We’re all stuck indoors at the moment, and we all know it’s for the best. If our part in fighting this thing is just sitting at home in safety, we should consider ourselves very lucky – and forever grateful to our nation’s key workers, of course.
For a lot of us, this means spending much more time with our partners than we would usually. Personally, I’ve welcomed the chance to shut the world out and enjoy quality time with my fiancé, but sitting around the house together can get boring and become a catalyst for arguments.
So how can we make the best of this time together in our homes?
We can’t go out, but we can plan little dates at home. Some of the best date nights Tom and I have ever had were in our own house, so I thought I’d share some romantic (and daft) at-home date night ideas for fellow couples who have suddenly been given this unexpected time together.
If you can get through this weird, uncertain and claustrophobic time together, you can survive anything your relationship throws at you, right?
21 Cute Ideas for dates at home
1 Keep busy with a 1000 piece jigsaw. It will fill up a few afternoons or evenings at home, and concentrating on a joint endeavour is good for your relationship.
2 Challenge yourselves to a drawing competition where you both have to sketch one another. The least flattering picture wins. If you don’t fancy an argument over who is ugliest, you could try to draw stuff you have around the house instead, like fruit or the dog.
3 Cook a three-course meal together, put a candle on the table, crack open a bottle of wine and enjoy a romantic date night at home. Dress up for the occasion, so it feels like you’re hitting the town. We’ve moved our kitchen table into the living room and it sort of feels like we’re going to a restaurant when we sit down to eat in a new place!
4 Make a list of all the things you want to do together once this is all over. Spend an entire night discussing all the stuff you keep saying you’ll do and put a plan into action to make it happen. 2021 is going to be our best year yet guys!
5 Do a couples workout on Youtube.
6 Plan your trip of a lifetime together, right down to where you will stay and which restaurants you’ll eat at. Discuss what you’ll order and what your cocktail of the holiday will be. It’s something to look forward to and will motivate you if you’re both lucky enough to have work to do from home.
Read my guide to the best European destinations for a city break for inspiration.
7 Have a coffee date in the garden (or on the front step, if you don’t have a garden). No phones, just hot drinks and each other’s company. Wrap up warm if it’s still chilly where you are, and snuggle together to stay cosy.
8 Look for recipes you would both love to try and learn how to cook something new together. You can take it in turns each night and rate each other’s efforts. Bonus points if you do blind tastings!
9 Make a scrapbook or memory box for your entire relationship. You could include photos, first date memories, and mementos from important events you’ve celebrated together. The process of sorting all these things is bound to bring you closer.
10 This one isn’t technically something you can do at home with your partner, but head out for a walk in a secluded area together. The fresh air and exercise will revive you, and as long as you’re responsible and practice social distancing if you spot other walkers, you aren’t breaking any rules.
11 Tackle a DIY task together. Stick some music on, pop open some ciders, and get to work on a job that will improve your home for both of you. Adulting at its peak, no?
12 Make your ‘relationship playlist’ on Spotify. Think of all of the songs that are important to you, that have shaped your lives together. Relive the halcyon days. This has the added bonus that it gives you a ready-made wedding playlist should marriage be in your future!
13 Netflix (and chill). This is a great time to binge watch a series. Some of mine and Tom’s favourites are Peaky Blinders, Power, How To Get Away With Murder… I could write a whole blog post about what to watch on Netflix, so I’ll stop now.
14 Do a joint clear-out. Both of your wardrobes should get emptied out onto the floor or bed, and you each can have three piles of clothes: for the charity shop, to-sell and to-keep. You’ll end up with a tidier space and you can sell your unwanted clothes online to make some extra cash. Also an opportunity to get your boyfriend’s dodgy trackies out of your lives forever.
15 Design your dream home together. Would you have a walk-in wardrobe purely for loungewear? A bouncy room? What about a bar/cinema? Sketch it out and get as outrageous as you like, or use an online tool to work on it together. Like The Sims.
16 Rearrange the furniture. If you’re going to be spending a lot of time in a room together, giving the space a different ~energy~ will make it feel less suffocating.
17 Have a games night. Monopoly, cards, Twister… go old school! If this one ends in divorce, I take no responsibility…
18 Learn a dance. You could learn to slow-dance and make your date night at home ultra romantic, or teach yourselves a routine using Youtube. It’s amazing how much choreography there is online! Can I persuade Tom to join me in a rendition of Single Ladies? I reckon by the end of social isolation, I can.
19 Do each other’s make-up or give each other an at-home facial or manicure. Even the gruffest blokes enjoy facials, trust me. Good skin is genderless, and if nothing else, your fella channeling Ru Paul with a face full of make-up is bound to make you laugh.
20 If you’re in a serious relationship and have kids or think they might be in your future, make a time capsule for them. We’re living through a pandemic that will go down in the history books, so it would be cool to be able to give your kids your account of what life was like and what we treasured during this time. Might want to stick a loo roll and some pasta in there…
21 Give your pet a photoshoot. Dress the dog up, lure the cat into ridiculous poses, and have a giggle at their expense. One of you can be the photographer and the other can be the creative director. Post the pics online, obviously. I have a feeling a few more pet Instagram accounts are going to spring up during all of this…
Oh, and each of these stay at home date night ideas have one rule: put your f*cking phones away. Saviour this time with the one you love. And you know, try not to kill each other.
Tom and I have pretty much worked our way through this list of date ideas for couples stuck at home over the past few weeks so if you have any other ideas for things to add, please let me know!
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The Wee Wanderer says
What lovely ideas! ❤️
Chloe says
Me and my boyfriend had a cheese and wine night the other day- It was lovely!
Chloe X