With having such a large family, especially with my five kids, life certainly got busy for us. Throwing in all of their after-school activities together, working in time to complete their homework, getting dinner on the table, and the other unexpected obstacles that came into the mix. I couldn’t have but wonder where I could fit in date nights with my kids.
I had always wanted to spend each day of the week with one of my kids. I knew that spending one-on-one with them was important and it made them each feel special. However, I had to find a way to be intentional about doing parent-kid date nights if I ever wanted to make it happen. Doing it five times a week with each of my kids I knew was not realistic, so I had to find a way to make it a reality.
Have you ever wanted to do date nights with your kids? Date nights are an incredible way to spend one-on-one time with your kids. They are great for making them feel special and having those meaningful conversations. Here is how you can start having your own date nights with your kids and some fun ideas!
Kid Date Nights Are Important
One thing I have learned about date nights with my kids is how important they are. Here are some reasons I love date nights with my kids and how impactful they can be:
- Date nights give you an opportunity for spending one-on-one time with your kids.
- Spending that time alone with mom or dad makes them feel so special and important.
- We can have meaningful conversations with your children where they might be more open to talk and you learn so much more about your kids during your one-on-one time with them.
- We make memories together. Most of my kids remember many of their one-on-one dates and how much they loved them.
Scheduling Date Nights With Your Kids
It can be hard to find one-on-one time with your kids when life is busy, but your date-nights don’t always have to occur so often. You can schedule them whenever it works for you and your family.
For my family, we would have date nights every other week. Thursday nights were often reserved for my husband and me, and then during the weekend, we would have a date-night set with our kids. Each one of our kids would either have a date with mom or dad depending on our schedule during that time of year.
Kid Date Ideas
Here are some fun parent-kid date ideas. Date nights with your kids don’t always have to cost you money, they can just be as fun, special, and memorable without spending a dime. Sometimes we even eat dinner at home as a family first and then go out for a fun date night activity.
- Go out for ice cream
- Play at a park
- See a movie together
- Go out for pizza
- Play some arcade games
- Race go-karts
- Play mini-golf
- Go hiking
- Go to a trampoline park
- Get your nails done
- Go on a coffee date
- Go on a fun local tour
- Go ice skating
- Go out to a restaurant of their choice
- Take your child to a “fancy” restaurant and teach them proper manners, how to open doors for others, pulling back chairs, and ordering from a menu.
- Visit the zoo or aquarium
- Go on a bike ride together
- Take them grocery shopping and teach them how to shop for groceries
- Paint pottery pieces
- Visit a museum
- Attend a play (your local theater, Disney on Ice, etc.)
- Go to a sport’s game together
- Play laser tag
- Visit the fire or police station
- Have a picnic in the park
- Go on a scavenger hunt
- Go to the library and book out books to read to together
- Rockwall climbing
- Go to a sweet shop and pick out a special treat
- Take a class together, such as cooking or art
- Cook a meal together
- Play board games
- Pop some popcorn and watch your kid’s favorite movie
- Go out for breakfast
- Have a water balloon fight
- Work on a puzzle together
- Do a science experiment together
- Sit on the floor and play together (great for little ones!)
- Take a day trip
- Take a walk together