Spending time with your daughter is priceless, dads! But sometimes you need a little help finding the right ways to bond. Here are 15 daddy-daughter activities for toddlers to help you find fun and creative ways to spend time bonding with your daughter.
Not only do daddy-daughter dates help build your special daddy-daughter bond, but they also help to create memories and traditions that will last a lifetime!
There is also no denying the impact that a father has in his daughter’s life right from the start, especially in the crucial toddler years.
From playing a key role in shaping her self-esteem to influencing her body image, academic abilities, and behavioral traits, the difference between a loving, attentive father and an absent father can have a huge impact on how a child grows up.
So, with that said, below we have put together there fifteen father-daughter activities for toddlers to help you find fun and creative ways to spend time bonding with your daughter.
And if you happen to snap some photos of your daddy-daughter activities, make sure to share them with one of these heartfelt dad and daughter quotes so you can look back on them together for years to come.
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15 Daddy-Daughter Activities For Toddlers To Try
1. Start-Up a Conversation
Have a good conversation with your princess.
It might be about nothing, but I assure you the attention would mean the world to her.
Talk to her favorite toy like how you would talk to her and bolster her to do the same.
It will enhance her social skills, creativity, imagination, language, and communication skills.
2. Building up a Fort
Another fun activity to do is build a fort with a blanket, boxes, pillows, furniture, etc.
After finishing it, you and your little girl will have a secret place to hang out.
She would also feel safer and comfortable.
This activity will foster her to grow as an individual and be creative.
3. Play Hide-and-Seek
Try it with a toy or by yourself.
You need to hide and make your girl find you.
Use flashlights and hints like “warmer” and “colder” to guide her so she can find your location.
It will increase her memory, problem-solving, listening, and social skills.
4. Do a Body Trace
Lay down your daughter on a large piece of paper and tell her to stay still.
Trace the outline of her body.
The art of laying still gives your daughter the ability to practice self-control.
Do not force her to do it your way. If she wants to color it or to draw the body parts, leave her be.
5. Visit Her Favorite Park
Play with her in her favorite park.
Both of you can build a castle or a snowman, depending on the weather and location.
Let her meet new kids her age that is playing nearby.
Playing at the park is the most natural way to make friends.
It will also help her to share and respect other toddlers’ needs.
6. Play Outdoor Games
Spending time in front of your house playing and running around is great for physical development.
It will enhance your toddler’s body mass index, overall health, motor skills, and muscle strength.
Blow some bubbles, plant a garden, go camping in the backyard, or anything that makes your daughter feel special.
7. Make a Special Snack
Take over the kitchen with your princess and work on making crispy cookies or any other treats.
Let your baby girl play with the dough but do not give her too much freedom.
Give her some dough and teach her how to make a cookie.
Be careful with anything hot.
This activity will teach her patience and how to follow instructions without breaking the rules.
8. Daddy-Daughter Activities for Toddlers: Dress Up Game
Take some old clothes and let your little pea dress herself up.
It would be great if you also participate in it and invite 2 or 3 toddlers too.
It will let her be creative, social, practice her language skills, and boost her imagination.
9. Drawing and Crafting
Give your toddler some charts, glue, crayons, and other craft items.
Cover the place with newspaper and let her draw anything in the chart.
You can also give her a bag, cardboard, or anything to motivate her to draw and do some crafts.
This form of art will increase her creativity, imagination, and motor planning.
10. Vehicle Washing
Washing the car will be a perfect treat on a sunny day.
Get a bucket with water, pour some drops of baby shampoo and soak some cleaning sponges in it. Now, let your girl clean up your ride or her own bicycle.
After finishing the soaping process, help her rinse and dry it with a towel or old rag.
11. Simon Says
Simon Says is a great game to play with your toddler.
Begin with simple tasks like touching the toes and then go advanced like “Simon says, jump one step forward, one step right and rollover.”
It will advance her overall motor skills, receptive language, and ability to follow directions.
12. Ball Passing
One way to keep your little angel engaged is to play tunnel.
Stand at the opposite side and pass the ball to her and tell her to roll the ball to you.
She needs some time to understand and respond.
But, in the end, it will help to understand teamwork, cause and effect, and planning practice.
13. Singing Songs: Perfect Daddy-Daughter Activities For Toddlers
Sing her favorite song with her. You can put it on your TV and dance with her.
Another fun activity is to draw a simple picture of what is happening on TV and hand it to your child to draw something else in the video.
It will make her think out of the box.
14. Go to a Splash Pad
Visit the splash pad and have some fun there with your daughter.
Choose a place where the water is clean and warm. This one-day-out-at-the-splash-pad will enhance her physical fitness because of the lifting, pouring, splashing, running, and carrying.
It also improves her motor and coordination with other children.
15. Little Tea Party
Place her favorite toys on each chair near the dining table along with you and your little pea and have a tea party.
You can also choose a different location like a golf field or a driving range.
Having some tea while watching golf will motivate her to play.
After some years, both you and your baby girl can join a golf club, creating a permanent bond for life.
Final Thoughts on Daddy-Daughter Activities for Toddlers
Finding the time to spend quality one on one with your toddler isn’t always easy, especially with all the demands that life brings, but it is crucial.
This list is a great start if you are looking for activities for dads and toddlers, but it is not exclusive by any means.
So, find the daddy and me activities for toddlers that you love to do together. Then make it a weekly or a monthly tradition and give yourselves both something to look forward to!
Not only will your father-daughter bond be better for it, but your little girl is sure to flourish with all the love and attention from her daddy.
Patty Holliday is a Marvel loving, Disney obsessed wife, and mother of four. She’s a travel agent specializing in Disney & Universal vacations- and loves a candid confession. Find her in Virginia (or anywhere frequent flyer miles or her trusty minivan takes her.)
