There are various recipes for intimacy in a relationship, and spending time alone with your boo doing things together will help your intimacy level bloom.
The purpose of going on dates is for two individuals, with mutual interest, to discover more about themselves. It can also serve as a way to measure how compatible you are.
Dating also creates a means for people already in relationships to rekindle old feelings and find out new things about each other. In this scenario, the key to having a perfect date set up is to learn and understand your partner’s love language.
It entails knowing what would automatically put your partner in a relaxing mood and showing them you have been paying attention to what makes them happy.
Whether it is an already existing relationship or one about to begin, the following are at-home date night ideas that are guaranteed to put you in a good light for your partner or would-be partner.
1. Prepare a meal together
Most good dates include a good and memorable meal. The meal could be anything, depending on your preferences. You could also decide to bake. To make it even more fun, consider preparing the meal together.
In a scenario where it is your first date together, or you want the date to be a surprise, nothing screams effort more than making a meal for your date by yourself. You could go all out by preparing your partner’s favorite dish.
Better yet, organize a candlelight dinner setting.
If you are a total novice when it comes to cooking and have a phobia of screwing things up you could always make something simple like a chocolate and fruit platter; there are various ideas for this on Pinterest.
The fruit and chocolate platter can also be something you and your partner set up together, along with a gourmet meal. Special tip: brunch is always a great meal to make at home too!
1. Watch a movie
Watching a movie together should be easy to carry out. Have your date choose what movie to watch or select one together. If the choice is yours and you have no idea what movie genre to choose from, you can never go wrong with a comedy, with a spark of romance.
If possible, get a projector and set it up on a blank wall, either indoors or in your backyard; this will provide a memorable experience.
Another fun idea is to binge-watch a series. Pick a new series together on Netflix or Hulu and get your date started with hours of chilling on the couch.
Do not forget to:
- Set the scene with a lot of blankets and throw pillows. You can make it cozy too, by making a makeshift bed or pallet of sorts on the floor.
- Have lots of snacks in place (could include the chocolate and fruit platter or popcorn which you can make together beforehand).
3. Play Board Games
Games like Scrabble, Monopoly, Chess, Connect 4, and Checkers are a great way to have fun and learn more about your partner. Whether you both are experts, or one person knows next to nothing about the game, or if you are both new to the game and learning the game’s rules as you go, there is always fun to be had with a little entertaining competition.
4. Play video games
Whether you are avid gamers or total novices, playing video games together can be amusing and spice up your dynamic. You can play some action games together or against each other to know who earns bragging rights.
5. Stargazing
Nothing screams romance more than lying on blankets on a clear night, snuggling up to your partner, and just watching the stars. If available, binoculars or a telescope can further enhance the experience. To enjoy each other’s company and undivided attention, neither of you should have your mobile phones with you while stargazing.
6. Set up a camp in the living room
Setting up a tent in the living room can give off the ‘in camp vibes’. Ensure to cuddle up with your partner and either tell stories or watch a movie.
7. Play sleepover games
These games include truth or dare, never have I ever, would you rather, or 20 questions. These games are guaranteed to give away more information about your partner. The responses to these games could also lead to both of you having some deep conversations.
8. Dance
Both of you could either pretend to be in a ballroom or at a club. The right song should put you in the mood for either. Get your groove on, in more ways than one!
9. Put a puzzle together
One form of intimacy is intellectual intimacy. Solving a puzzle together or solving separate puzzles will help get to know one another’s level of intellectual capacity, strengths, and weaknesses, and also help to improve intimacy in the relationship.
10. Organize a theme night
This entails surrounding the entire date with a particular theme that you both decide.
For instance, the theme could be a particular year, or a specific decade, say the 90s or 80s, or you could select a country such as Italy or Mexico as a theme. Get into the spirit and have everything such as your clothes, food, music, and movie; all determined based on the night’s theme.
11. Strip Trivia
What better way to heat things than this? There is no winning or losing in this game. All the while, you are communicating, getting to know your partner more, or watching them bare themselves to you…literally.
The advantage of date night at home is the relaxing and comfortable atmosphere. You should both be able to be yourselves and fool around to your content without worrying about the weird looks you might be getting from other people; although people-watching is a must-have date to have when you do get outside together.
As you embark on a home date night, ensure to create a space of openness so you can experience the feeling of closeness during your date!
If you are ready to go out in your city and need some creative date night ideas, we have those for you too!
A Step Further with Virtual Date Ideas
Being in a long-distance relationship feels better and a lot less uncomfortable with technological advancements in virtual communication. John Logie Baird and AT&T’s Bell Labs, I am sure, had no idea of the many relationships they would be saving when the development of videoconferencing came into place. It is safe to say that the advancement in virtual communication has erased some heartaches of being in a long-distance relationship.
Although virtual communication might not ease the feeling for physical touches between you and your S.O, it sure does help keep you connected and engage in activities you would enjoy doing together even from several distances apart.
We were together even when we were apart. – Shannon A. Thompson
If you are in a long-distance relationship for some reason, it does not mean that you and your partner must miss out on the fun of dating. It only requires some creative thinking and planning, and voila, your ‘long distance’ date night can be as much enjoyable as it would have been if you were together physically.
In fact, for those in a relationship where distance is an issue, you must have these dates as regularly as possible, which will help keep the passion alive despite the distance.
For starters, use the telephone, but make the setting romantic, to make it feel like a physical date. Both of you could choose a setting at your end that allows you to gaze at the stars, then sip your favorite wine and pour your hearts out over the phone. Or you could do a dinner-and-movie date, where both of you have the same food and movie, at the same time! And thanks to platforms like Teleparty, you can synchronize your next movie date with your partner.
A gift idea would be to send your sweetheart a ‘date-in-a box’. You put all of their favorite stuff in it, decorate it well and send it along with a note. Imagine how much you would love receiving a box filled with bath oils, aromatic candles, a champagne bottle, and roses, with a card of personalized romantic words.
But it shouldn’t end there!
Wouldn’t you love to see the smile on your partner’s face when they unwrap the gifts and read your notes? I am sure you do. Fortunately enough, setting up a Zoom call or other virtual video communication platform is quick and easy.
If you’re in a long-distance relationship, whether due to your job, education, or even quarantine, a creative virtual date should be fun and it’s possible to have a warm and fuzzy virtual date experience.
Be sure when you’re settling down for a virtual date, you’ve got your set up straightened out and any distractions out of sight and out of mind so you can be fully present.
Don’t forget, Airbnb also provides some magnificent virtual experiences from tarot readings to mixology classes to learning about a new culture. Make sure to give something new a try to open up your world of intimacy and possibilities.
Author Bio: Emmanuel is a versatile writer who has written over 50 articles on lifestyle, science, business, technology, and marketing. He believes so much in the power of psychology and its leverage on self-development and solving human misunderstandings. He finds it fulfilling writing on relationship and self-help topics, as it helps people get answers to difficult questions and situations surrounding their relationships and lifestyle. He is a graduate of Environmental Management and Toxicology. He currently resides in Lagos, Nigeria.
