How to braid hair, how to play with dolls and what objects in the house make a great pop star microphone are just some of the things Dads of Daughters will know, according to a new survey conducted by Mattel.

A study of 7300 dads with daughters under the age of 18 has revealed the top 20 things fathers with a little girl will have mastered.

Knowing how to give the perfect cuddle, how to make a pair of fairy wings and the importance of color-co-ordination also feature in the list. Dads of daughters also know how to face paint, ice skate and will know exactly how to dance when required.

Isabel Ferrer, EMEA Marketing Director for Barbie, which conducted the study, said: “By joining in with activities such as cartwheels, playtime and dancing, dads are showing their daughters just how much they matter – and that everything they do is important.”

The study shows that 72 percent of dads know it is important to show their daughters that being kind and brave is more important than being pretty, and when it comes to empowering their daughter, 62 percent of dads tell their daughters that they can be anything. For six in 10 dads with a daughter, empowering them to become strong young women is of utmost importance. Dads help their daughters prepare for the future with 73 percent thinking that encouraging their daughter’s confidence is one of the most important life lessons they can teach, while 65 percent try to teach her practical skills.

As Dr. Linda Nielsen of Wake Forest University explains in her work, decades of research show that girls who have loving, communicative, supportive relationships with their dads from early childhood on are less likely to suffer from a lack of self-confidence and self-reliance as she grows.

Here’s a gist of what the survey reveals –  the top 20 things dads of daughters will know:
1. How to give the perfect cuddle
2. How to make her feel special
3. How to dance with her on your feet
4. Girls like getting dirty too
5. How to play with dolls
6. Glitter can get everywhere
7. Girls play football too
8. What a pirouette is
9. How to make everything better
10. How to dance
11. How to braid hair
12. How to stop a nightmare
13. How important it is to colour co-ordinate
14. What objects in the house make a great pop star microphone
15. How to roller skate
16. Girls want to learn how to build a den and climb trees
17. How to ice skate
18. How to face paint
19. How to get chewing gum out of long hair
20. How to cartwheel