46 Stay At Home Date Night Ideas for Busy Parents
Date night? Who has time for a date night? But, what if it’s an at home date night?
You do, mama! I know fitting a date night into your schedule sometimes requires an act of God. Literally. I mean, if He could add about three hours to every day . . .
Yeah. Nevermind. We’d just spend three extra hours a day on laundry and still not be caught up.
So, let’s just do our best to make great use of the time we’re given.
When you’re short on time or you can’t find a babysitter, pick one of these 46 at home date night ideas to get a little one-on-one time with your beloved.
Why Not 52 At Home Date Night Ideas?
Well, it’s good to get out with your spouse every now and then. Hopefully you can manage a date night outside of the home at least six times per year. There are plenty of frugal date night ideas to be found on Pinterest.
For the rest of the weeks of year, take your pick of one of the 46 at home date night ideas below. I’ve divided the date night ideas between four categories: Frugal, Relationship-Building, Fun Or Educational, and Romantic.
9 Frugal At Home Date Night Ideas
Do you have more time than you have cash during this season of your life? Try these frugal at home date night ideas.
Puzzles
If you’ve set aside a few hours in the evening or a lazy Sunday afternoon to spend with your honey check out this romantic puzzle.
Board Games
Don’t put too much effort into finding the perfect board game. You can play Chutes and Ladders if you have it on hand. This is a frugal date night idea, remember? The point of the board game is have inexpensive fun with your hubby.
Read To Each Other
Check out the latest best sellers then head to your local library for a book you and your spouse can enjoy together. Take turns reading out loud to each other. If the book proves interesting you two might find yourselves having a date night several evenings in a row to finish the book.
Wrap Christmas Presents
If you’re reading this around the holiday season you have the perfect opportunity to spend some time alone with your partner after the kids go to bed. Who says a date night can’t be practical?
Let Your Husband Do Your Makeup
This one probably should be listed under the Fun category, but if you’ve already got make-up on hand, this is also a great frugal date night idea.
Stargaze
Step outside and let nature wow you for a frugal, romantic date night.
DIY Spa Night
Use what you’ve got on hand – it doesn’t have to be fancy – and have a lovely spa night with your guy. Just be careful about getting that charcoal peel off mask in his beard. Yikes!
Discover a New Musical Artist
Check out the latest top music charts. Pick a genre you love or one you’re unfamiliar with and listen to an artist you’ve never heard before. Bonus points if the artist you choose puts you both in a romantic mood.
Discover a New TV Show
Get into a new TV show on Netflix or Hulu. This frugal date night idea will carry you over several date nights. Pick a show you can’t watch with the kids so you’ll be forced to finish the series alone.
12 Relationship-Building At Home Date Night Ideas
Personality Tests
Get to know your spouse better by taking personality tests together. Find out your Big Five type, MBTI type, your Enneagram Type, your astrological birth chart, or other fun online personality test.
Tell Your Love Story
Follow the prompts in this Our Love Story Journal and tell your love story. This makes a lovely gift your children will cherish decades from now.
Plan a Dream Trip
Plan a date night to plan a dream vacation for your family. Don’t put any pressure on when or how the trip will happen. Just dream your wildest dreams and hash out what makes a dream vacation for each of you. Keep the ideas that you have in common at the end of the date.
Plan Your Dream House
Why am I putting such a focus on dates for planning? Because often, after we have children, couples spend a lot of time planning the practical, day-to-day things and less time talking about our dreams. When we have something to look forward to that is beyond the day-to-day we tend to be happier and more positive.
So, plan a date night to plan your dream home. Draw it, write your must-haves, talk about your deal breakers. Let your imagination run wild. Again, this isn’t the time to worry about the when or how. This is the time to see what ideas you have in common and move closer together with a mutual dream.
Update Your Marriage Vows
Are there things you wish you’d added to your vows at your wedding? Have life experiences given you new ideas for vows you’d like to keep with your spouse? Take an evening to sit together and update your wedding vows. You can decide on the additions together or write separately and share them at the end of the evening.
Look Through Old Yearbooks or Photos
Spend an evening looking through old memories. You’ll undoubtedly learn something new about each other in the process as you tell the stories attached to the memories from your childhood.
If you’ve been married for a while it can be fun to talk about how you felt or what you were thinking during the time a specific memory was made. This sharing of mutual memories – such as the birth of your first child – might remind you of precious moments you’d forgotten.
Create a Couples Bucket List
Do you know how many different kinds of bucket lists exist? I didn’t know until I did research for this article.
If you’re feeling stuck on what should go on your bucket list, check out the couple’s bucket list journals below for some great ideas.
Talk About The Heavy Stuff
I know what you’re thinking. This doesn’t sound like a fun date night at all. But sometimes when you have kids you struggle to make time for discussing the heavy stuff in your relationship. It’s often easier to sweep the seemingly minor annoyances under the rug and carry on with the demanding day-to-day tasks of managing a family.
You need to discuss the small – and larger – issues before they add up and explode all over your marriage. Spend an evening using “I” statements to discuss issues in your marriage. This means you won’t say to your spouse, “You always . . .” or “You never . . .”, but instead you’ll say, “I feel . . .” or “I think . . .”. Listen to their side, their explanations, and their defenses and then work together to create a mutually acceptable compromise on the situation.
Workout
Sweat together. Then shower. Alone . . . together . . . whatever. That’s none of my business.
Plant a Garden
No, it doesn’t have to be a backyard garden. It can be, of course. But, what I’d like to suggest is a simple indoor herb garden or even a few potted plants for your porch, deck, or sun room.
Check out these fun indoor gardens below.
Ask Each Other Relationship-Building Questions
Get to know each other better by asking relationship-building questions. You may have an idea of what you’d like to ask, but if you don’t, check out the ideas below.
Discuss Your Expectations Versus Reality So Far
Marriage doesn’t always meet our expectations, right? Get together and talk about it. Maybe some of the things you expected from marriage were never meant to be, but maybe they were. If you two don’t know what the other expects you can’t meet those expectations.
Talk about your disappointments and see if you can remedy them. Don’t forget to talk about the things that went above your expectations or the serendipitous things that marriage brought.
18 Fun Or Educational At Home Date Night Idea
Gourmet Tasting Night
Pick up some gourmet bites from a nice restaurant or grocery store and enjoy fancy foods or drinks that you haven’t tried before.
Play Video Games
Sounds silly, but it can be so much fun. If you’re competitive, keep score and add video game night to your date night rotation regularly.
Plan a Theme Night
You can plan a themed date night around a movie, a cuisine, a memory, or more. Dress the part and plan a menu (together) that fits the theme.
Paint
Grab some paint supplies from your local craft store. Find a paint tutorial on YouTube or freestyle your own creation.
No local craft store? Check out the simple date night painting supplies below.
Discover a New Hobby
Don’t stop with painting. Try a new hobby together.
Learn more about photography, calligraphy, chess, or some other mutually exciting new hobby.
If you’re taking on a new hobby outside of the home use your date night to learn more about the hobby together.
YouTube Dance Lessons
I’m trying to decide if this at home date night idea works better with or without a bottle of wine. You kids be safe, okay?
No matter what type of dance you want to learn, check out these dance lessons for beginners on YouTube.
YouTube Karaoke
Okay, this date night idea definitely goes better with a little wine.
Check out the Sing King Karaoke channel on YouTube and get your melody (and harmony) on.
Learn a Language Together
Does this one sound too difficult? It’s not if you use Duolingo. Duolingo is free and can be used from your phone or computer.
Scavenger Hunt
This one will take a little creativity, but will be loads of fun. If you need ideas for scavenger hunt clues search the web or check out these beautiful premade scavenger hunt clues from Etsy.
Do a Craft Together
Make a craft item you can treasure forever. You’ll always remember how you worked together on your creation.
Need ideas? Check out the date night craft boxes below.
Do a Simple DIY
Got a simple DIY project that needs doing? Plan a date night to get ‘er done!
Have a Comedy Night
Grab some food that’s easy to eat on the couch and turn on your favorite comedy special. If you’re looking for clean, hilarious comedy check out Dry Bar Comedy on YouTube.
Color Together
If you haven’t ventured into the world of adult coloring books, you don’t know what you’re missing. Raid the kids’ art supplies and get comfy with a couple of the coloring books listed below.
Decorate Cupcakes
Doing this at home date night idea today will lead to happy kids tomorrow. Get together with your love in the kitchen to bake and decorate cupcakes. You’ll have a fun and delicious date.
Check out the cupcake decorating kits below.
Learn Something New Together
Turn on a Ted-Talk, a podcast, or a documentary and learn something new together. Be sure to grab some popcorn or a quick dinner to enjoy while you learn.
Build with Lego
That’s right, mama. Build something cool with your fella. You can raid your kiddos’ lego stash or build one of the more challenging Lego sets below.
Try a New Food
So, this at home date night idea is similar to the gourmet date night idea, but the food doesn’t have to be fancy.
This is the time to try some interesting new foods or snacks – maybe some from other countries.
Here are some ideas:
Play Would You Rather
6 Romantic At Home Date Night Ideas
Sit By The Campfire
Pick a cool fall or spring evening and snuggle by a fire outdoors. Stargaze and talk about your plans for the future.
Give Each Other Massages
A massage night makes for a frugal, romantic date at home. If you’re like me and tend to fall asleep during massages you might want to massage your partner first.
Have a Living Room Picnic
Get takeout or cook a simple dinner at home and spread a blanket on the living room floor. Skip watching TV and talk to each other instead.
Write Love Letters to Each Other
Write and then read your sweetest, most romantic feelings for each other. This romantic at home date night idea is sure to build your relationship and bring you closer – at no cost.
Have Breakfast (For Dinner) In Bed
Cook your favorite breakfast foods and settle in with each other. Don’t forget your most comfy pajamas.
Word to the wise – skip the coffee with this breakfast meal.
Act Out a Chapter From a Romance Novel
This at home date night idea can be as silly or as sexy as you make it. You can act out a profession of love, a passionate argument, a grief and comfort scene, or . . . well . . . any other passage from a romance novel that you prefer.
At Home Date Night Ideas Are Perfect For Busy Parents
Now that you’re armed with 46 at home date night ideas you have no excuse for skipping date night. You can have a lovely frugal, romantic, fun, educational, or relationship-building date night right from the comfort of your own home – no babysitter required.
You kids have fun!