Stuck at home? It can be hard to get a night out with your partner so we’ve rounded up the best stay at home date ideas for couples.
For many couples date nights get put on the back burner for one reason or another.
Sometimes we get complacent in our relationship. We get busy and tired. Plus, if you’re living on a tight budget, a night out can be too big of an expense.
For many parents, date nights feel impossible. Between finding reliable child care, paying for said child care on top of your date, and actually finding a time for a night out between everyone’s schedules makes the whole thing challenging.
Despite the obstacles, staying connected with our partners is so important and at home date nights are a great solution!
You get the relationship benefits and the flexibility to work around scheduling, child care, and budgeting limitations.
Think a night at home sounds boring? Think again!
With a little creativity, you can make your at home date romantic, exciting, chill, or adventurous. So get the kids in bed, put away your phones, and focus on each other!
Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more details.
Here are the best stay at home date night ideas for couples:
Getting To Know You
Think you know everything about your partner? It’s always fun to learn something new about the person we know best.
Ask each other questions that you might never have thought of before. There are so many questions and quizzes online for couples to get to know each other better.
For instance, there are conversation starters or “would you rather…” type questions for couples as well as newlywed game questions.
Looking for questions?
These 36 Questions that Lead to Love are a great place to start.
This Quiz Book for Couples
Wine and Paint Night
You can easily recreate this popular organized activity at home with a little planning.
Order some cheap canvases
Often paint nights have all participants painting the same design. For a fun, date-night twist – thing about painting different but complementing pictures. Maybe the same scene during day/night or different seasons.
Another fun twist would be to artistically paint a few rocks to decorate your home or neighborhood.
No worries if they turn out ridiculous – that’s part of the fun!
“Travel”
Pick a destination anywhere in the world and go for the night… in spirit 🙂
Maybe you’ll want to “travel” somewhere new or “re-visit” one of your favorite vacation destinations. For an uber-cheesy but also truly adorable option – print out the passport to love from The Dating Divas.
The possibilities are endless! Here are just a few to get you started:
- Channel your inner chef and create some Italy-inspired homemade pasta
or pizza.
- Don matching berets
and learn how to say some common phrases in French while snacking on cheese, crepes, and French wine.
- Take a trip to Japan when you roll your own sushi and enjoy it over a fun game of Machi Koro
.
- Crank up the Spanish music, find some YouTube tutorials, buy some castanets, and learn the fandango.
- Dust off your old electric skillet
, prepare some rice/seaweed/lettuce leaves for a Korean BBQ (pssst… try my super easy and yummy bulgogi).
or pizza.
and learn how to say some common phrases in French while snacking on cheese, crepes, and French wine.
. 
, prepare some rice/seaweed/lettuce leaves for a Korean BBQ (pssst… try my super easy and yummy 
Date Night At Home Tastings
Set up a tasting of your favorite things.
Your first thought when you hear tastings is probably wine, but don’t limit yourself!
Not sure what to use for your tasting?
Anything you like! Beer, whiskey, chocolate, cheese, ice cream, cookies, salsa, pizza, chips, burgers… seriously, anything you like.
(Pssst… our partner will love these beer flight paddles
Just get several different types or brands to try. It’s extra fun to look up some information about them beforehand to share as you taste.
Then compare which you each like best.
I love this idea because you can do it over and over with different things. The possibilities are endless so it always feels fresh.
Play A Game Together
Mix things up with a little friendly competition.
Playing together can keep things light while helping you to connect and bond. This makes it one of the best stay at home date ideas for couples.
There are so many great options whether you prefer cards, board games, or video games.
If you’re so inclined, you can up the ante so the loser strips.
Alternatively, if you’re both super competitive, a game where you work together as a team might help avoid conflict.
Not sure what to play? Here are some ideas for two person games:
- Backgammon
- Bananagrams
- Blackjack
- Boggle
- Stratego
- Chess
- Rummy
- Monopoly Deal
- Uno
- Scrabble
- Poker
- Sushi Go!
Learn Your Love Languages
If you aren’t familiar with love languages, it’s from this best selling book and is based on the idea that we have different ways that we express our love.
There are 5 different love languages, or ways that we show and expect to be shown love. Issues can arise when you and your partner “speak” different love languages.
You can take a quiz to figure out your love language.
Figuring out each other’s love language is a fun way to connect and bond. You may find that your differing ways of showing affection could be the source of past relationship conflicts. Knowing how our significant other wants to receive love can help us become better partners.
Consider reading the book to really learn to “speak” each other’s language.
Make A Bucket List
Think about all of the things that you want to do together and make a couples bucket list.
This is a fun thought exercise that can be a great way to connect, share goals, and plan for the future in a lighthearted way.
You can make your list detailed and specific or very broad as well as add ideas for the near or distant future. It’s also up to you how realistic or aspirational you want your list to be.
If you’re not sure where to start here are a some ideas to get the ideas flowing:
- Vacation destinations
- Restaurants you want to try
- Future date night ideas
- Retirement goals
- Things You Want To Learn Together
- Experiences You Want To Share (like concerts, sporting events, theatre performances…)
Relive Your First Date At Home
Do you remember what you did for your very first date? Try to recreate it as much as possible at home.
Planning this date tests how well you both remember the details.
What did you wear?
Where did you go?
What did you eat?
What did you talk about?
Who made the first move?
You can attempt to make the same meal, watch the same movie, or try to replicate whatever adventure first brought you two together.
This can be a fun trip down memory lane. You get to see if you both remember this date the same way and might even find out new things about each other as well.
Get Fancy
Just because you’re sitting at home, doesn’t mean you can’t go over the top black tie fancy. Why not play dress up?
If you’re anything like me, you have very few occasions for formal wear. Take the opportunity to bust out that gorgeous dress you never have a reason to wear. Light some candles, drink from the good glasses, and slow dance in the living room.
Sure, you may feel silly, but that’s part of the fun. Plus, it’s nice to see your partner looking all snazzy.
Turn Up the Heat
Light a fire in the fireplace or fire pit and plan some fun activities for some hot stay at home date ideas for couples.
Make s’mores, drink wine, cuddle under a blanket, tell scary stories with a flashlight, play 20 questions… the possibilities are endless!
Play Chopped at Home
You know that show on the Food Network where they take a bunch of crazy, random ingredients and somehow create fancy meals?
Try it at home! Make it a competition.
Give yourselves each 30 minutes to make appetizers, a meal, or even a sweet dessert with random pantry and fridge items. You’ll probably end up with something wacky, but you might end up with a new favorite dish!
Bonus, it’s a great way to clean out some older foods.
Avoid the Usual
Date night is supposed to be special! So go above and beyond to make the night feel different.
If dinner and Netflix is your usual Friday evening, don’t plan a takeout and binge night. Or if you do, make sure to do something to put a fun spin on things.
Think nice china or a candlelit meal. Or even something fun like watching a rom-com in a homemade blanket fort with an interactive drinking game.
