Ahhhhh…the mother-daughter relationship. It can be a tricky one but it can also be a totally fulfilling one. Here are 26 mother-daughter date ideas to do together.

#1 Put Together a Puzzle

While I am not a huge fan of puzzles, my girls LOVE puzzles. It’s also a great activity for young girls to do. So pull out a big puzzle that you can put together together. My girls especially love the HUGE floor puzzles but a table puzzle works just as well.

#2 Go on One-on-One Mother-Daughter Dates

With three girls in the mix, it can be challenging to spend quality time with each of them alone. While child experts say it’s more about quality time (can be as little as 10 minutes a day) than it is about quantity, plan regular one-on-one dates with each of your daughters. Let them pick an activity that they want to do with you + you alone.

#3 Have a Dance Party

Put your fave jams from iTune on your SmarTV + jam! My girls love music (+ so do I). We blast songs from different genres + times, dance, sing + have fun! Dancing around the living room can also be a great workout for you + your littles.

#4 Read a Book

My oldest started learning to read last year so she’s still doing a lot of practice reading. Every night, we read at least one book together. I have her read me a book that is at her level. Sometimes, we read chapter books together, where I read one chapter to her each night. The other two girls often sit in or we read with them separately.

#5 Movie Night

We tend to do this when my husband is traveling. We make a blanket bed on the floor in the living room with tons of blankets + pillows. We pick a movie to watch together while we munch on pizza + popcorn (+ sometimes ice cream). If you’re feeling financially fit, you can also head out to the movies to see a movie on the big screen.

#6 Go to a Concert

We have enjoyed everything from kid concerts outside to jazz concerts with the girls. As they get older, your daughter is sure to have a band or musician that she adores so buy her tickets as an experience gift + be her plus 1 for the concert.

#7 Go on a Scavenger Hunt

You can take this one a couple of different ways. You can create a neighborhood scavenger hunt, where you create a list of items to find as you traipse around your neighborhood. You can take it a step further + create a list of items to find around the town or city where you live.

Since we live right outside of D.C., we can do this with monuments, historical spots, battlefields, etc.

#8 Start a Business

Our girls are more tech savvy than ever before. Ali Martinez runs an online girl’s clothing boutique from home with her two girls. Ali says being able to run the business from home allows her to spend time with her girls while she’s working + gives the girls a chance to see how her hard work helps to keep their family thriving. Depending on how old your girls are, they can help with things like prepping orders for shipping or creating a masterpiece on your invoice to add a special touch.

#9 Participate in Afternoon Tea

In our area, it’s Tea with Mrs. B. There’s likely one in your area, too. Get dressed up for the afternoon + head to the tea room for some tea (or lemonade for the girls) + yummies. Mrs. B has a warehouse full of dress up for the girls + she also gives a quick rundown of table manners before the official tea starts.

#10 Conduct a Science Experiment

My girls are always mixing up potions + are very interested in science experiments. It’s not really my thing but they love it so to foster this love for science + to watch their little faces light up, we subscribe to Green Kid Crafts STEM boxes, so that new experiments arrive on schedule + we always have some activities to do together.

#11 Visit a Farm

We are lucky enough to have several farm visit options in our area. Find a farm that is within driving distance to your home. Spend the day petting + feeding the animals. Many farms also have people that explain to you how a farm works, hay rides + more for the girls to enjoy.

#12 Create Care Packages for the Homeless

I am borrowing this idea from my daughter’s vacation bible camp. Stock pile some supplies + gallon storage bags. Spend an hour or two with your daughter filling the storage bags with items such as a:

• Bottle of water
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste (small tube)
• Small notepad
• Pen
• Shampoo (sample size)
• Granola/energy bar
• Lip balm
• Deoderant (trial size)

Keep the filled bags in your car or bag. When you’re out + about + see someone who is homeless, give them one of the bags. My daughter really enjoys filling these bags with items people without homes need. Giving them to someone is a life lesson in empathy, humanity + kindness.

#13 Plant a Garden

Plant a veggie or flower garden with your daughter. You can spend some quality time in the great outdoors + teach her about caring for live things. She’ll rejoice in the fruits of her labor as her veggies + flowers grow. We also did this with trees. We live in a wooded area + had to take some trees down for our safety + the safety of our home.

We bought at least 3x the amount the of trees that we cut down to replant with our girls. We taught them about replenishing + how trees provide us with the oxygen that we need to breathe!

#14 Volunteer

Spend a day (or more) volunteering with your daughter. Choose an organization that is near + dear to your hearts. Volunteer at a nursing home, hospital, animal shelter or soup kitchen. One of my daughters attended a Kids Give Back summer camp, where each day they made or assembled items for a charity or cause. She had a lot of fun but she also learned about helping others.

#15 Have a Dinner Date

Make reservations at a fancy restaurant. Get dressed up + go on a dinner date with your daughter. The conversation tends to be fascinating when you are focused on each other + enjoying your delicious meals.

#16 Hit an Orchard

Depending on the month, find out what is in season + go picking! Pick apples, strawberries, pumpkins or whatever is in season in your area that particular month! When your bring your pickings home, eat them as is or find ways to turn them into new creations, like apple pie.

#17 Bake for a Neighbor

Bake cookies or a pie together. Deliver the baked goods to a friend or neighbor. If you bake enough, you can deliver the items to several friends or neighbors rather than just one.

#18 Spa Day

You don’t have to go to a fancy spa to have a spa day when you can bring the fancy spa to your house. Amber Spence has two girls. She says on a lazy Saturday , she + her girls put on their robes, do their nails, a facial + their hair. I remember I let one of my girls do my makeup. I am pretty convinced the then 4 year-old did a better job of it than I could.

#19 Be a Tourist

Every town or city has something for tourists. If it’s not your city or town then find the closest tourist attractions. Spend the day doing things a tourist would do if they visited your area. Go to a museum, find the best restaurant in town + eat there, take photos with statues + monuments + in front of exhibits (when the museum allows).

#20 Play Board Games

Host a board game day or night. Let your daughter pick a few of her favorite games + spend time together playing. Board games teaches your daughter many skills while you get to spend time together.

#21 Cuddle with Cats at a Cat Lounge

Find a cat lounge in your area. A cat lounge is a location where kittens + cats lounge. You can visit with them, cuddle with them + play with them. It’s a great activity for cat lovers that might now have a furry feline at home (or even if you do, you can spend some time with other kitties).

If you + your daughter are more dog people than cat people, then visit a shelter + cuddle with dogs + puppies instead.

#22 Cook Together

My oldest two girls are intrigued by what I am doing in the kitchen. Have your daughter pick a recipe + cook it with her. Walk her through the steps of mixing the ingredients + working through the steps to get the food from the stove (or oven) to the table. Then, you can enjoy the meal together.

#23 Try a New Ice Cream Place

Check out a new ice cream place. If you + your daughter are feeling especially adventurous, try out a new ice cream flavor. We had this on our bucket list last summer + discovered a delicious local ice cream shop that makes their own ice cream + sells mini scoops so you can get 5 mini scoops of different flavors to try instead of one (or more) big scoops of one flavor. Genius, if you ask me 🙂

#24 Walk the Runway

When my girls get new clothes, they love to have a “fashion show.” They make me the announcer + then they strut their stuff down the runway (OK, the hallway + into the living room). They think it is so fun. When I get my Stitch Fix box, they make me do the same thing. They have me try on my clothes + strut my stuff on the runway. It is a lot of fun!

#25 Nail It!

Pick a DIY project on Pinterest that you + your daughter can tackle together. Follow the instructions. Take pictures to document the process of your project. Take final “after” pictures. Compare it to the picture on Pinterest to see if your Nailed It (or not).

#26 Go on a Girls’ Weekend

Plan an overnight or weekend getaway for you + your daughter(s). Maybe you spend the weekend at a nice hotel + spa. Maybe you jet off to her favorite amusement park. Visit the local eateries, museums + other must-see spots while you’re in town.

The mother-daughter relationship is a special one. Use these 26 ideas as inspiration for the next activity or date night you have with your daughter.