By Camilla Rees | March 18, 2020

10 Ways to Date Your Spouse Without Leaving the House

couple in kitchen

Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, many businesses are closed, events are canceled, and social distancing is advised to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.

With anxiety and uncertainty filling our world and homes, tensions can run high and take a toll on our relationships.

Many of us have had to adjust to the new normal of working from home, and it is important for us to make dating from home a new normal too.

Here are 10 ways you can date your spouse without leaving the house and putting yourself and others at risk.

spring cleaning

1. Spring cleaning.

Not only is spring cleaning a great idea to help you keep your space sanitized and protect yourself from illness, it can also be turned into a fun date idea that makes your house feel more like a home. There is something so refreshing and calming about decluttering and deep cleaning. And once you're done, you can enjoy your fresh, clean space together! 

Roast hot dogs

2. Roast hot dogs or marshmallows over your fireplace.

If you have a fire pit, awesome! If not, try your fireplace or even your gas stove top! Get cozy and see who can make the perfect s’more, or put together the best hot dog bar ever. The more fixins', the better!

memories

3. Go through your memories together.

Get out all the old pictures, look through videos from last year, and laugh and talk about memories you have with one another. Sometimes we get so caught up in the moment or  worried about the future that we forget to look back on good times and happy moments. 

This relationship building date night will bring a smile to your faces, and it may even open up a reflective dialogue about how you and your partner have grown and strengthened your relationship over the years.

kindness

4. Acts of kindness.

Spend the whole day looking for ways to serve each other. Make your partner feel loved all day long. 

You can date your spouse in little ways throughout the day, whether it’s asking them a question and actively listening, giving them a compliment, making the bed, or making them lunch. The little things can go a long way, especially if you know your partner's love language. If you don't already know you and your spouse's love languages, take the love language quiz here

marriage classes

5. Take an online marriage class.

Spending so much time inside together gives you the perfect opportunity to do some marriage maintenance. There are many wonderful online relationship courses offered by marriage researchers and educators, such as The Art of Science and Love by The Gottman Institute. 

The Utah Marriage Commission offers two free online classes, ePREP and Marriage Mechanic. Marriage Mechanic consists of free online lessons that cover 18 different relationship topics. Pick and choose the ones most relevant to you or master them all and become a certified Marriage Mechanic! 

ePREP teaches relationship skills and strategies that have helped over a million couples around the world. If you are an engaged couple living in Utah, email utahprep@utah.gov for your free course link

An online relationship course is a great opportunity to strengthen your bond and work on areas of your relationship that may have been neglected due to your on-the-go lifestyle. Use these resources to date your spouse!

love story

6. Document your love story.

Make a time capsule of your love. Write about how you met, fell in love, and decided to get married. Write what you love about each other. Write about your favorite memories together. Seal your memories in an envelope, and open 1, 5, or even 10 years from now! 

If you don't like to write, record yourselves in an “interview”. Make a video of you and your spouse answering questions about your love story and relationship.

Here are some questions you might have some fun with:

  • How did you meet?
  • How do you keep the spark alive?
  • How do you handle conflict?
  • Best marriage advice?
  • What do you love most about your spouse?
couple in bed

7. Have Sex!

Sometimes life gets so busy, it is not uncommon for married couples to forget about sex, or at least, feel like there’s no time for it. Smart married couples often schedule sex to make time for relationship building intimacy—an essential component to a healthy marriage!

Spending so much time at home together might just be the perfect excuse to have sex, spontaneous or scheduled. Spend some of your extra time at home in the bedroom!

video games

8. Play video games!

Be kids again. Dust off your favorite games and play them all night long. If you want to be more active, try Wii and Kinect Games! Have a fun, friendly competition with your spouse. See who’s the better Mario Kart driver or Just Dance dancer.

rearrange furniture

9. Rearrange furniture and redecorate.

Because we are spending more time in our homes than we are used to, why not take some time as a couple to make your place your favorite space? Use the challenge of creating perfect feng shui into a relationship building date night. 

make a bucket list

10. Make a bucket list.

During this time of social distancing, you might be feeling uncertainty about if and when this coronavirus pandemic will end. Bring some hope into your home by making plans for the future, when quarantines are over. Things won’t always be this way.

In the meantime, you can also make a bucket list with the new social distancing norm taken into consideration. Plan things you can safely do together during this time. In order to adjust to the social distancing norm, enjoy and look forward to the things you can do given this big lifestyle change.

11. Bonus!

Check out my post, 10 Affordable and Romantic Valentine’s Date Night Ideas for more relationship building at-home date night ideas.