Creative & Romantic At-Home Date Night In Ideas | Whether it’s the cold weather, lockdown, or a tight budget keeping you at home, your relationship shouldn’t have to suffer. At home date nights are actually usually my favourites. I like the intimacy it provides, and the space to really connect with your significant other. I created this list to help you find exciting and fun ways to date at home this year!
The theme for these dates is: get creative. Think outside the box. Even something like having dinner together doesn’t have to be sitting across from each other talking work, taxes, and the kids — step outside of your routine and mix things up a little. Date night in can be just as exciting as anything else.
There’s options here for everyone — whether you’re looking to spend a quiet evening getting to know each other better, or bored out of your mind and sick of quarantine. I’ve got you covered.
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40 Creative & Romantic At-Home Date Night In Ideas
Build a fort
Bring out your inner kid and have a blast building a fort together. Cozy it up with blankets, pillows, and snacks, and combine it with our next date idea for the ultimate evening!
Movie Night
Okay, I know, I know — probably your first thought. But a movie night doesn’t just have to be sitting on the couch bored. Pick up your favourite snacks, open a bottle of wine, get in your pjs, turn off the lights and make it a whole experience.
Set goals together
You wouldn’t believe how fun it is to set goals together. Whether it’s the start of a new year, or the middle of a chaotic one — sit down together and make a plan! It’s so fun to cook up dreams together. If you’re unsure of where to start, check out these 38 Things to Start Doing in 2021.
Make cookies
Or pie, or cake, or whatever your heart desires. Do some fun baking! If you want to get really creative, drop them off to friends after as a little hey-i-love-you!
Write letters
To each other, to friends and family. Writing little love notes is a fun way to bless people together. You can even write letters to yourselves or each other to be opened a year or two from now.
Creative Cooking
Another fun one! Cook something crazy or unconventional, something you usually wouldn’t think to whip up. You can even FaceTime friends and do a cooking double date while you make the same recipe.
Read a book together
Make a weekly tradition of reading together. Pick a novel, nonfiction, bible study, or whatever — and sit down together to go through it.
I’d highly recommend checking out The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, by John Mark Comer. It’s a great read for anyone, and to go through it with your significant other would be a great idea.
Drop off baking/something to friends
Brainstorm business ideas
Maybe kinda nerdy, but why not? In the age of entrepreneurship, sit down and get creative! Brainstorm your passions, hobbies, and how you could monetize them for a different future.
Workout together
Accountability, taking care of your health — and fun.
Plan a vacation
Even if you can’t go somewhere, or you’re not ready to book, dream big. If nothing else, it’s bonding to dream together!
Start a Pinterest board for your dream home
Make a “highlight board” of your favourite memories together
Cute, and functions also as a fun decoration for your home.
Meal Prep
This sounds like a chore, but I actually love meal prepping with my boyfriend. However crazy our schedules, it gives us an opportunity to hang out and be productive. Meal prepping also allows us to be more intentional with our health, which is a huge plus.
Clean the house
Call me crazy, but cleaning is so much more fun with a partner. Put on some music, dance around the house, and have a blast at home.
Binge a new TV series
Top recommendations: The Office, Selling Sunset, The Blacklist, Brooklyn 99
Start a journal together
Keep a record of your favourite memories in a journal to keep track of them. A wonderful keepsake, and a great at home date night in together.
Have an ice cream bar
Y’all – this is what I mean when I say get creative. Get some base flavours, fun flavours, and all the t toppings you can carry.
Build a bar cart
This one might take some planning – but building a bar cart is a really cool thing to do together, and a great tool for hosting. (That’s right — your date night in can be practical too!)
DIY a wall hanging
Pinterest is full of great home DIYS, and wall hangings in particular are so easy to make, and super fun!
Have dinner by candlelight
Get all dressed up, put on some heels, and eat frozen pizza and tater tots by candlelight.
Have a paint night
Whether you’re a Bob Ross kinda couple or just going from your own inspiration, do your thing.
Karaoke
Outdoor movie night
Have a water gun fight
You can even surprise your S/O with this one. Wait for them to walk in and just start spraying em with a Super Soaker.
Check in with each other
My favourite rhythm in my relationship is our check-in conversations. Every few moments, we pick a night to stay in, have a nice dinner, open a bottle of wine, and talk about where we’re at. Any unresolved issues get talked through, and we have a chance to celebrate the best things that have happened since our last check in. For a more in-depth explanation, click here to read my blog post on intentional relationships.
Make a bucket list together
Seasonal, long-term, or travel specific! At home date nights don’t have to feel like you’re at home.
Have a pillow fight
Make a movie jar
This is something I did last year for my boyfriend’s birthday, and he LOVED it. We already had a list of movies we wanted to watch together, so I wrote the titles all on popsicle sticks, and coloured the ends so they corresponded to a legend detailing genre.
Make a date night jar
Along the same lines, make a date night jar with colours coordinating to cost or level of planning required! You can even use this list if you want.
Play a board game
Just be careful of how competitive you get. However wild Monopoly may be, it’s probably not worth ending your relationship over.
Offer to babysit together
Even if kids are a long time away, it’s still fun to get out of your comfort zone and go have a blast with someone else’s kids for a night! Not to mention, you can keep an eye on how the other person responds to them.
Do face masks together
A classic at home date idea, face masks are a failsafe. They feel amazing and will help you just relax and enjoy each other’s company.
Give each other pedicures
Trade back rubs
Play a murder mystery game
An exciting date night in! Whether you invite friends or keep it to you two, a murder mystery date is an intriguing and different way to spend time together.
Repaint your furniture or walls
Go for a walk
Go for a run
Follow an online dance class
Salsa, anyone?
These at-home date night in ideas are guaranteed to bring you closer together, and help you create a wonderful evening.
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These ideas are so creative and different from what people are usually able to think of! I love the “write letters to family/friends” and “bake something and drop it off” ideas!