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Needing inspiration for how to keep date night alive at home? Here are 10 Date Nights at Home that are fun, low cost, and centered around creating quality connection between you and your significant other.
It all boils down to this…The BEST dates are ones where both people come away feeling understood, supported, loved by and connected with their significant other.
Good news is that with a little planning, you can totally create these types of fun, intimacy-building date nights at home! You don’t have to spend lots of money, get dressed up, or go to unique places to experience quality connection with your sweetheart. (In fact, it’s totally possible to do all of those things, and come away NOT feeling connected at all).
A good date is less about the specifics of what you do and more about the intentionality with which you approach the date altogether.
Intentionality is key. So show up to date nights at home ready to listen well, show empathy, and learn more about your best friend on a deeper level.
Why Have Date Nights At Home?
There are plenty of reasons why couples would want/need to create at-home date nights rather than going out:
- finances/budget
- having young kids or a newborn
- pets
- being a caregiver to someone in your family
- busy/conflicting schedules
- just being too tired to go out
- preferring to stay in
- being introverted
- health or mental health struggles
Going out for dates can feel fun, but in some seasons of life, it’s just not feasible. And that’s totally okay 🙂
Benefits of Date Nights At Home
There are actually several benefits to having date nights at home rather than going out:
- Typically less expensive (no gas money, no tipping, no admission fees, cooking at home is typically less expensive, etc.)
- Calm, familiar environment to promote conversation and relaxation
- More time focused on each other. Less time spent getting ready, driving, waiting, etc.
- Access to all your personal belongings like pj’s, movies, games, snacks, etc. This can allow for spontaneity.
Again, it all comes back to the main goal: having fun together, learning about each other, and increasing intimacy and connection. Sometimes, home is the best place for that!
Here are 10 Date Nights at Home that are fun, low cost, and centered around creating quality connection between you and your partner.
10 At Home Date Night Ideas for Quality Connection
1. In-Home Coffee Shop Date
Materials Needed:
- Ingredients for drinks: coffee, tea, milk, syrups/sweeteners, etc.
- Baked goods of choice (homemade or storebought)
- optional mood setters: coffee shop jazz music, candle, etc.
- Music inspo: Look up “coffee shop jazz” or “calm piano jazz” on youtube for that coffee shop ambiance
The coffee shop ambiance is typically what makes going to coffee shops feel special: the aromas, the bakery items, the cozy, calm vibes.
Oh, and of course the yummy drinks!
But what isn’t special is the prices (I mean…8 bucks for 1 drink? That’sss a little steep for me!)
Sooo… set up your own coffee shop date at home! Select background music of your choice — whether calm vibes or upbeat. Bake some treats (like my Scandinavian Almond Skillet Cake or Buttery Oatmeal Cookies) and make your favorite drinks. Sit down together and enjoy good conversation and delicious flavors for a fraction of the cost.
2. In-Home Art and Sip
You’ve heard of “paint and sip” nights, right? You can totally re-create this type of activity at home (for way cheaper too).
Materials:
- drinks/snacks of choice
- DIY art supplies or an art kit (painting kit, paint by numbers, clay modeling, etc.)
- optional: music
- optional: follow a how-to youtube video for certain art projects
Choose whatever type of art you and your honey would enjoy – you could paint on canvas, paint by numbers, draw a still life scene, or even sketch each other.
Looking for a unique art project? Consider canvas spin art, at-home ceramics kits, pressed leaves and flowers, clay, leather working, photo collages, or even refurbishing a piece of furniture. Find something you will enjoy!
Grab your drink of choice and some snacks, and just enjoy the time together savoring your treats and exercising your creativity (even if you’re not “good” at it). You’ll probably find it relaxing. 😉
3. In-Home Baking/Cooking “Class” or Contest
Materials:
- recipe(s) of choice (cookbook, instructional video, family recipe, etc.)
- ingredients/supplies
- optional: music
- optional: beverage of choice
Baking and cooking classes can be a fun way to be creative and learn how to create delicious food together. However, cooking classes can be prettyyy expensive (and they usually don’t serve a lot of food anyway). So brainstorm a dish that you want to learn how to make and find a recipe or tutorial video online!
Feeling confident in your culinary abilities? Ditch the recipe entirely and go for a completely experimental baking/cooking date! Then taste test each others’ creations!
Set the culinary ambiance with piano jazz or lofi and sip a beverage together while you work with all the delicious ingredients. Take pictures. Then, enjoy good conversation and (hopefully!) good food together.
4. In-Home Gym Date
Materials:
- workout of choice (such as a Youtube video or a workout that you create yourselves!)
- any necessary equipment
- ingredients for a post-workout meal/snack
This isn’t meant to be intimidating! Whether or not you are an exercising pro, choose a workout that you will both enjoy, and accomplish it together.
Doing a challenging activity together can be a great way to practice encouraging each other. It’s also a tangible reminder for both parties that we all have strengths and weaknesses. 😉
Plus, if you guys are feeling stressed, working out together can be a great way to ease that tension.
After the workout, make and enjoy a delicious post-workout snack or meal together accompanied by quality conversation.
5. Game night (board, card, video)…Winner gets a prize.
Materials:
- Game of choice (board game, card game, video game, etc.)
- Agreed prize
- Snacks/drinks
A little fun and healthy competition is always good for chemistry. Play a favorite game or learn a new one together.
Ask your significant other if there are any games they grew up playing. Then play that game together for nostalgia’s sake.
You can also create incentives or prizes for the winner…such as a massage, a particular snack, or a vacation from a certain chore.
6. Book club, Bible study, or Podcast listening date
Materials:
- Book, podcast, study of choice
- calm, cozy environment
- optional: drinks/snacks to enjoy together
If you and your significant other are into any good books or podcasts, sit down and enjoy it together! Then, talk about what you read/listened to.
This can be a great way to delve into deeper conversation and learn more about your partner’s thoughts and feelings. The result? — growing in emotional, intellectual, and spiritual intimacy, and feeling known and understood by your partner.
7. Dreaming/Planning for the Future Date
Materials:
- notebook & pen
- calm, cozy environment
- optional: laptop or phone to create a shared document
- optional: drinks/snacks
Every serious couple should occasionally spend time dreaming for the future together. Start by asking each other how you feel about where you are at in life.
Other questions to ask might be:
- Do you feel satisfied with your daily rhythms, health, and personal growth?
- What are things you desire to experience or learn?
- What do you feel are your current strengths?
- What do you feel are your current weaknesses?
- What are your physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual goals?
- What are your financial goals as a couple?
Being introspective together in this way helps avoid becoming stagnant in life, and it helps ensure that your lifestyle as a couple is headed in the direction of your goals.
You can even create a shared document with all of the things you talked about so that you can look back at it later 🙂
8. “You Pick, I Pick”
The premise of this date is that one person picks something to do together based on their interests. The couple does that activity together. And then the other person picks something to do, and the couple does that together.
In this way, both people can learn more about what their special someone enjoys doing. In addition, both parties will feel loved and show love by doing their activity picks together.
You may even learn something new about your partner that you didn’t know before!
9. Holiday Themed In-Home Date
Is there an upcoming holiday or season that you and your S.O. really enjoy? Create an at-home date that is themed around that holiday/season!
For example, a Christmas-themed at-home date could consist of getting in Christmas pj’s, baking Christmas cookies with Christmas music in the background, and creating a Christmas season bucket list.
A summertime themed date could consist of a grill out, baseball game on tv, ice cream sundaes, and sparklers!
10. Create a Photo Album Together (or look through albums you already have and reminisce)
Materials:
- photos of choice printed out (you can cheaply print photos through walmart, walgreens, etc.)
- empty photo album
- optional: scissors, embellishments like patterned tape or stickers
- optional: background music, candle, snacks/drinks
Gather and print out photos from your relationship, of a particular vacation, of your kids, etc. and create a photo album together to celebrate all the memories you have made so far.
It can be so fun to go back and remember times past. It can also be bonding to see how much you as a couple have grown and what you have accomplished together.
Plus, you’ll have a photo album you can look back through again and again!
In Conlusion…
With a little thought and planning, you can easily put together fun (even romantic) date nights at home that are affordable and centered around creating an atmosphere of quality connection.
At the end of the day, intentionality is key. Show up to your date nights at home ready to listen well, show empathy, and learn more about your significant other on a deeper level.
This type of intentionality from both parties will instantly take any at-home date night from good to amazing.
And who knows…you may even discover that your most favorite dates are the ones shared at home 🙂
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Hey! I’m so glad you’re here. Comment down below with your favorite at-home date night ideas!
Wherever this day takes you…take time to nourish yourself and your relationships!
Warmly, Caroline
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