It will come as no surprise to you that one of the biggest challenges as a married couple with kids is actually finding time to spend with your spouse…alone! Studies have shown that married couples who continue to date each other after getting married are happier and have a more successful marriage.
But life (ahem kids) can easily get in the way of dating your spouse. Getting out of the house is a big ordeal, and not to mention pricey with the cost of childcare.
All is not lost though. Because there are other ways that you can reconnect with your husband. And one of those ways is to plan for dates at home. After the kids have been all tucked in (early, preferably) then pull out one of these date night in ideas.
The key when it comes to having dates at home is to get a bit creative in order to make it more than just any other night after the kids go to bed. But hopefully this list of types of dates you can have at home will get the creative juices flowing.
Learning
Learning with your spouse can be so much fun! There are all kinds of ways that you can learn together from the comfort of your own home including books, documentaries, educational YouTube videos, and even taking an online eCourse together. Brainstorm with your spouse what kinds of things you both have an interest in learning more about and then find a topic you can agree on to get started.
Creating
Letting those creative juices flow together can be a great way to just have fun and re-connect with your spouse. Whether it be having your very own art class from home, doing a fun craft together, or even just coloring, there are many date night in ideas that will help you both to get creative. If one (or both) of you is the creative type then these will be the perfect types of dates for you. Even if you’re not creative, it can be a lot of fun to stumble through a project together.
Romantic
When people think of dating, they think of romance. This doesn’t always have to be the case. Because a lot of times you just want to have fun with your best friend, and even that is an important part of dating your spouse. But getting romantic is a classic type of date that everyone loves to have, even if it’s only every once in a while. Things like taking a bubble bath together, giving each other massages, or even just covering your home with candles, can all be great ways to spark a romantic date-night-in together.
Entertainment
With the plethora of devices at our fingertips, we are not short on entertainment options. But this too can be a great date night opportunity. Get creative with it though by making it a special night with popcorn, candy and the works. Or take it one step further and have a double feature, or bring an air mattress out in to the living room to watch your favorite movie. There are a lot of ways to make an entertainment date-night-in more fun and unique.
Playing Together
Playing games with your spouse is a fun way to be playful, and maybe even a little competitive. There are so many types of board games, video games, and even printable games that you can play together. You can even come up with your own game to play together. Playing together is a great way to remember that your husband isn’t just your husband, but hopefully he’s your best friend too.
Having Fun
Sometimes just plain having fun together is a must. Whether that be having a YouTube Karoke night or going camping in the living room, there are a lot of ways that you can just have fun and enjoy each other’s company. Try to think of those things that you did when you first started dating and how you can adapt them to a date-night-in.
Reminiscing
The longer you’re together as a married couple, the easier it can get to forget the fun, goofy, happy, silly, lovely memories you’ve had together and as a family since having children. So it can be nice to sit down and just remember all you’ve been through, the good and the bad. You can get creative with it and start writing a “story of your life” together, or even compare each other’s favorite memories. Or keep it simple and just look through old photos which will spark memories along the way.
Getting to Know Each Other
After being together for so long, it can be easy to fall into the idea that you already know everything there is to know about your spouse. But that’s simply not true. Because people are always changing and there are always unexplored topics that you might not have ever talked about. Have fun getting to know your spouse even better by taking personality tests, finding each other’s love language, or even have a simple q&a session.
Dreaming
No, dreaming doesn’t mean sleeping. You can do that later. For these types of dates at home you can spend your time together sharing your hopes and dreams and even having some fun with it. Talk with each other about where you see your family in 5 years, or even 10 years, plan your next big vacation, create a dream board, or even plan your next date night OUT together.
In the Kitchen
Cooking and eating together can be a great way to re-connect with your spouse. You can cook an entire dinner together, share each other’s favorite meals, have a wine and cheese party, and more. There are a lot of ways to use your kitchen as the stage to set your date in. These kinds of dates can be a lot of fun, casual, and flirty.
Theme Nights
This can be a fun way to set the atmosphere of your date by creating a theme that goes with everything. For example, you can have a “Night in Paris” where everything is French inspired. Watch a French movie, make French food, and maybe even spend the night trying to learn French. The sky’s the limit. There are all kinds of theme night ideas and they can all be fun to explore.
Getting “Out” (Within Baby Monitor Range)
There are some ways you can “get out” of the house without really going out. Depending on the range for your baby monitor, you could head to the back yard for a moonlit picnic or to the driveway for a garage drive-in movie. Your ability to do this will depend on your own situation and the age of your kids. But the outside living area of your house can be a great backdrop for all kinds of great dates at home.
Virtually leaving home
With the wonders of technology, you could “virtually” head out for a date. There are endless ways to explore the world from the comfort of home. No, it’s not the same as actually going there. But when you’re limited in what you can do, it can still be pretty neat. Head over to YouTube and watch video tours of famous sites you’d love to see, or find an online zoo you can explore. There are a lot of options to “virtually” leave home.
Dates at Home Can Be Fun!
Don’t get down about not being able to go out for dates with you hubby. You don’t need to get out of the house in order to re-connect with each other. There are lots of great date night in ideas that are just plain fun to do at home.
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