One of my favorite traditions that Mr. Garland and I have started as Jackson gets older is taking him on dates. We trade off who goes with him, but every couple of weeks one of us will take him out for a couple of hours (sometimes more, sometimes less) and spend some time totally focused on him. It’s a win-win, because the other parent gets some quiet time at home!
Jackson truly loves getting this 1:1 time with each of us, and it’s been a fantastic way to help our mama’s boy bond a bit more with his dad. As he gets older, my dates with him will be a fantastic way to start teaching him some manners, like holding the door open for people and how to be a gentleman! This has been such a fun, sweet way for Mr. Garland and I to get some good quality time with Jackson, so I thought I’d share a few of the things that we like to do on our dates with him – here are 20 different ways to “date” your toddler:
1) Take them out to dinner, wherever they want. It may mean you eat at McDonald’s, but act like it’s the finest restaurant in the world!
2) Go on a walk at their pace. Don’t even think about uttering “hurry up” or “keep moving” – try to see the world from their perspective.
3) Go to the library – this is our favorite weekly date!
4) Take them to a toy store. You don’t even have to buy anything, just spend an hour or two letting them roam around and play with every toy they see.
5) Go to a coffee shop – coffee for you, milk for them, and a pastry to share!
6) Bake cookies together. You don’t even have to leave the house, but let go of any stress about making a mess, take your time, and let your toddler help. I promise, it will be a blast.
7) Go to the farmer’s market – Jackson loves all the different sights and smells and has a blast checking everything out.
8) Go out for ice cream – and then head to the park afterwords to run off the sugar.
9) Find a place where you can feed ducks. There’s a small park near a place that we like to go shopping that has ducks and Jackson is enthralled with them. We usually bring some snacks we can toss to them and he thinks it’s just about the most wonderful experience in the world.
10) Stay at home for a movie, popcorn, and candy – let your partner be the one to go out and have some time outside the house!
11) Go to a show! We are taking Jackson to see Sesame Street live in a couple of months and it will be the first live show we take him to, but I think he’s at a great age for small kid-themed concerts and shows!
12) Another at-home idea Mr. Garland loves is to build a fort and play in it! He and Jackson can do this for hours.
13) Go take in a local attraction. Jackson loves the children’s museum in our town, and we also have a small local zoo, several caves, and tons of other new and fun things for him to experience!
14) Go grocery shopping. I know, lame, but hear me out – Jackson loves when we go to Trader Joe’s and he gets to push his own cart and put the groceries in it. He’s in heaven the entire time. So take it slow, don’t rush it, and be open to a few impulse purchases and you’ve got yourself a toddler date!
15) Visit a pet store – Jackson loves to check out the kittens and all the other tiny animals. Bonus points if they’re having an adoption event and you can snuggle some puppies!
16) Wake up early with your toddler and go out for donuts – let your partner sleep in! And, of course, don’t forget to bring a few home.
17) Paint pottery together – Jackson is maybe still a tad bit too young for this but I think he’s getting close to a fun age to go do this together! He loves crafts and painting, and would be so proud to have a dish to use that he painted himself!
18) Have a picnic – we do this a lot in the summer! Pack a lunch together, take it to a local park (or pool if it’s warm outside) and enjoy!
19) Find a local store with some fun attractions – we have a Bass Pro Shop near us with a giant aquarium, taxidermied animals, and even a bowling alley! Jackson could spend all afternoon playing on the boats in sporting goods stores (and I think Mr. Garland could too)!
20) Check out a free workshop – Lowe’s and Home Depot often offer kids’ workshops, and I’m sure if you do some research there are lots of other places in your area that do as well.
. . . . .
What do you like to do to “date” your child?
pomegranate / 3580 posts
These are all great ideas! As we’re coming out of winter I’m excited to get out of the house more – a picnic sounds so lovely!
cherry / 237 posts
Now that my oldest is almost four, he and my husband having been going to the movies together! It’s a super fun treat for them both.
guest
Hi Mrs. Garland!
I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your posts. I have boy/girl twins that are almost the same age as Jackson (like…within a month), and I’m also a teacher, so I always feel that your posts are relevant and enjoyable. Just thought I’d share how much I appreciate your time and effort!
apricot / 400 posts
You pretty much listed every “date” we do! My daughter is 3.5 and I think is just about old enough for us to add one more to our list – getting our nails done together.
wonderful olive / 19353 posts
We do a couple of what you mentioned! DH loves bike riding so we bought a toddler seat for DS and that’s their bonding time. DS loves going on rides and DH gets a good lil workout. They don’t go out for long, but DS enjoys every minute of it!
blogger / kiwi / 588 posts
Loved this post! We do a lot of the dates that you listed! DS especially loves using the baby shopping carts at our local grocery stores and feeding the ducks near our library.
guest
Love the ideas, these are great bonding opportunities between little one and parents. We take our kids to the zoo a lot since we have an annual membership. We typically combine it with a picnic on the zoo lawns. Next year we plan to get an aquarium membership.