At-Home Date Night Ideas

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I’ve lost track of how long we have been primarily at home due to the COVID19 situation, but at this point it has been well over a month. You may find yourself losing patience with those you share your home with. If one of those people is your significant other, a date night might help you refresh your relationship.

I challenge you to get off of the couch, turn off the Netflix, and try some of my date ideas below:

1.) Take a walk down memory lane

This one has two parts. Look at your significant other. You started as two separate people with two separate lives. Then, at one point, you met and fell for each other. Do you remember the excitement, the nervousness, the passion? Do you remember when you used to walk around holding hands, constantly sneaking a kiss? Maybe you still do those things, but if not, time to have a reminder.

First part: Pull up some pictures of your favorite times together: when you were first dating, one of your favorite trips, your wedding, etc. After that, spend some time perusing them for a bit. Soak it in. Remember where you were during that time.

Second part: Go outside and take a walk together. Take a long walk. Hold hands. Do NOT talk about what needs to be done at home, what you are going to have for dinner, etc. Talk about your dreams for the future together. Talk about some of your favorite memories. Let that Vitamin D soak in.

2.) Game night for two

I enjoy games, because I am not much for small talk. I like people (most days), but I am not the best at sparking up a random conversation. When you are playing a game, you automatically have something in common. This results in organic conversation and a way to connect.

I find similar results when I play a game with my husband. We are going on 9 years of marriage, so a lot of times, our conversations are about household logistics. However, when we play a game together, different personality aspects shine through – our strategic side, our competitive side, etc. This feeds into new conversation topics and feeling a renewed bond.

We typically turn to the following 2-person games when it is just us, but I would love to see comments from people on others to try:

• Blokus – Think Tetris, but in board game form
• Splendor – Amazon has this on sale right now – click the link or image below! We learned about this game through a friend but it is a simple strategy game that we have shared with many different people with positive results. It is typically only about 30 minutes per game, so fits in well during naptime.
• Dominion – This one is on sale right now on Amazon as well! This is a deck building game. This one might be good if you and your significant other tend to fight over games because you are overly competitive. It even allows for ending in a tie!

3.) Sip & Chill

Picture this: You are on vacation without a care in the world and you pass a little winery. You pull over, wander in, and they offer a wine tasting out on a sunny patio. You sit, soak in the sun, taste some delicious wines, and snack on some tasty appetizers. Do you feel relaxed yet?

Now try to recreate this experience at home. Do you have a patio table with chairs? Does your child still take naps? Does your baby monitor range allow you to sit outside? Perfect. Spend nap time sipping on a delicious beverage and snacking.

If your beverage of choice is wine, you could buy a few bottles at a local grocery store or winery. There are pumps to help remove the air from the bottle and stoppers to keep the wine fresh, so you don’t have to drink them all in one sitting (but hey, I’m not judging). We use this one: Vacu Vin Wine Saver Pump with 2 Stoppers.

If you wanted to experience a true wine tasting at home, there is a company called the Tasting Room. They offer a $9.95 sampler of 6 wines that they will send to your house. The caveat is that after they have defined your wine profile, you have to buy a 12 bottle pack for $149. For regular wine drinkers, this could be a good deal, but if you are looking for a one-time wine tasting, I don’t recommend it.

If wine isn’t your thing, that’s ok. You could do hard cider, craft beers, teas, root beer, etc. Our local stores offer variety packs of hard cider from a nearby winery, which would work well for this. You could also buy individual craft brew bottles or fill up a few growlers with different types.

4.) Embrace your intellectual side

Think about what you and your significant other have in common. Do you share the same faith? Both love music? Are you both parents? Then, find a related podcast or TED talk, and listen to it together. Snacks are a good idea for this date as well. When it is over, spend some time discussing what you thought about it. This is a simple one, but sharing some time learning about a topic and then exchanging your views on it can help you grow as a couple.

5.) Dinner and a movie

If you’ve been spending a lot of time at home, you’ve probably eaten countless dinners and watched lots of television together. The idea behind this classic date is to set it apart from your normal day-to-day. First, get ready in different rooms if you are able. Pretend you are actually going out to a fancy restaurant. Once you get ready, order some carryout at a local restaurant. If you have kids at home, you could always feed them something separate and then eat after they go to bed. Alternatively, if they are old enough to understand, ask them to give you a quiet dinner solo while they quietly watch a movie or play with toys. Candles and a bottle of wine are cliche here, but also a nice touch to making the night feel special.

When it comes to the movie, try to find something new and exciting. Disney+ has added the newest Star Wars movie and also has Marvel movies if you aren’t up to date on those. Also, major movie theaters are offering streaming of new releases. For example, AMC has the new Fantasy Island for rent at $5.99. This is way cheaper than a trip to an actual theater would have been. See their full list of movies here. In addition, some theaters are selling popcorn, so you could see if your local theater offers that if you want the full experience.

6.) Enjoy an evening under the stars

This one will depend upon what is available to you. If you have a backyard and a fire pit, then have a cozy fire. Make some s’mores (or even some dinner over the fire) and get lost staring into the flames.

If you don’t have a backyard or fire, then make use of what you do have. If you have a balcony, sit out there cuddled up under a blanket, drink some hot cocoa, and look out at the stars.

7.) Dance party

So, you are a terrible dancer. Who cares? If you can’t feel comfortable around your spouse, than who can you feel comfortable with? The beauty of this is no one else will see you. Crank up the music, get your shake on, and get those endorphins flowing. Pants? No pants? This is your house, so the choice is yours. Just have fun and be carefree for a few hours.