6 At Home Date Night Ideas For Parents
If you’re looking for creative home date night ideas for busy parents, you’ve come to the right place! When you have young kids, it can be hard getting date night in. It’s hard to find the time and energy, but it can also be hard on the budget hiring a sitter (especially with a large family!) on top of paying for date night.
Even so, making time for date night is an important part of a healthy relationship and definitely worth the effort if you can make it work! These unique and creative home date night ideas will help you and your spouse reconnect and enjoy each other from the comfort of your own couch. Or the bed. It’s fine, ya’ll are grown😉
Thanks to Lisa’s Maker Space, my February Black Owned Business of the Month, for sponsoring this post! You can keep the support going by check out my latest Black Owned Business of the Month!
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Puzzle & Chill
So, this one actually turned into a two for one special. We chose this 120 Pc. Black History Is Our History Puzzle from Lisa’s Maker Space, a Black owned Etsy shop known for her gorgeous, vibrant images. As it turns out, we needed more than one night to put it together. Don’t judge us, it had been a long time since either of us had done a puzzle!
We poured a couple of glasses of wine, turned on some good music, and made a night (well, two nights) out of it. In case you’re wondering what to do with a completed puzzle, we’re planning on framing and hanging ours as soon as I find a good space for it.
Get To Know Each Other
Obviously, if you have multiple kids together, you probably know each other pretty well! Wilbur and I have been married since 2014, but we still learn new things about each other all the time; sometimes, he’ll tell me something about himself and I’m shocked that I didn’t know that already!
One thing about us, we love chatting during a good movie or tv show. Yes, we are that couple! But one of the best things about watching movies at home is the ability to pause and discuss what’s happening on screen in as much detail as we want. Some of our best convos have gone on so long, we ended up going to bed and finishing the movie another night.
I would also recommend one of those fun conversation starter card packs. You probably received a pack as a gift at one point, but, if not, you can find tons of options on online. Add wine (this is my solution to everything, but you can add whatever floats your boat!) and have fun with it.
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A Different Kind of Movie Night
Whether it’s from your childhood, or those long all-nighters in college, we all have that one (or two or three) movie that we love and will always watch when it’s on. Mine is Clueless, FTR.
What’s yours? Have you ever watched it with your partner? If not, now is a great time to do so! Grab your snacks (scroll to the bottom of this post for ideas) put the kiddos to bed, and grab each of your fave movies.
Movie night is one of those at home date night ideas that never gets old, especially for parents. It’s a classic for a reason but let me tell you, we had so much fun the last time we switched it up and watched each other’s favorite childhood movies.
Go Old School
Remember Yahtzee and Monopoly? How about UNO or Spades? Or Truth or Dare? Think back to the favorite games you played as a kid and let those inspire your next at home date night experience. We’re big on board games so we keep a closet full.
If you don’t, see what apps are available in your App store! Monopoly, UNO, and Connect Four, for example, all have fun app versions and there are even some newer games that will make for an interesting night. We also love the Heads Up and Blebrity apps.
“Silent” Dance Party
This one is great for when you want to shake a little something without waking the kids(; You both have headphones, right? Create a playlist together, turn up the volume and dance it out!
We haven’t actually done this one yet, but I was talking about it with my SIL a few weeks ago and it sounds like so much fun. Definitely on my list to try out next time we want to switch it up for date night!
Ps. Need a headphone upgrade? May I suggest these? Hubby got them for me for Valentine’s Day last year to use for my podcast, but the sound is amazing for music too. Plus, they’re noise-cancelling, wireless, and super comfy!
Sip & Paint
You’ve been to one of those, right? You sip on something fun, listen to a little music, and create with or without gentle instruction from the lead artist. A few years ago, I remember seeing videos of trap and paint events, and I’m STILL sad I never got to attend one.
Sorry, I digress!
This year, you can re-create that experience with your partner AT HOME! Lisa’s Maker Space has these gorgeous images that come pre-drawn on 11×14″ pre-stretched canvas for you to go wild with. Turn up the (trap) music and let your creativity take over or use this time to chat with your partner while you both paint.
Snack Ideas For At Home Date Nights
Most great date nights include food, right? If you can swing it, I recommend putting the kids down early and enjoying a quiet meal with your partner before getting started. Here are some quick, easy, date-night friendly recipes:
Sometimes, late night dinners aren’t really feasibly (especially if you’re a breastfeeding mama like me and ALWAYS hungry) so you may have already had your meal by the time you start your at home date night. In that case, try a few light snacks, good wine, or even dessert!
We did a charcuterie board earlier this year for the Super Bowl and have since done them for several date nights because they’re so easy to throw together quickly.
If you’re more of a dessert person (honestly, who isn’t?) I recommend these yummy Brown Butter Banana Blondies from my favorite foodie, Chenée Today. Decadent and perfect for date night!
What To Wear For At Home Date Nights
Can I be honest? I love dressing up, but I do sometimes feel silly sitting on the couch in full makeup and a fancy dress. If that’s your thing, go for it! (If you need something to wear, here are a bunch of unique online boutiques to find THE OUTFIT) If it’s not, that’s okay too!
Think about what makes you feel the sexiest and most comfortable in your own skin. Is it lingerie? Go with that! A cute tee and shorts? Rock it, girl! The key here is to go with whatever puts you in full date-night mode. Do you, boo!
What If My Partner Isn’t Down For An At Home Date Night?
Maybe your partner has a bit of cabin fever and really wants to out of the house. If that’s the case, by all means, get out of the house! If sitter fees cause a bit of financial strain, consider making them a line item on the budget for next month.
You may find that once you prioritize it just like you would any other bill, it’s easier than you thought to adjust your monthly spending accordingly.
Maybe you just brought home a new baby and you’re exhausted or your kids are older, but the day was especially draining. Been there. Remember that your time together doesn’t have to be anything extravagant.
Give yourselves grace and take the easiest route for connection. That may mean catching up on your favorite show and sharing a bowl of microwaveable popcorn. That’s totally fine!
One of the reasons at home date nights are so awesome, is they allow for those moments of reconnection and intimacy that we all need in our relationships sometimes.
Date nights are especially important for us parents, because it’s vital to spend time dating each other and doing fun activities outside of our babies.
I also want to add that YOU DON’T have to make a long night of it either! Maybe you only make it through the snack plate or 1/3 of the puzzle, but it counts that you took the time to invest in your relationship and improve your bond as partners. You can always finish the puzzle another night(;
What are your favorite at home date night ideas? Share them with me in the comments below!
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5 Comments
Janette
All of these are great ideas, thank you for sharing with us.
Britney
My pleasure! Thank you so much for checking them out(:
Shanna
Always looking for fun things to do on date night. We try to do something together once a week so thank you for giving us some more options. Connecting as a couple is so important.
Britney
Yes, very important! Thank you for reading(: When we regularly make time to connect with each other, it always makes me feel like we can handle all the other stuff (kids, finances, work, etc.) from a much better space.
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