Forget finding a babysitter or even spending any mental energy creating a date night. These 72 at home date night ideas will bring that spark back! If you do one date night each week, this will last you a year and a half.
If you’re looking for a great way to have so much fun at home, it can be easy to do right from your living room! The best part is that you can have a great time in the comfort of your own home while taking a trip down memory lane at the same time.
Deep conversations are always great romantic date night ideas, and when you start incorporating regular date nights into your schedule, you’ll find that home date ideas are the perfect way to have a romantic night, too! It’s totally possible to have the perfect date night at home with some of these cheap date ideas.
Get Out of the “Separate Ways” Rut
We all know how this happens. It happens to us too.
As soon as the door to our kids’ bedroom closes for the night, my husband and I most often retreat to our own spaces, at least during the week.
The evenings are the time that I work on this blog, usually until about midnight every night. My husband is usually exhausted and wants to just be alone for a while after his long days of school and work and enjoys watching some Youtube videos upstairs.
We don’t spend a lot of time just him and I during the week.
I try hard to step away from the computer on the weekends, but weekends are so often filled with family activities, hanging out with friends, or church. While we’ve recently made arrangements for a monthly date night, swapping babysitting with another couple so they can go out too, these dates are often a little shorter as I have a finite time to get away from a nursing baby.
Getting Back Into the Groove of Regular Dates
So I recently thought it would be awesome to get back in the groove of having a weekly or bi-weekly at home date night. My husband and I used to do these more often, especially when we were doing our Year of Dates.
But, so many at home date night ideas were well, the same. The hard thing about dating within your own home is that it’s a bit too familiar. Snuggling together on the sofa to watch a movie, eating dinner or dessert together, or playing video games together can feel a bit too commonplace.
The point of dating is not solely just to spend one-on-one time together, but to spend quality time together. In a marriage it’s even more important to use date nights to reconnect, keep the flames alive, make goals together, and have fun!
Putting together unique at home date nights with all the cute details, themes, official invites, and original ideas really keeps it exciting and romantic! You’ll look forward to dating your spouse again, and without having to pay a babysitter.
72 Unique At Home Date Night Ideas
These were some of the most original and exciting date night at home ideas I found online:
I love the themed date night ideas a lot (themes make things easier to plan in my opinion).
Blind Date Ideas for Your Spouse
Cherry of Moms & Munchkins put together “blind date” ideas for her spouse. She planned out nine themed date nights based on a simple word or phrase like “Explosive” or “Out of this World.” She would ask her husband to pick a “blind date box” the night before so she could get ingredients or other supplies they would need the next night, and then set it all up.
The surprise element keeps it exciting and having a simple themed word lets you explore different activities and ideas. Be sure to check it out.
Plan out Your Virtual Vacation At Home Date Night
Make An Adventure Book
My husband has often talked about places we’d like to visit together someday, and this at home date night idea takes the talking and turns it into doing. And since it’s virtual, you can forgo the cost restrictions, childcare needs, and time restraints.
I loved all the ideas of different things to plan and how to make it into a little competition. It may be a great addition to creating your own Adventure Book!
RomCom Bingo Night
Okay, so I said that watching a movie together was same old, same old. BUT I think doing something you love (movies) with a fun twist can spice it up.
I love these Bingo cards from eHarmony. Not only do they offer this as a free printable and give romantic comedy movie suggestions, but they also offer some ideas on what the winner will receive.
Though I think if playing with your spouse, the winnings could be much more creative. ๐ Also check out these super cute Popcorn Printables.
2-Player Board Games for Couples
If you have kids, you know that you are limited by what board and card games you can play during the daylight hours.
Showing some competitiveness, and assigning sexy prizes for who wins each round, or sexy punishment for the losers can make these games even more exciting.
Kristy of Dates By Design has 4 posts on suggestions on 2-player board games for couples:
- Puzzles
- Card Games and Classic
- Newer, Strategic, and Cooperative Games
- Travel Games and Intimate Games
- Game Apps for Long Distance Connection
Art-Themed At Home Date Night
Even if you aren’t an artist, doing something creative and artistic together can be both therapeutic and super fun.
My husband and I once did a date night at home where we painted a joint picture together. The picture turned out very, um, unique shall we say, but it was fun because we could just talk and joke and work on it together.
You could also do a “Pass the Pen” type art game where you draw something, say for a minute, then give it your husband to draw on for the next minute, as on back and forth, adding onto the same image, and creating a unique image at the end. You could also tell a story in a similar fashion, swapping after each sentence or word.
PopSugar has cute instructions on how to make a DIY Sharpie Mug which could be done for a date night at home too.
Spin the Bottle Date Night
No, this isn’t a game for a party of strangers, but for you and the spouse at a date night at home. I had won an awesome Printable Spin the Bottle Date night idea, but the company no longer is up and running, so I love the The Dating Divas Spin the Bottle Free Printable!
Game of Love Bed Sheets!
I had pinned this idea months ago, and as I was looking it over for this post, I found out that you can now buy your own reusable Game of Love Bed Sheets instead of doing it yourself.
This is such a fun and romantic way to reconnect. You make up the prompts and ideas to fit you and your husband, but it’ll always end with both of you scoring and winning.
Love Actually Blog At Home Date Night Ideas
The site hasn’t been updated in years (literally) but Love Actually Blog has some cute (and Free!) printables to help you have some unique at home date nights. Most revolve around food, the bedroom, and holidays. Here are 20 of my favorites:
- Awewahoo! Hawaiian Themed Date Night at Home
- Dead & Breakfast Inn – Halloween Date Night
- The 12 Lays of Christmas
- The 12 Lays of Valentines
- The 12 Days of Fitness: 12 Minute Healthy Dates (Perfect for after New Years)
- Booty Camp – Your Soldier Has Been Drafted
- Psychiatrist Date
- “The Dating Game” Date Night
- Body Shop Date Night & Roleplay
- Shamrock Saloon & Irish Barmaid Date Night
- Prisoner Strip Search
- Lovers Lotto
- Chinese Date Night
- Personalized Crossword Puzzles
- The Red Carpet Treatment
- Wild West Night
- Zoo for Two
- Crime and Punishment: Court in Session
- Love Doctor
- Secret Agent Love Mission
The Dating Divas At Home Date Night Ideas
Okay, honestly, this is THE place to get awesome and unique date night ideas (among other things!). The Dating Divas are amazing at what they do.
They have tons of free date night ideas, especially these 45 fun ones to do at home after the kids go to bed.
If you want their best date night ideas though, check out their The Ultimate Date Night Book! They even have an exclusive online community – Diva Central – where you can get exclusive date ideas and relationship tips too. Some of their awesome and unique date night ideas include:
- Murder Mystery Date Night
- Couples’ Minute to Win It
- Staycation Kit
- Who Dun It Date Night
- 12 Man-Approved Sports Date Ideas
And finally, a unique date night in idea is to take this awesome Couples Massage Course (it’s online) together!
You can also pick up the 175 Best Date Ideas ebook for even more ideas!
What are some fun outdoor activities to do at home for date night?
Fresh air can be one of the best ways to celebrate a special occasion like a date! All you need is some soft music, a glass of wine, maybe some cheese fondue to snack on, and a classic board game, and you’ve got one of the best romantic date ideas that you can do outside in the backyard.
Don’t forget that you can also have a movie date night as well, which is perfect for cheap date nights, too. One of my favorite date night ideas just so happens to be a delicious meal that we cooked together on a Friday night, accompanied by our favorite games, too. If you like to play board games, you can use them to have a lot of many creative date night ideas! New games are fun for at-home dates!
Now I just need to set an at-home date night with my husband! He’s going to love these dates and love me more too.
What unique date night idea is your favorite?
Check out these posts too!
8 Perfectly Romantic Gift Ideas for Him
7 Hacks for Planning Incredible Date Nights – Ideas that Make It Easy!
Kristy says
Thanks for including our list of two-player games for couples on your blog! It’s awesome that you are making the commitment to schedule date nights, and often. It is so important for married couples to make the time to pursue, reconnect, and enjoy time alone with our spouses on a regular schedule. And having friends who can swap babysitting schedules is wonderful.
– Kristy, DatesByDesign.com
Katelyn Fagan says
You are welcome! It is the first time we’ve done an official date night swap with another couple where it’s lasted more than one time each. It’s great though! Thanks for putting together those great lists of games so that I could share them. ๐
Ania says
WOW! Thank you for the unique ideas, I am so excited to go home and share them with the hubby!
Heather @ Strong With Grace says
This is a great list! I love all your ideas and resources. The DIY sharpie mug sounds like a lot of fun too. Thanks!