Go on a Fun Daddy-Daughter Date!

Make time with your daughter a priority. Why?

Authors Rob and Joanna Teigen say. “A dad’s loving relationship with his daughter can open her eyes to the love of God.” A dad’s relationship with his daughter makes a powerful impact on her emotional and spiritual well-being. As her father is attentive, a girl will expect to be heard when she prays. She will assume her heavenly Father is as gentle and caring as her earthly father. She will believe that God is on her side and loves her as a daughter.

A strong connection with your daughter can direct her heart and mind toward the right influences, and ultimately toward a relationship with Jesus. A dad can communicate to his daughter who she truly is: a beautiful child of God who created her intentionally, has plans for her, and loves her with all his heart. This message is conveyed through time spent together, where affirmation, fun experiences, meaningful conversation, and prayers happen.

Have a “Silly Sock Day” with your daughter!

Grab money, car keys, and a small notebook and pencil. Make your way to a mall or shopping center. Your goal: get the silliest, wackiest pair of socks for each of you that you can find! Take your time browsing through the stores. Let your daughter make note of the wildest pair of socks in each store, so at the end of your browsing you can go back to purchase your favorites.

Once you’ve made your purchases, enjoy a snack at the food court. Put on your silly socks. They can be your secret sign to each other. Whenever you see your daughter’s socks on her feet or she sees yours, it means “I’m crazy about you!”

Why do such a silly thing?

Sometimes life is just too serious. Our to-do lists never end, the phone doesn’t stop ringing, and the nightly reports bring a daily dose of bad news. We need a break from time to time to leave our worries behind and get silly together.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 reminds us that: There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to week and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.

Today is your time to laugh! Whenever you see your silly socks in the drawer or on your feet, let them be a reminder to lighten up more often and enjoy the funny side of life together.

Try a cut-and-paste date

Show your daughter that “There’s No One Like You!” Grab a stack of old magazines, a computer and printer, scissors and glue sticks, a sheet of poster board and markers. Your daughter is a unique masterpiece, created by God. Today you will create your own work of art to celebrate your one-of-a-kind girl!

Use your computer’s word processing software to spell out “All About (your daughter’s name).” Have your daughter choose her favorite lettering and color for the title. Cut it out and glue it across the top of the poster board. Together, page through old magazines or search the Internet to find pictures of your daughter’s interests and favorite things – sports, colors, foods, stores, movies, animals, fashions, etc. Cut out or print the pictures and paste them onto the poster board.

When you’re finished cutting and pasting, use markers to embellish the poster. Write down words that describe the qualities of your daughter’s heart and personality (funny, helpful, generous, friendly, confident, honest, etc.).

Take some time to study the finished poster together. Ask specific questions about the pictures she chose, such as, “What do you like best about that animal?” or, “What was your favorite part of that movie?” This is a great opportunity to get to know her better.

Find a place on your daughter’s bedroom door or wall to display the poster, to celebrate what a unique and special girl she is.

Why make such a poster?

Your daughter was created by God and He knows her through and through. The pictures she chose to place on the poster show how despite her young age, she already has talents and interests that make her unique. The qualities of her heart and personality, however, are where the fingerprint of God is especially evident. Read the following verses together:

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways (Psalm 139:1-3) and For you formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; My soul knows it very well (Psalm 139:13-14).