At Home Date Night Ideas for Parents or People who Just Don’t Want to Go Out Tonight
Connecting with your partner is so worth it, but sometimes you can’t leave the house. Maybe you’ve got kids and can’t find a sitter. Maybe there’s a snowstorm or one of you is recovering from surgery. Maybe you’re just a bonafide recluse and don’t WANT to leave the house tonight. (That would be me.)
Whatever your reason for staying home, an at home date night is calling, and we’ve got ideas for you.
Let’s Start With Date Night in Your Minivan
If you want a change of scenery and have a house full of kids, consider moving date night out to your vehicle for a quiet, kid-free evening.
Ingredients to consider adding your minivan date night:
- Timing: Pick a time that works best for your family and literally put this time on your calendar.
- Cozy up the van with blankets and pillows ahead of time.
- Bring a candle along for mood lighting.
- Restaurant food. Find a local restaurant open for takeout and send one of you after it while the other does the kid-wrangling. Or, opt for restaurant delivery where available.
- A movie. If your van doesn’t have video capabilities, perhaps your wifi will reach your vehicle so you can stream from Amazon Prime, Netflix, or another movie service.
- Your favorite beverage and maybe fancy glassware? (Keep this on your own property and refrain from driving.)
- Cards or another two-person game.
- Romantic music.
Local mom Sarah Grove shares,
I first thought of this idea because we were missing date night and quiet time together (during the pandemic).
We have four children ages 13, 12, 7, and 6 and with them home all day long now my husband and I hardly get a chance to talk. My husband is considered an essential worker and goes into the office two days a week and then works from home the other three.
I started brainstorming thinking of quarantine date night ideas and my husband mentioned he wanted to have a movie night soon, so I put the two together and made a “drive-in” movie at home. We included our favorite adult drinks and snacks and watched our favorite movie, Top Gun. We watched it in our mini van on the DVD player that was parked in the driveway, how fun!
Timing- what worked for us was after we put the little ones to bed, which was 8pm. Our oldest daughter listened in case they woke up, but if you have little ones you could always bring the baby monitor out to the mini van!
More At Home Date Night Ideas
Food-Related “Let’s Stay In” Date Night Ideas
01) Set up a Wine & Cheese or Chocolate tasting night.
02) Get take out from one of the local restaurants offering delivery or curbside pickup. Max’s South Seas Hideaway is doing a ‘Takeout Tiki Party‘ that sounds like fun!
03) Cook a nice dinner together. Choose from a favorite recipe, an online cooking class, or make your own version of Chopped.
04) Try your bartending skills with one of Eastern Kille’s take home cocktail kits.
05) Have a romantic dessert night. The dessert case at Forest Hills Foods is a nice option. Or, break out that fondue pot you got as a wedding gift and haven’t used yet.
Games & Such “Let’s Stay In” Date Night Ideas
06) Have an old Wii? Dust it off and throw down a bowling, duck hunt, or Just Dance Challenge.
07) Cribbage: get a board and learn how to play this classic card game.
08) Raid your board game collection. The old “I don’t have time to play Monopoly” excuse is out of commision for awhile. Maybe play inside of a fort…
09) Ask one of the 36 Questions That Lead to Love… it’s not a game exactly, but you might end up winning.
10) Do a puzzle together. Add wine or beer or snacks. And maybe a fire in the fireplace…
11) Set up an indoor (or outdoor) mini golf course and play through your house.
Active At Home Date Night Ideas
12) If the kids are old enough to stay home alone, go for a long walk or bike ride through your neighborhood or on a nearby trail.
13) Try making a Tik Tok video.
14) Take a yoga class together. AM Yoga is doing Facebook live yoga classes.
15) Workout together. Impact Fitness & Wellness is doing free Facebook live workouts every day.
16) Do a project together. Home improvement projects together = great bonding time. Hang that picture you’ve been meaning to hang, put up or take down that baby gate that’s been sitting there for months. Do some caulking, patch some holes, or come up with new decorating ideas now that you have time.
17) Take online dance lessons…
Even More Date Night Ideas
18) The Classic – Netflix (and chill?)
19) Take advantage of the BroadwayHD 7-Day free trial. You can watch a Broadway show as one of your dates for free!
20) Watch a virtual local concert.
21) Have a bonfire. Roast marshmallows. Look up at the stars.
22) Flip through old photos and remember what life was like before kids.
23) Shoulder, foot, or backrubs by candlelight…
Have more date night ideas for at home? Drop a comment below -we’d love to hear them!
