her up! Added bonus is getting some hot chocolate afterward!

Go to the planetarium

The planetarium is a great way to experience the stars at anytime of the day. There is something truly breathtaking and humbling when looking up and seeing the sheer vastness of our stars and solar system.  The planetarium would be a wonderful father-daughter date to show show your daughter she is as special to you as the moon and the stars!

My sincere hope is that the above list becomes a jump-off point for Fathers and Daughters to increase their connection and build a special relationship that lasts a lifetime! Check out my other similar lists: 20 Mother-Daughter Dates, 20 Mother-Son Dates, and 20 Father-Son Outings

God Bless,

Melissa Gendreau