Date Nights In - 50 Ideas for Fun at Home Date nights
Parenting is hard. It's hard on mom & dad individually - and especially tough on your relationship. With little mouths that need to be fed, school, sports, friends and activities, the stress of your careers, chores to be done... the list goes on... it's no wonder we often put our romantic lives on the back burner.
There are so many days when any "adult time" seems like a far-off dream. With so much to do, and the stress and cost of finding a sitter, making plans, and going out - Date night is often skipped. But I'm here to tell you - DON'T SKIP IT!! Plan at least one night a week with a couple hours of alone time devoted to only you and your partner. A couple hours where the conversation doesn't revolve around poopy diapers, 1st grade homework, what bills are due, how much summer camp costs, or who has been doing (or not doing) which chores. A couple of hours to check in, find out how your spouse is really doing, to flirt and laugh and kiss and remember the love that brought you to creating your beautiful family.
Happy children are raised by happy parents, and modeling a healthy romantic relationship for your kids will only benefit them. I promise. So taking time to focus on your spouse and fall in love all over again is NOT something you should feel guilty for. Put them to bed early. Its time to focus on you.
We've always had a tough time finding sitters regularly on weekends, and let's be real - hiring a sitter once a week is really expensive. Especially if any of your kids are still babies. Since having Cash, it has been a little more difficult to get date night sitters so we have gotten creative!
This past Friday we built a fort in our bedroom and watched a scary movie and ate ALL the snacks! It was such a blast, so cozy and cute and the fort made it so much more special than just laying in bed and watching tv like we usually do.
SO .. without further adieu, here is my list of 50 date night in ideas! (you can click to shop any of the product images)
Build a fort and watch movies! - we took some some twine, a couple of sheets, saftey pins and Christmas lights and made magic!
Have a picnic in your yard
Do a beer tasting - grab a sampler pack at the grocery store and try some fun ones!
Do a wine tasting - most grocers have discounts when you buy 6 or more bottles
Ice Cream Sundaes! Buy fun toppings & different flavors
Paint together - grab a big canvas, pin some inspo on pinterest and let the creativity flow!
Stargaze! Lay out a blanket, print out a star map and see how many constellations you can find -- find some fun free printables here
Roast marshmallows and make s'mores (some Baileys and Hot Cocoa or Coffee would be a great complement!)
Play a fun video game together and snack on junk food
Fondue Night! - Savory cheese fondue and sweet chocolates
Prepare a meal from another culture together and play music from that country to set the mood!
Blind Tasting! Blindfold each other and grab items from the fridge for your partner to taste - be nice!!! But have fun 😆
Learn a new hobby together - like crochet or making a terrarium
Search online for your dream home - Where would it be? What style? How many bedrooms?
Plan your dream vacation
Share stories! - your most embarrassing moments, your first kiss, your favorite childhood memories
Cook a meal similar to what you served at your wedding and look through your wedding album
Make DIY bath bombs and take a bath together
Do an initimate conversation workbook - I bought Johno this one last year for Christmas and it sparked some really beautiful conversations.
Have a nerf gun war! Get locked and loaded, hide around corners and sneak attack!
Buy an elaborate puzzle or lego set and put it together
Write a bucket list together!
Do brain teasers
Have a fashion show! Pick out each others outfits and do your best model walk through the living room!
Make a scrapbook or shadow box full of fun momentos from one another - photos, birthday cards, notes
Do yoga together
Play truth or dare
Play your favorite board game
Make sushi together
Play your favorite funny youtube videos for each other
Tackle a home improvement project together
Take a youtube dance lesson
Play "would you rather" - you can find a great list of questions here
Decorate coffee mugs for one another that describe your partners personality
Theme Night! Chose a theme and coordinate your night around it -- for example maybe your theme is Italy - you could make an Italian dinner, enjoy Italian wine, and play Italian music and then watch Life is Beautiful.
Take some personality tests and share your results - Here are a few - Enneagram Test , Love Languages Quiz, 16 Personalities
Have a spa night! Do face masks, give each other massages and diffuse essential oils
Play a classic card game and make wagers - example, loser does the dishes for a week
Make homemade pizzas with your favorite toppings! We have the most AMAZZZing pizza oven we received as a wedding gift
Take turns reading a book aloud to one another
Do mad libs
Play Jenga!
Draw portraits of each other
Make Crepes and fill them with fun sweet and savory ingredients!
Take a class together online with skillshare or Udemy
Plan a treasure hunt
Grab some popcorn and read through the Craigslist "missed connection" section
Dance together, throw on some salsa or a slow song and dance! Extra sappiness points if you play the first dance song from your wedding
Show each other photos of your childhood
Decorate cookies or a cake together
There you have it 50 ideas! No excuses for not reserving time for date night! You don't need a sitter or a bunch of money. Many of these ideas cost nothing at all. Spend time loving, connecting and caring for one another. These little moments help you connect and work better as a team. I promise you'll notice the weekly craziness get a little easier, you'll always have your time together to look forward to.
Have another fun idea?? Share it in the comments so I can add it to the list! Happy dating friends.
Keep it crazy, Keep it Beautiful.
xo, Gigi