Cheap but special girly 1-1 things to do with DD4

[stillsleeptraining]

We’re broke atm but she loves the high life - afternoon tea, horses etc. We live on the outskirts of London.

Any suggestions? I’d love one of the special kids afternoon teas in London but they’re £££££!

When my daughter was 4 my MIL gave us one of the flower fairy books and it sparked an absolute passion. We spent the summer on walks, at national trust type places like we usually would but while her brother rampaged she would look out for all the flowers mentioned and each time we found one we took a photo with it and went home and added a drawing of it onto our giant fairy map (I still have that map!)

This sounds a lovely idea xx

A picnic in the park with a play on the swings and maybe an ice-cream after. Four year olds don’t need expensive or ‘beautifying’ days out to have a good time. You could invite a friend for her and make it a proper treat. The more you can get kids out and running around in the fresh air the better.

Could you take her to a stud farm/ livery yard to visit? They she won’t be asking eg to pay to ride, you can say the public can’t use the facilities but you could ask them can you see the place (hopefully they’re nice!).

Also movie night, board game night with treats, homemade pampery night (put feet in basin, wrap feet in towel for a while then maybe paint nails). Do your own afternoon tea!

@JulianFawcettMP what in my post inferred I don't understand the OP. Sounds like you hat a great Friday evening! 😆

No she isn’t. I thought exactly the same as @Insomniapain . What does "girly" mean if it's not referring to things you’re assuming a girl rather than a boy would enjoy?

Agreed.

Hope you and your daughter have a wonderful time Op whatever you decide to do!

No, we've moved on from forcing children to do "girl" or "boy" things. If OP is doing these things because her daughter enjoys them, that's fine. Equally, if she wanted to go to a monster truck rally, I'm sure she'd support that too!

Girly girls are still allowed to be girly girls!

Girls are allowed to like girly things.

Create a home made miniature assault course in the garden - things to climb over and scramble under.

Get a cheap packet of little dinosaurs and create a miniature Jurassic Park in the flower beds complete with a tiny lake.

Become explorers and make your own map of the local park.

What about a nice breakfast somewhere together? My dd loves going to Bills for pancakes and I believe kids eat free in the summer holidays.

Get a John Lewis loyalty card if you have a store near you. It’s useless for discounts, but every so often (a few times a year) they give you a voucher for free hot drinks and sometimes cake. DD loves going for a babyccino and pink cake.

Girls are allowed to enjoy any activity. As are boys. The frustration is people choosing to categorise certain activities as "girly" and other activities for boys.Thats where the stereotyping comes in. It's not difficult to understand. No one's saying the OP is choosing which activities her daughter prefers. But OP is choosing to label those activities as "girly". There's no need. It's unhelpful at best and dangerous at worst because of the subtle implications for boys as well as girls.

I’m not too bothered about the word ‘girly’ but yes it is important to know that little boys can (and many will) enjoy all these kinds of activities too!

IME of having a little boy they will get just as much enjoyment out of going out for cake or hot chocolates with you, or to the theatre or doing baking/crafts together as others have suggested. My DS has asked to go on one of those afternoon tea bus things for kids with me for his birthday! The same for any kind of 1-to-1 and bonding activities with small children or toddlers, none of it is specific to having a girl, although I do sometimes notice mum’s making a big effort to do all those kind of things with their DDs and not DSs and I feel sad for them :(

Girls are allowed to do things they enjoy and interest them and give them pleasure.
It's the labelling of things " girls" things and " boys " things that is the problem.

And the word " girly" is so demeaning and derogatory.

Watch a ballet on BBC4 with hot chocolate and maybe some cinnamon toast?