Spending Time With Your Daughter – Loving Time Through Play

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(This post was written by Heidi)

Week 7 of 10 in the Raising Girls Series

Week 1 – Cultivating Solid Self Esteem In Daughters
Week 2 – Questions In Every Little Girl’s Heart
Week 3 – 10 Life Changing things a Father can do for his Daughter
Week 4 – 10 Beliefs every Girl should have about Herself
Week 5 – Building Confidence In Your Daughter
Week 6 – Training Our Daughters

(See Raising Boys Series here)

Is there anything sweeter than spending time with your little girl? Her giggles and innocence, love of anything pink and shiny, joy over shared milkshakes; holding hands and going for walks, favorite dolls, pink blankets, gorgeous, tiny shoes… little girls are divine!

If your daughter’s Love Language is time, she’ll love spending time with you, and lots of it. (although she will love time with you regardless, I’m sure!)

Here are a few suggestions on how to spend loving play time with your daughter:

Build a Wendy/doll house, fill it with teddies, dolls, a play stove, and tea set, for starters. Spend time in it often with her, and pretend play.
Practice setting up the table for elaborate tea parties. Invite friends over. Have teas with teddies. Let her make daddy tea too.
Take her to a restaurant with crayons/pastels and paper; draw together and get creative while waiting for your food.
Go on slow nature walks together, with a small picnic and blanket, favorite teddy/doll.
Treasure hunt on the beach /in nature – get her a ‘treasure’ box in which she can keep little treasures she finds with you, like seashells, stones, flowers (press them).
Make her ribbon rings for unbitten fingernails
Make time for milkshakes. 2 straws, one giant milkshake.
Photocopy or trace her hands and feet each Christmas eve. Write dates, ages and names, laminate and store them in a memory box.
Go for walks in the rain; go puddle-hunting after a storm.
Have lots of fireplace cuddles, with hot chocolates, blankets, storybooks and cuddles.
Go camping outside, and inside, with furniture and blankets.
Sing and read poems together
Make her laugh.
Hug her often.
Shower her with words – you are my darling, my cherished one, our blessing, my angel, my sweetheart, my treasure, my joy…
Have a name day often, where her name changes to any of the above words 🙂
Build teepee castle ‘tents’ between trees with rope, blankets and furniture.
Have bubble baths, with candles and bath toys
Play hairdresser after hair washes – brush her hair, be creative with different pretty hairstyles and hair accessories.

They grow so fast and are little for such a short time. One day they will want to read by themselves, won’t find tent castles cool anymore, and wont want to share a milkshake. Make the most of this age and time, and squeeze as many precious fun times in as you can! Girls are treasures, and time with them is precious!

Some of these tips inspired from the Purposeful Parenting manual, by Howard & Sue Johnston.

Last week: Training Our Daughters

Next week: Keeping Communication With Your Daughter Easy