19 At-Home Date Night Ideas

Everyone knows where their remote control is located. But how can we make an at-home evening special without pressing the “on” button (even with kids around)? Here are nineteen ideas:

1. Put together a puzzle: Yes, this requires some calm patience, but you just might start to see those sea turtles and palm trees.
2. Play a board game: There are lots of standards to enjoy like Scrabble or Taboo, some less traditional ones like Settlers of Catan and Codenames, as well as off-the-beaten-path options like The Mind or Forbidden Island.
3. Reminisce: Look through old photo albums, home videos, or keepsakes.
4. Read to each other: You may not be able to do different voices for each character, but there’s something special about enjoying a book together.
5. Have a dance party: If you have children, involve them. Kids love to dance, and this could be a great time to pick songs from different generations where everybody can bust a move.
6. Give a massage: Who doesn’t like getting a shoulder or foot rub? This could easily become one of your favorite at-home date night ideas.
7. Create an art project: Whether it’s a team painting to go on a bare wall or a paper collage from magazines that you can mail to grandma, why not get creative and make something fun to look at (or at least one-of-a-kind). For the competitive: have an “art race” where everyone gets the same amount of time and supplies to make a project, then everyone judges the winner.
8. Have fun shopping online: It may not work to take your spouse out to the mall or their favorite store, but you can still go online to check out earrings, home décor, or tools.
9. Go on a drive: There are lots of spots to cruise through in Indianapolis and the surrounding suburbs. Enjoy exploring new areas and maybe even listening to some music or an audiobook.
10. Plan something together: Do you have a big anniversary coming up? Why not plan a weekend getaway? Brainstorm a future getaway, whether local or out-of-state, that you can start planning and saving toward.
11. Bake dessert together: What’s that? You’re terrible at baking? That’s why they invented break-and-bake cookies.
12. Call somebody on the phone: Make the evening special by calling up somebody neither of you has talked to in a while. You can even make it a “double date” with another couple you know.
13. Take a walk together: As they say, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.
14. Make a bonfire: Now, I wouldn’t try this if you live in an apartment. But if not, bonfires make for one of the most fun at-home date night ideas—especially if you cook up some marshmallows or tell stories.
15. Write a story or skit together: You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make up a story together. The weirder the story, the funnier the memory.
16. Pray together: Take thirty minutes to praise, thank, and worship God. This can allow you to spiritually connect and reset in a special way.
17. Sing together: Maybe a family hymn sing will lift everyone’s spirits and voices. Maybe it’s having a karaoke night using a wooden spoon as the microphone.
18. Enjoy specialty drinks: Alcohol doesn’t have to be in the recipe to make fun after-dinner drinks. Try a smoothie bar, hot chocolate variations, a tea flight, or some kombucha.
19. Have a candle-lit dinner: The electricity doesn’t have to be out to enjoy candles at the dinner table. A little bit of calm and romance in the dining room can be just what your spouse needs after a hurried day in the rest of the house.

This article was originally published on CPCSmallGroups.Net.