Hi everyone, this may seem like a really random post but I need ideas on things I can do with my Daughter age 5 when I see her. I currently see her every 2 weeks for 2 hours supervised by her mum which will soon be 3 hours every 2 weeks. I generally take her to soft play or trampoline parks. I've spoken to her mum about having her unsupervised soon and her mum has said before I can have her unsupervised I need to spend more time with our daughter sitting down getting to know her but with mum present I feel restricted on what I can do. Supervised contact has been going on for 6 months now so I would like to have contact without my Daughters mum being there and to have the opportunity for our daughter to spend time with me, my wife and my family.
Does anyone have any ideas of calmer, quieter things I can do with my daughter during our time together?
hi,
you could read books to her, or watch cartoons. my kids enjoy bluey or peppa pig, or some disney movie. could go to the library or maybe an aquarium.
do you and ex have own arrangement for you to see child, or are you going through courts?
Hello DadofA,
Thankyou for sharing on the forum, no question in regards to parenting is ever too random!
Here are some suggested activities that you may like to do with your daughter in your allotted time together:
Puzzles
The Pairs game - there are plenty of free resources on the internet of games like these, it teaches memory, matching skills and patience
Pretend Play - does she have a favourite dolly or Teddy bear that you could make up stories about ?
Tea Set/Kitchen play - if you have these available, or with paper you could make pretend ones. The aim is about the act of having a cup of tea with your daughter and the conversation around that, same with the kitchen play - pretend cooking.
Drawing/Colouring together - doing a special picture for her Mum to take back with her.
Reading together as the previous post suggests - especially her favourite story. If it’s a long book, leave some to read for next time.
Does she like building bricks/Friends age appropriate Lego? - you can make patterns out of some building bricks
Baking ? - again if you have the facilities
Play Dough - again there are simple recipes you can make a batch of play dough out of, available on the internet.
Bubbles - kids love blowing and popping bubbles
A Princess themed craft/story? - if she likes princesses!
I hope that’s given you a few more ideas. The important thing here is that you are able to show your ex partner that you are confident and calm in your daughters presence when you are playing on a 1-1 basis and in a calmer situation. With focused play comes trust building between you all. Trying out different calmer activities will help you to know what your little girl really likes to do. You can then plan something for the next time you see her for her to look forward too.
wishing you all the best,
Fegans Parent Support Volunteer