One of the most important aspects of family bonding is one-on-one dates with your kid or kids. We’re lucky to live in an area with so much for families, so dive into the days ahead. Parenting consultants and therapists agree that one-on-one time with each of your children is extremely important.
“I am a true believer in divide and conquer,” says Lauren Millman, a relationship and family therapist. The basis of human nature is to be connected and validated and acknowledged. I always say that a little bit of one-on-one time is better than a large amount of time with all the children. Inevitably, one kid is going to feel slighted,” she adds.
To be fair, not all parents, especially those with more than two children can do this, due to the busy demands of life and work. Even if you can’t manage a one-on-one outing, aim for at least 15 minutes a day of quality time with your kids.
“It could just be 10 or 15 minutes,” Millman says. “People always say 30 minutes, but that can be tough for many working parents, who have more than one child.” She says even something as easy as reading with your child before bedtime, with no one else in the room, forges a stronger bond.
25 Dates With Kids in Greater Nashville
- Go see the Statue of Athena at the Parthenon
- See the city! Take a walk along the Cumberland River Pedestrian Bridge and the Cumberland Greenway
- Stargaze in your yard using a chart courtesy of the Adventure Science Center
- Go to the Nashville Zoo together and make a day of it
- Roller Skate at the Skate Center in Brentwood, Rivergate, Murfreesboro or Smyrna
- Ice Skate at the Ford Ice Center or Centennial Sportsplex
- Rent a pontoon boat on Percy Priest, Old Hickory, Center Hill or Tim’s Ford lakes
- Head to a Touch-a-Truck event at Adventure Science Center on Sept. 10 or Rivergate Mall on Sept. 27
- Make-your-own candy bar together at a Taste of Goo Goo class
- Go to a Nashville SC home game together and cheer on our Boys in Gold!
- Enjoy a Courtyard Concert at Nashville’s main branch library in downtown Nashville
- See a Wishing Chair Puppet Show together
- Check out the TRAINS! exhibit at Cheekwood
- Challenge your kid at Top Golf
- Enjoy an ice cream soda at Elliston Place Soda Shop
- Watch a Sounds Game at First Tennessee Park
- Play the day away at Lucky Ladd Farms
- Get tickets to “Cinderella” by the Nashville Ballet, coming Oct. 6 – 9
- Smyrna Parks & Rec holds a free Boat Day on June 18 with free canoes and paddleboats
- Make a playdate at an indoor play space
- Take your Blues Clues-lover to see Blue’s Clues & You at TPAC in October
- Cruise along the Cumberland on the General Jackson Showboat
- Take your teen to see “Rent” presented by Tennessee Repertory Theatre
- Step back in time at a living history event
- Share cookies together at crumbl cookies
