Long gone are the days when we thought we had to hire a babysitter and get out of the house to have a fun (or romantic) date night!
Thanks to a few influences over the last few years, we’ve had to change our thinking, and these date night at home ideas are going to have you covered.
That’s right, you don’t need to go to the movies or to a fancy restaurant to have a fun and exciting date night!
With a little prior planning, and a little creativity, you can have amazing date nights at home that help you to connect and have fun with your spouse!
Do We Really Need To Have Date Nights?
While I am a staunch believer that you don’t need regular date nights in order to have a successful and happy marriage, what you do need is time alone together to connect, have fun, and just simply enjoy each other’s company.
For some people, this is best done in a date night situation as it allows them to create a dedicated time to connect with each other.
But, you don’t have to leave the house to do it.
You don’t have to do dinner and movie out, and you don’t have to leave the kids at home, and you don’t need to spend a fortune.
Now, more than ever, we have been able to be a little more creative about what we can accomplish at home and these data night at home ideas are fantastic whether you have to stay home or just want to stay home.
What Is Important About A Date Night?
Like we mentioned before, the most important aspect of a date night is setting aside time to connect with one another.
This can be in a romantic way, in a deep and meaningful conversational way, or in a fun and jovial way (or anything in between).
The best part of date night is that you get to spend quality time together.
It’s all too easy to let ‘life’ get in the way.
We have so many demands on us, and throw a career and a few kids into the mix and it’s easy to become roommates rather than a couple.
Date nights allow you to have intentional time together and home date night ideas like these allow you to try new things without having to leave home.
What Are The Date Night Essentials?
There are only a few things you need to have an amazing date night:
1) Intentional time together – limit the distractions. Put your phones away, turn off the TV (unless that’s part of your date night) and just focus on each other.
2) Conversation – sometimes if we haven’t had much time to converse lately, it can be a little difficult to have a good conversation. Fun date nights allow the conversation to flow easier. There are also a few ideas below to help conversations flow.
3) Fun – date night is not a time to bring up issues you want to discuss or problems you need to sort out. Take time away from it all to have fun and leave the life admin or heavy stuff for another day.
That’s it!
You don’t need anything fancy or extravagant, you just need to have the right intentions and be open to having fun with the one you love.
Try some of these home date ideas for inspiration, or go off-book and create your own perfect date night at home.
Cheap Date Night At Home Ideas
Date nights don’t need to break the bank or cost you a small fortune!
And cheap date nights don’t have to be boring!
Try these cheap date night ideas if you’re on a budget or just don’t want to spend too much money:
1 – Game Night
Nothing brings out the competitive nature in someone like playing your favorite board games or card games.
There are so many good games out there that are perfect for date night (and competitive couples).
You’re pretty much guaranteed a good time with this cheap but fun idea.
2 – Build a Forte
Clear your living room, grab a bunch of blankets, pillows and cushions and build a fort.
Pillows on the floor make for great seating and some blankets and sheets can turn your living room into an instant hideaway.
Set up and watch a movie in your forte, or use it to hide and play games.
Such a fun way to connect with your inner child and just have fun.
3 – Play A Game Of Trivia
Trivia is such a fun game to play together and there are so many options to play.
Pick a topic you both love and play.
This might not be such a great idea if you are super competitive and get into arguments over trivia though (if you know, you know).
3 – Ask 100 Questions
This has to be one of my most favorite date night ideas.
You can grab a printable copy of these conversation starter cards, print them out and work your way through them.
You’ll be amazed at what you learn about each other.
Obviously asking each other 100 questions in one go is going to be a lot, so grab out a few each and then repeat each date night.
4 – Plan A Trip Together
Where do you want to go for your next vacation? Plan it together now.
Look up places to stay, activities you want to do, and dream big.
5 – Create Your Life Goals Together
Grab a few pieces of paper and some pens, sit down together, and create your life goals.
What do each of you actually want to achieve in your life? And what do you want to achieve together?
6 – Watch Your Favourite Movies From Your Childhood
Make a list of the movies you love from your childhood and take turns watching them each date night.
This is such a sweet and nostalgic idea.
7 – Create A List Of Your Perfect Date Ideas
If you’ve ever felt stuck for a date night idea, then make a list of date nights you’d like to have!
Create your ultimate perfect date night, and add a few ideas for other date nights too!
Then, plan them and schedule them in your calendar so they happen!
8 – Tour A Museum Online
Did you know you can tour the Lourve in Paris without having to ever leave your home? And you can do it for free?
Find a museum you love online and see if they offer free tours too.
9 – Plan House Projects
While the house projects themselves may not be the cheap part of this date night idea, it doesn’t cost anything to plan them.
Go through decorating magazines or Pinterest, and plan you next house project.
10 – Create Your Relationship Vision Board
We all have heard of vision boards to help us achieve our goals, but what about a vision board to help us achieve our relationship goals?
Find images you love of things that resonate with you or that you want to achieve as a couple, add photos of yourselves at places you love that remind you of all the happiness and fun you have, add positive affirmations or words that have meaning to you… so much fun!
Fun Date Night At Home Ideas
We’ve said over and over that date nights are meant to be fun, so try these fun date night ideas to get you laughing and smiling and feeling good.
11 – Have Karaoke Night
Karaoke is always fun, but you don’t have to venture to your nearest karaoke bar to enjoy it!
Grab a Karaoke app, or an online game, and belt out your favorite tunes.
12 – Have A Wrestle Match
Do you have a little competitive streak? Why not have fun and wrestle?
Pop some pillows down, and remember, this is fun, the goal isn’t actually to hurt each other.
You can even set a prize for the winner.
13 – Take An Online Dance Class
Over the last few years, there has been a massive increase in what is available for you to do in the comfort of your own home – and dance classes are one of the more fun ideas!
If you can, find a class that is live so you can enjoy the feedback from the instructor and have fun together!
14 – Go Wine Tasting… At Home
Buy or order a selection of wine (I choose wine based on the label, so don’t come to me for wine advice) and set up a wine tasting station at home.
Talk about which ones you liked and why (with notes of… and undertones of… – clearly I’m not a wine person).
15 – Use The Couples Planner
The Couples Planner was literally designed to help couples have more fun, so of course, it had to feature on this list!
Grab a copy of it and print it out, or fill it in on your iPad, and have fun!
Avoid the budget pages, and stick to the goals, conversation pages, and list pages.
16 – Play Dress Ups
Either swing by the thrift shop and find some fun things to dress up in, or play dress-ups from your own wardrobe and run your own fashion show for each other.
Choose out each other’s outfits, and have fun as you model them for each other.
17 – Leave Clues For Each Other
Create your own adventure game and leave clues for each other all over the house with post-it notes.
Get creative and have fun.
18 – Have A Nerf War
Who doesn’t love a Nerf war?
Set up a full battle zone with pillows and lounges for cover, and have fun!
19 – Have A Dance Party
Put on your dancing shoes and press play on your favorite dance music and have your own dance party!
20 – Ask Each Other Would You Rather Questions
Would you rather questions are so much fun and can make you laugh so much.
Use would you rather question prompts to get you started, but don’t just stick to the list, once you’ve asked a few questions you’ll probably get into the flow and be inspired to ask your own.
21 – Create A Playlist Of Your Favorite Songs
Create a playlist on your music app of choice of all your favorite songs or even the songs that are most meaningful to your relationship.
Then you can listen to it anytime you want and feel all loved up and reminded of each other.
22 – Start A Cute TikTok Account Together
What a great way to have fun together.
Learn viral dances, and promote all the good things that happen in relationships and how to have FUN! (Anything to get the word out that relationships are meant to be fun is good in my eyes).
23 – Play Classic Video Games
I’m talking Mr. Pacman and Spaceships and even Mario Kart (the OG version of course),
You can get some really fun classic video game packs or you could even find games from your childhood and compete against each other while you laugh at the graphics quality (and how we thought it was soooo realistic when we were kids).
24 – Recreate Your First Date
While your first date may not have been an at-home date, there are still parts of your first date you’ll be able to recreate.
Whether it’s the music that was playing, the meal you had, or the movie you watched, reminisce together and have your first date all over again.
25 – Create An Escape Room At Home
Finders Seekers helps you to create the perfect Escape Room at-home date night!
So much fun AND you can even get a monthly subscription box which is not only a great reminder to have a date night, it can also help you to focus on having fun with each other too.
Romantic Date Night At Home Ideas
While date nights are fun, they can also be romantic, after all, it’s about connecting with each other again. Use these romantic date night ideas for inspiration:
26 – Blindfold Each Other And Feed Each Other Food
This can be so much fun and so romantic too!
Grab a tasting plate and some blindfolds and see if each other can guess the foods.
27 – Read Poetry To Each Other
Anything by Pablo Naruda is always a winner.
Pick a poem you love and that resonates with you and how you feel about your relationship, and then read it to each other.
28 – Take The Love Languages Quiz
If you haven’t done this already, you need to do it now.
If it’s been a while since you’ve taken the quiz, do it again and take some time to discuss the results.
Understanding your partner’s love language is so important, so why not make a date night out of it?
29 – Have Dinner By Candlelight
One of the most classic and simple romantic date night ideas, but also so sweet and such a beautiful way to connect with each other.
30 – Write Each Other Love Letters
For some people, it’s a struggle to say what we really mean and we are much better at writing our thoughts and feelings than speaking them.
If this is you (or even if it’s not) try writing each other sweet love letters.
You don’t even need to read them now, you could forward date them, or even write smaller love notes and have a note on the front saying something like ‘open when you’re feeling sad’.
31 – Choose Each Other’s Outfits For Dinner
I love doing this so much!
Cook yourselves dinner at home, and get dressed up for the occasion!
The most fun part? Choose each other’s outfits for dinner.
This is so much fun because you get to see what outfits each other loves and they get to dress you in their own way. Super romantic.
32 – Have A Bubble Bath Together
Grab a bottle of wine, light candles, grab some bubble bath and have a sweet bubble bath together.
Keep in mind, if you have a small tub, this might not be the best option, but if you can both fit in your tub comfortably, this is a super romantic and sweet way to spend some time together.
33 – Take A Walk Down Memory Lane
There’s no doubt most married couples have a whole lot of history together.
Even if you’re not married, and you’ve been with each other for a long time, chances are you’ve been through a lot.
When was the last time you sat and spoke about all of the amazing things you’ve achieved and all of the things you’ve done together?
Date night is the perfect time to do this, over a glass of wine, talking all about your relationship.
34 – Record a Video Together To Watch A Year From Now
Grab a tripod, set yourself up with your camera, and record a video together.
You can record anything you want, what you’re doing in life at the moment, your goals for the next year, things you want to do or accomplish together.
Save the video so you can watch it back a year from now and see how far you’ve come.
Bonus points if you set a reminder in your phone to do this every year.
35 – Create An Indoor Starry Night
Grab a bunch of fairy lights and string them all around your home, turn the lights off and lay ‘under the stars’ together cuddling.
You could even do this just in your bedroom and create a ‘camp under the stars’ night while inside.
36 – Have Your Own Fondue Night
Everyone loves fondue – it’s food and it’s messy, and it’s delicious. What’s not to love?
Whether it’s sweet with chocolate fondue and strawberries, or savory with cheese and more cheese, fondue for two is one of the most fun and romantic ideas for your date night.
37 – Date Night In A Box
Take the stress out of planning your date nights with a subscription service like Date Night In A Box.
With a ton of different themes and a huge variety of different styles, you’ll never have to worry about what to do on date night again!
38 – Make Fancy Desserts Together
Nothing says romance more than chocolate and strawberries, or sweet delicious, and indulgent dessert dishes!
Get your baking on and make elaborate desserts you’ve always wanted to make but never had an excuse to before.
Indulgent Date Night At Home Ideas
If you want to really go all out for your date night, try one of these indulgent date night ideas.
They might cost a little more, and take up more time, but they are a whole lot of fun and super romantic too:
39 – Create A 3 Course Meal Together
You don’t need to go to a restaurant to have a fancy dinner!
Plan out your 3-course meal, then make it together!
Add on another element to your date night of getting dressed up for a candlelit dinner at home and you’ve got an indulgent, romantic, and fun date night.
40 – Cook A Favourite Dish For Each Other
What’s your favorite meal?
Cook each other’s favorite dish and have a fun and tasty date night at home.
41 – Set Your Bedroom Up Like A Hotel Room
Get super fancy and set your bedroom up like a hotel room.
Move your TV into your room (if you can), pop on fresh sheets, snuggle in robes, and eat dinner in bed.
42 – Have An At-Home Spa Treatment
Get your fancy on with an at home spa treatment. Grab some face masks, do a deep cleanse, have a long bath, or sauna yourself in your shower together (steamy….).
Having a spa night at home is lovely and luxurious but can be a whole lot of fun too.
43 – Give Each Other Indulgent Massages
Complete with relaxation music, candles, and aromatherapy oils.
Jump on YouTube and learn how to give each other a relaxing massage, be sure to really get into it too.
This is a great way to connect physically and really spoil the one you love.
44 – Have A Wine And Cheese Night
Grab a bottle of fancy wine and your favorite cheese selection and relax together.
Pop your feet up, put some relaxing music on, and enjoy the conversation that flows.
45 – Take An Online Cooking Class Together
There are a ton of online cooking classes you can take together for free!
Check out Udemy, where you can search for cooking classes based on the type of cooking style, or you can sign up to some amazing classes taught by incredible chefs that you wouldn’t have access to learn from otherwise.
Have fun and learn something new too!
46 – Have A Lavish Indoor Picnic
There’s something romantic about picnics.
Lay a blanket out on the floor, add some cushions from your couch, pick up some fancy food and drinks, and cozy up together.
It’s a lovely way to enjoy spending time together.
47 – Make A Zen Garden Together
Do a little research together and create a Zen garden.
It doesn’t take much, just a small collection of sand or stones in a bowl or tray, and some decoration stones on top.
Add in some candles too for extra romance!
If you can’t find sand, grab a bag of sugar and play with that.
48 – Create Your Own Mini Golf Course
Head outdoors and create your own mini golf course.
Get creative with your obstacles, and set prizes for the winner.
A little friendly competition can turn into an indulgent and fun date night.
Creative Date Night At Home Ideas
Let your creativity flow with these creative date night ideas:
49 – Choose A Paint By Numbers Picture For Each Other
Paint by numbers isn’t quite like it used to be. You can now get a whole range of beautiful images all set up in a fun paint-by-numbers style.
Grab a glass of wine, set up your easle, and paint together.
Focusing on something while chatting also allows you to converse with ease and helps to relax into the conversation too.
50 – Learn A New Craft Skill
Ever wanted to learn how to crochet, or take a pottery glass?
Do it together!
There are so many classes and tutorials online that you can take and learn these skills in the comfort of your own home.
Get crafty together and create some fun and sweet projects.
When it comes to learning new skills, taking a class, or just wanting to expand your knowledge – Udemy has what you’re looking for. Be warned, you’ll start scrolling the classes available and reailze all of a sudden you HAVE to learn how to crochet, or cook traditional Indian food, or how to code websites… It’s super addictive and so fun! PLUS you can get cash back with your Rakuten app too!
51 – Paint A Picture Together
Grab a big blank canvas and a bunch of paint and get creative!
Whether you throw paint at the canvas, use brushes, hands, or even your body (roll around in paint – so much fun), you’ll come out of this with a unique piece of art that is a reminder of your date night together.
52 – Scrapbook Your Favourite Photos
Scrapbooking is another fun crafting hobby that you can enjoy doing together.
Create your own memory book (or several) by adding all of your favorite moments and photos together.
This will be a lovely keepsake that you can look back at for years to come.
53 – Write A Story Together One Line At A Time
I absolutely love this one, it is so much fun.
Write your own story together, one line at a time, by starting with ‘Once upon a time…’ and then take turns writing the next line of the story.
The plot usually ends up hilarious and so obscure – it’s so much fun!
54 – Write A Mini Screenplay Of Your Love Story
If you’re super creative, you could write a mini screenplay of your love story!
Pick out who would play each of you and any other roles in the story, and write it out.
If you want an extra challenge (and to make it even funnier) write each others lines of the play.
55 – Double Date Via Zoom
Just because you can’t leave home (or don’t want to leave home) doesn’t mean you can’t go on a double date!
This is perfect for that couple friend you have that lives far away or you don’t get to see often.
Set up a time and even cook the same meals so you it feels like you’re together in person and have a double date.
56 – Make Ice Cream Sundaes Together
If you don’t think making ice cream sundaes is a creative process, then you haven’t really made an ice cream sundae.
Grab a range of topings, and get creative with it.
Make a sundae sculpture or turn your ice cream sundae into a work of art.
Then enjoy eating it (of course).
57 – Make Up Your Own Sports Game or Board Game
We all know the best games are the ones you make up yourself so why not make up your own sports game – or even better, create your own board game.
Don’t get too complicated with the rules otherwise it just gets confusing, but have fun with the creative process too!
Outdoors Date Night At Home Ideas
Just because you’re at home, doesn’t mean you have to be stuck indoors!
Get outside with these fun outdoors date night ideas:
58 – Set Up And Outdoor Picnic
Grab a picnic basket, a picnic blanket, and a bottle of wine and head outdoors.
Fill the basket with your favorite treats, and relax together while enjoying the sunshine (or a starry sky).
You can even use a portable speaker to set the mood with some relaxing chill out music and enjoy the vibe.
59 – Grab Blankets And Pillows And Snuggle On A Trampoline
Trampolines are a staple in many family back yards… but they aren’t just for the kids.
Grab some blankets and pillows and set yourself up on the trampoline for a comfy and snuggly night under the stars.
Just don’t wriggle too much or you’ll bounce each other off.
60 – Climb Up On Your Roof (safely) And Watch The Sunset
If you can manage to get up onto your roof safely, this can be a super sweet and romantic choice for a date evening.
Head up before sunset (be sure your roof isn’t too hot) and lay back to watch the sky change colors as the sun sets.
Just remember to be smart about this – you’re adults, you can make your own choices about whether you can do this safely or not. I’ve been to plenty of people who have fallen off their roof as a Paramedic so don’t be silly…
61 – Set Up And Outdoor Cinema / Movies
This is so much fun! If you don’t have a blank walk outside, grab a sheet and hang it up, and use a projector to create your own outdoor cinema / movies.
Set up a comfy outdoor sofa with some throw pillows or use camping chairs and enjoy the film together as you snuggle close.
62 – Play Catch Or Ball Games
If you don’t fancy a picnic blanket / camping chairs experience, grab some balls and head outside to your back yard!
Play some ball games, or simply throw a ball back and forward to each other.
I know it sounds super simple, but it can be a lot of fun and allows you to just spend time focusing on each other.
63 – Do Outdoor Yoga
Yoga is fun and doing yoga together can be quite funny.
Head outdoors, grab your laptop and do a guided yoga class.
You’ll get all the benefits of yoga and a heap of Vitamin D while you’re at it.
64 – Camp Outside
We often get caught up in the idea that we have to go away in order to enjoy a camping experience, but you can set up camp in your own backyard and have a whole lot of fun.
Set up your tent or create your own and enjoy a night outdoors.
65 – Tell Stories By A Fire
Set up a campfire in your backyard, grab the camp chairs, and tell stories by the campfire.
Bonus points if have ‘smores too!
Hopefully, this list has given you some inspiration to plan the best date night you’ve ever had, without even having to leave the house!
Remember, date nights are all about getting out of your normal routine, and creating your own fun activity or romantic night in a way that resonates with you as a couple.
Forget about the typical date night idea and get creative with these for your next date night.
