COVID Friendly Date Night Ideas

COVID-19 has definitely messed up with our schedules this year, but don’t let it continue to mess up weekly date nights for you and your spouse! Here are some “COVID friendly date night ideas” you can do that are cheap and easy!

1 - Blanket Fort Buddies

Build a blanket fort and watch one of your favorite Disney movies you watched growing up together. Thankfully Disney Plus makes this way easier than it used to be. (Anyone still have a VHS player?!)

2 - Backyard Camp

Camp out in your backyard together! (This is great for those who like having a shower and toilet nearby.) Try your best to actually pack all of the things you need instead of going back inside the house 100,000 times, this will help it feel like your really camping!

3 - Park/Backyard Picnic

Picnic at the park or in your own backyard. Go all out with getting a fancy charcuterie board platter, and making something really yummy for your entree. It’s currently Fall, so I might make a butternut squash soup to put in a thermos and then bring along some hot apple cider to go with. Just a thought. Oh, and bonus points if you bring a frisbee to this event. ;) 

4 - Make Sushi

Find how to make sushi online then head to the store together and grab the ingredients. This whole event form the finding out how to make it, buying the ingredients, making the sushi, then trying to eat it is all a challenge, but you will make super fun memories in the process. If you both already know how to make sushi, maybe try to make something you don’t know how to make like fresh pasta!

5 - Homemade Bowling

Grab some random stuff around your house (trash like 2 liter sprite bottles and toilet paper/paper towel rolls works well), and make a DIY bowling game. Keep score and see who does better with the challenge.

6 - Dance!

Choreograph a dance that you can show off once you can go dancing in public again or learn a line dance on YouTube! There are so many dances out there to learn, this makes for a super fun date night!

7 - Homemade Ice Cream

I don’t know how to make it, but I’m sure you can find a recipe online!

8 - Putt-Putt

Make a putt-putt golf game around the house! Use chairs to create more obstacles, or have the other player be the obstacle! Use your imagination, and have fun!

9 - GAMES!

I LOVE games! Grab an old board game or a deck of cards and play your favorite game you know. If you’re like my husband and I, you’ll need to check google to remind yourself of ALL of the rules. 

10 - Puzzle

If you have a puzzle, try to put it together with your spouse while listening to your favorite music. If you don’t have a puzzle, each spouse can make one for their partner to complete using markers, copy paper and scissors. (Bonus points if you put a sweet message to your partner on the puzzle they try to complete!)

11 - Take the Long Way ‘Round

Go for a ride in the car and just enjoy the scenery you have around you. Find “country roads” and cruise down the road listening to your favorite hits. (Bonus points if you stop at a “mom and pop” shop that you both have never been too!)

12 - Take a Hike

Go for a walk or hike with your spouse. This is a great way to get your spouse talking if they aren’t a big talker. It’s so fun to hear ideas, dreams and goals that your spouse might have that you don’t know about yet!

13 - Fly a Kite

Buy a kite online and find a nearby park to try it out at. Make sure it’s going to be a windy day first (it’s easy to forget this step).

14 - Stargaze

Drive somewhere you can see the stars really well and stargaze while snuggled in a blanket. Bonus points if you bring hot chocolate or wine, and it’s fun to listen to an audiobook or podcast while you’re out there.

15 - Random Act of Kindness

Do something nice for a neighboor or stranger. Bonus points if you do it anonymously!

16 - Do a Craft

Go through old photos and make a scrapbook, or go on Pinterest and find a craft both of you would enjoy making and could hang somewhere in your home for others to see! There are TONS of fun things to try, and if it doesn’t look the best in the end, at least that will be a super fun memory and you can both laugh about it! 

17 - Xbox/Playstation

If you husband is into playing an xbox or playstation, go to a game store and pick out an easy game the two of you could play one night. Make sure it’s a easy game, otherwise you might just be frustrated the whole time. I found a Toy Story game that was a lot of fun and simple to learn... look for something like that!

18 - Spa Night

When offered 3 options for date night, my husband would probably always choose this one. Fill the bathtub with warm water, epsom salt and essential oils like Lavender, then put two chairs by the tub and soak your feet while you drink wine and eat charcuterie, then massage each others backs before putting on homemade face masks. Last, shower with a homemade body scrub, and call it good.

19 - Bucket List

Sit down together and write out a bucket list for the two of you to complete together. Then, make plans to actually do 1 or 2 of them. There is no telling where this could make you end up!

20 - Candle-Lit Dinner

One nice thing that came out of COVID was the fact that places that didn’t used to take out/deliver now do... including fancy places! Set the table, dress up, and either go pick up or have food delivered to the house and make sure to have some soothing either classical or smooth jazz playing while you two enjoy a romantic candle-lit dinner (and who said the take out can’t be Arby’s?).

21 - House Project

If you’re like my husband and I, there are LOTS of things to do around the house. Decide to complete one as a date night. Turn on some music and even make games out of things. Maybe you’re painting a room. See who can paint their wall the fastest! Be creative and have fun!

22 - Try Something New Together

I’m sure there are many things you and your spouse have never tried, so make a date out of it! Try making your own jams and jellies or take a cooking class together. There are plenty of classes being offered for all types of things, so find one you both haven’t tried, and make it a date.

23 - Practice Self Defense

Find some videos on YouTube that you can both watch and learn more about how to defend yourself if someone were to attack you. Try to not go too all-in, but allow for some growth in having the other person give you tips and pointers. This is not only a fun date night, but could come in handy one day.

24 - Play a Sport

Odds are one of you played a sport growing up (even if you weren’t great at it). Bring those tennis rackets and soccer balls out of the closet and go play a game together. You both will probably be pretty rusty, which will put your partner at ease as well. Laugh through your mistakes and if you can’t play the exact game you played growing up because you don’t have enough players, make a different game out of it. (Catch is always fun.)

25 - Rollerblading

Buy some rollerblades (either from the Thrift Store or new off of amazon) and go for a ride around the neighborhood. If it’s snowing out, then maybe go to a skate rink instead!

26 - Rent Your Dream Car for a Day

There are apps where you can rent cars for periods of time, so why not see if you can find your dream car as a kid on the app and go for a ride! My husband has always wanted to drive a “slingshot”, so we’ll be doing that in the near future. 

27 - Love Letters

Write a love letter to one another to open when you just need a reminder of why the other person is with you and loves you. Put on some music and put a limit to the letter (one page long), then put it in an envelope and keep it somewhere you will find it on a hard/bad day. 

28 - Pick-Me-Up Jars

Write down things you love about the other person and put them in a jar for little “pick-me-ups” throughout the week. Put each one on an individual piece of paper and then keep a stack of pieces of paper next to the jar to jot down reasons when they come up so you can continue to add to the jar. Both partners should have their own jars. 

29 - Photoshoot

Grab your camera or phone and prop it up so that it can take photos for you and set up your own props and things to create an at-home photoshoot. Get dressed up and do your hair and try to get 3 photos that you can post and show everyone! Bonus points if you do multiple backdrops/scenes! (By the way, you can go outside and take some too!)

30 - Hobby Store Project

Find a local hobby store that has “build you own ___” and build your own ____. My husband would probably love to put together a ship, so that would probably be what we got to put together, but find whatever suits your fancy and build it! (If you’d rather not go to the store, buy a kit off of amazon!)

(31 - Nerf Gun “Laser Tag”)\

My husband and I love to watch police/CSI/FBI shows and it would be super fun to recreate some of those scenarios where the people are in training and have to get through a certain mission, but have to get through props and things keeping them from just walking straight to the end. I hope to one day create one of these for a future date night. I think it would be super fun!

So as you can see, there are lots of ways to have COVID friendly date nights, you just have to be a little creative and put in a tad more effort. I hope you enjoyed these ideas, and let me know if you complete any or have any other ideas too! Tag @mariasmissions if you post a pic on instagram! Bonus points to whoever completes 1 date night idea every day for a month (there’s 31 ideas)!