Daddy's Little Girl : Part 2

The Dads & Daughters Togetherness Guide: 54 Fun Activities to Help Build a Great Relationship
by Joe Kelly

(Page 2 of 3)

The following suggestions are only starters. You have a lot more ideas inside you - be creative, loosen up, and most important have fun! She'll love it, and so will you.

Make faces at each other.
Let her grip your finger with her hand.
Blow very lightly on her face.
Very gently and slowly stretch her arms to her sides.
Make googlie sounds and watch her smiles.
Massage her feet and hands.
Sing softly to her.
Watch her eyes move in response to you.

Tip: I'm not a big fan of parents (or other adults) using "baby talk" all the time with babies. Make funny sounds, be lyrical and musical with your voice - but also make conversation with your baby in your normal tone of voice. She wants to get to know you: your sound, smell, expressions, and the comfort of snuggling up against you to fall asleep. Talk like you normally do and she'll get to know you faster.

3. Fast Fun for Daughters from

Six Months to One Year

As toddlers get more independent, they get more willful - and more creative, silly, adventurous, and fun. When our twins were born, people told us that the "terrible twos" would be exponentially awful because we'd have two two-year-olds at once. Well, two and three turned out to be a blast! The lesson for me was: Don't let other people's expectations determine your own unique experience with your own unique daughter.

The following suggestions are here to jump-start you. You have a lot more ideas inside you - be creative, loosen up, and most of all, remember to spend this time having fun!

Make goofy faces at each other.
Play peekaboo.
Play in the bathtub.
Take her to the store with you.
Read picture books.
Play patty-cake.
Crawl around on the floor together.
Pound on boxes.
Hide in boxes.
Mimic sounds back and forth.
Roll a ball back and forth.
Play in the sand.
Go on a picnic together.

4. Story Time

Four to Eighteen / Solo

Everybody loves a good tale, whether it's tall or very, very short. Creating and writing stories together is great fun and can tap into your best inventive, inspired imagination. Plus, this activity grows with your daughter - you can make up stories together, no matter how old she is. As the years pass, the tales tend to get longer and more interesting - and no less fun. Below are some simple ways to start.

Don't get bogged down in "traditional" rules about plot, characters, or even logic when creating stories with your daughter. There is no "wrong" direction for the stories to take. Cut loose and have fun, even if logic has completely left the premises.

Below are some simple ways to start Story Time.

The Talking Story Riff

Pick a topic, any topic. Then simply start telling a story about it. After about a minute of riffing on the story, turn it over to your daughter and listen closely to where she takes the characters and plot. After another minute, she tosses the story back to you, to add your next minute of detail and plot. Back and forth you go, wherever your joint imaginations and the characters lead you.

Keep in mind that the first few times you do this activity, it may seem a little flat. And the first few exchanges in any particular story may (or may not) be a little flat. Don't sweat it or think you're failing. Instead, think of these initial efforts as first drafts. Many professional writers tear up nearly every first draft - we do first drafts to get the pump primed and the juices flowing.

When our daughters were ten, we drove from northern Minnesota to Disney World and back, with some detours to visit relatives, friends, and historic sites in Atlanta. That trip was the first time the girls ever saw a Waffle House restaurant (a fixture in Southeastern states), and they were fascinated - because they loved waffles. So when we started making up a fairy tale in the car, it became known as "The Waffle Story," starring Ann Tellet, a work colleague of my wife's who took a real shine to the kids. In "The Waffle Story," Ann solved mysteries and went on adventures. Her biggest adventure was into the world of dinettes. Why? Because we drove past a store that was called (really!) World of Dinettes.

My point is: There is nothing too silly, illogical, spontaneous, or tangential to include in a talking story riff. Run with it as long as it feels like you're both still being creative and stimulated. Long road trips are a great time to trot this activity out. You may have so much fun that you and your daughters will remember that story decades later!

Copyright © 2007 by Joe Kelly.

About the Author

Former journalist Joe Kelly is the executive director of Dads and Daughters and father of twin adult daughters. His work has been extensively featured in the media, including NPR, CBS, ABC, People, USA Today, and the New York Times. He was awarded the 1995 Parenting Achievement Award from Parenting magazine and helped his wife, Nancy Gruver, launch New Moon, the award-winning international magazine edited by girls. He lives in Duluth, Minnesota.