Since the arrival of the baby, time with just my older daughter is at a premium. I need to generate a list of things we could do, in a 2 hour time frame, that would be fun and enjoyable for both me and the 6 (almost 7) year old.
We have done pedicures....but I'm out of ideas...
HELP?!?!
Mother/daughter book club? Read a book together (some other time beyond the 2 hour window) and then go out for tea/hot chocolate to discuss the book or perhaps do an activity based on the book? EG--The Secret Garden and then go to the botanical garden to talk about the book.
My dd loved making little books at that age. She would dictate stories and I would write or type them out and she would draw pictures. She still has a couple of them years later and they are really fun to look at.
Dress up
Explore nature
Play store
Read aloud time
Lots of science and craft kits would work in that time frame too, or do them over one or two days. We've gone to Michael's craft store and explored their bargain bins. Last time we ended up with a make your own solar system model set, a kit to build a solar powered dog figurine, shrinky dink jewelry, and a tile potholder kit. We have done all except the solar system model and most have been easy and fun!
My DD (6) and I do a lot of art projects together. Maybe beading or something with little pieces that you can't do with the baby around? Honestly, my DD would be in heaven if I just got down on the floor with her and played stuffies for 2 hours.
I don't have a daughter, but I used to be one ;)
Here are some ideas...
- bake cookies together
- play a board game
- pick out a movie and watch together, just the two of you (home or out at a theater)
- short hike/ walk
- swimming/ beach
- window shop at the mall
- go for "coffee" (you get coffee, she gets hot apple cider)
- shampoo and blow out
- buy beads and make jewlery
- take turns reading a book to each other (you read a page, she reads a page)
- make greeting cards (for use at various upcoming holidays)
- sew something together
- build a pillow and sheet fort
- karaoke night
- play video games together
- have a dance party
- go for a short drive and just talk
- build a bear
- make a collage
- along the lines of arts & crafts, create a mood board or inspiration scrapbook together - she can tear out photos from magazines - maybe plan to re-decorate her room at some point? If you're inclined you could move on to a series of projects like pillows, a quilted or knit throw, and other accessories for her room that you could work on together
- yoga or exercise together - exercise balls aren't too expensive and kids love to use them, so you could buy two in different sizes and use them together
- Dd is 16 and still loves it when I style her hair - French braids, up-dos etc.
These are great ideas!!!! I love them!
I have a list going on my refrigerator.
DD, she's 10.5, & go to a local paint-your-own & other crafty kind of things (mosaics, fused glass, beading, clay sculptures, etc.) studio for about 2 hours. We go on their "no studio fee day" so that it's a more reasonable price (to me). You have to be certain ages for certain projects but children of any age can paint the pottery. Some times we both do something, others just her (usually when I'm overwhelmed by the choices & can't decide).
Sus
Firstly can I say I totally know how you feel ;) As a mother of three little ones I miss the time I used to be able to spend with my eldest daughter... What ever little time you can spare counts amazingly - just sharing a book together or setting an hour a week just for you and her to do something she suggests can really make a difference!
I've also discovered a great site for finding resources for girls www.amightygirl.com which has loads of ideas of books, toys and games for inspiring girls. It's been a life saver for me to look into things that might interest her and they have a great FB page which publishes inspiring stories of girls and women that you can share together.
Sara
Love the ideas! I'm in the same boat with my daughter (5yo) since the baby was born. I'll second the idea of going out for coffee... I get decaf since I'm breastfeeding and she gets a not-quite-so-hot organic milk steamer. We just sit and talk and she loves it. The first time we went a couple months after the baby was born, I felt like she was a stranger because we really hadn't had any quality time together for so long. It was a wake up for me. One other thing to add to the list... get tickets to see some music or to a kids theater... I took dd to see a string quartet and we got dressed up "all fancy".
My daughter (age 8) and I did something recently (This was our first time doing something together without her brother. I am going to use the pp's ideas to take each child individually more often. )...
We took a fairy garden class at our local feed and garden center. But really, there is no need to pay for a class. You could take walks in the woods to look for items for your fairy garden or visit a garden center to pick out miniature plants and accessories and then put it together. My son wants to make one too and now the kids are planning outdoor fairy gardens for the summer.
Depends on what the kids like to do. My older daughter loves just sitting with me. We read books together. When she was younger, I read a lot to her. Like sometimes we would make it through an entire chapter book in one day. My other daughter (newly 8) is obsessed with board games and always has been. They both love dancing badly to good music- we put pandora on a dance station and all dance. They work out with me occasionally- it's really fun to put on the dance music and then let them choose what to do in terms of the exercise.. (one daughter chose to shuffle the entire Party Rock Anthem song. I was begging for a break by the end! Another wanted to jump up and down 100 times or do 50 jumping jacks!). I have let them paint my nails- they pick the colors, they paint. And I reciprocate. My nails always turn out, um, interesting.
All the basics- baking together. Cooking dinner together. The library has free programs sometimes. Going for nature walks and collecting things. Crafty things. This sounds dumb, maybe, but if I have an errand to run, I llike to take a kid along with me. If one of them wants to come. ;) If one of them is craving time with me and I have been busy, it's always nice to take them along grocery shopping- we buy some new weird food we haven't tried and get to chat and catch up while also getting an essential chore done.
My kids mainly play with each other, though, or with their friends. Our biggest thing is notes to each other. I have a big white board by their bathroom. I sometimes write things I'd like them to do on it (laundry, clean their room, etc) but I also write cheesy poems or that I love them or how excited I am about a certain event coming up. They also write notes to me and my husband and we'll write back. It's always cute to walk upstairs and find a new note from your child on the white board.
Our biggest thing is notes to each other. I have a big white board by their bathroom. I sometimes write things I'd like them to do on it (laundry, clean their room, etc) but I also write cheesy poems or that I love them or how excited I am about a certain event coming up. They also write notes to me and my husband and we'll write back. It's always cute to walk upstairs and find a new note from your child on the white board.
I like this idea.
does it always have to be planned? meaning the time is - but how about a surprise element. meaning what kind of mood you are in. what to do. those are our favourites. and its always a joint decision. we both talk it out of what we want to do.
its just dd and me. baking and reading are part of our life. so for special dates it needs to be a go out thing. sometimes at that age it used to be buy gourmet bread butter and cheese from our local store and go eat that at the park.
dd has loved hanging out at cafes with a sketchbook. for short ones we used to do hot chocolate or bagels on the way to school.
we love sewing and fabric stores. i am not the artsy craftsy person but dd is. at your dd's age her favourite store was the bead store. in fact from about 3 to 7 her favourite store where she'd spend HOURS were these local world artifacts stores carrying lots of stuff from far off countries. we had a unique gardening store which dd loved at 6.
art galleries or art events. dd is a party girl. even as a toddler she loved visiting art galleries for their opening shows.
we also did a lot of children's theater - but somehow life had us do that mostly in her toddler years.
if there was a fair anywhere in town we'd be there.
if there were places that had unusual things we'd be there. like a hotel i discovered that had its hedges carved into animals across a park. we went to see that and had a picnic at the park.
now at 10 dd and i seek out quaint tea places and go have tea there.
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