Ideas for Dating Your Kids

Do you date your kids? I really enjoy spending 1:1 time with my kids. We started this practice when my oldest son was three, and now that he’s a teenager, we are still going on mother-son dates at least a few times a year. 

I try not to spend a ton of money on our dates and look for discounts or coupons. If I’ve learned one thing through dating my kids, it’s that they want to be together and don’t really care if we spend any money at all. 

Planning Your Kid Dates

While there are many ideas for spending time with your kids, I suggest starting with activities you will both enjoy together. Try to find activities you don’t do often.

I also suggest the activities you do with each kid be unique and special to them. For example, my youngest son loves to be creative, so we have made Glazed Expressions our go-to date activity. That is something I really enjoy as well so we can both look forward to our evening together! 

Another tip to get to know your child’s preferences would be to look at The 5 Love Languages for Kids. I’ve read the book, but you could get by with doing the online quiz and searching for corresponding activities for your child’s love language. 

Our Favorite Date Ideas

My oldest son and I share a love for Asian food. And books. So, a typical date for us is trying a new restaurant and visiting Half Price Books for a new book to read. We both love to be outside, so we also do things like Disc Golfing or geocaching in the summer. (You won’t find me outside in the winter!) 

Besides being crafty, my youngest son loves to eat salads. (I know, weird!) We visit healthy restaurants like Health House, Main Street Cafe, or Gateway Market. When he was little, we would also visit the library to do all of the puzzles. We would follow that up with a trip to the ice cream shop or get hot chocolate from a coffee shop. 

More Kid Date Ideas (I’ve tried to include ideas for all 5 love languages too!) 

• Painting Classes (We’ve done Painting with a Twist and loved it!) 
• Visit a local attraction like Blank Park Zoo, Living History Farms, or Science Center
• Check out the Des Moines Children’s Museum or a local library that you do visit often
• Look for a new park, go sledding, or take a hike
• Go to a movie 
• DIY Science Kit or craft activity at home 
• Community Service project like Meals from the Heartland
• Go out to breakfast
• Go stargazing 
• Visit a farm–we love the Rusty Stars Alpaca Farm (or a pet store to look at animals!) 
• Cook a new recipe at home 
• Go on a road trip
• Mini-Golf during warm weather or sledding during the winter
• An event like a play, music concert, or sporting event at your school
• Go shopping for birthday gifts for someone–or just to window shop
• Des Moines Art Center, capitol building, historical museum, sculpture garden

Leave your ideas in the comments section!