Have you ever looked at your spouse and asked, “Hey, when was the last time we had a proper date night?” and had them look blankly back at you and ask, “Well, when was the iPhone 2 released?”

We definitely understand how tough it can be to maintain a solid date night routine. Especially given that going out for a date is currently . . . “illegal.” But at-home date nights don’t have to be just staring contests and channel flipping.

Since we’ve been married, we’ve gotten pretty good at coming up with at-home dates. At first it was because we were students and couldn’t afford any dates that weren’t free. Then it was because we were new parents. Now it’s because we could go out, but COVID won’t let us. (At this point we’re not sure we’ll ever leave the house for a date again.) 

We have put together this list of some of our favorite at-home dates from over the years for any other couples out there who have been stuck inside for way too long. 

1. Go to the Opera

We watched our first opera together not long after COVID hit. During shutdown, the Met has been streaming a different opera performance every night for free on their website. Get the kids in bed, then dress up fancy and set up your front-row seats for a night of feeling cultured, being blown away by the incredible singing, and admiring the gorgeous sets. Even if you have no idea what’s happening because they’re singing in a different language, it’s still a fun experience. The benefit of watching from home instead of going in person is that you get to eat whatever you want, whenever you want, and no one will yell at you for chewing too loudly.

If opera isn’t your thing, check your local community theaters to see if they’re streaming any of their past performances during this time. This holiday season, we’re looking forward to the Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker. 

2. Do Pictionary with Play-Doh

We got this idea from a Good Mythical Morning YouTube video, and it’s a lot of fun. You write down several objects that you think you might be able to sculpt out of Play-Doh (don’t be boring and just include things like worms and snakes and licorice) and put them into a bowl. One person will draw a prompt from the bowl and try to sculpt what they see written there. The other person will try to guess. Even if your artistic abilities are worse than Ben’s (which, let’s be honest, are not good), you’ll still have a great time.

If you want to take things up a notch, you can do what they did on Good Mythical Morning, which is to have the sculptor work blindfolded. After reading the prompt, don the blindfold and try to produce something recognizable. Add a timer, if you like. You can shape this activity however you wish! If you don’t have Play-Doh, you can buy some here.

3. Bake Something Geeky Together 

When you have a sweet tooth and about a billion fandoms, you get to thinking: what if we combined our two loves into one delicious date night? Turns out, that’s actually a fantastic idea! If you’re not the type to come up with recipes on your own, don’t worry. We aren’t either. Luckily, there are tons of dedicated fans out there who have noticed the delectable morsels that show up in pop media. So you can easily find a copycat recipe to try.

The idea here is simple: find (or make up) a recipe for some nerdy concoction from a movie or video game or whatever that you and your beloved have always wanted to try. Then work together to make that dream a reality. Oh, and then eat it. Cannot forget that step.

We do baking dates more frequently than we would ever admit to our physicians. Our favorite recipe was one for the Royal Fruitcake from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

That recipe came from Rosanna Pansino’s blog/YouTube channel Nerdy Nummies. We think it turned out pretty darn well for a cake baked by a couple of amateurs. Nerdy Nummies actually has tons of fantastic recipes for all skill levels, so definitely check out her other stuff if you’re feeling in a nerdy baking mood.

Of course, you don’t have to bake anything nerdy. Simple brownies or chocolate chip cookies will do just fine. Just make it together and enjoy one another’s company.

4. Connect With Your Inner Child

If it isn’t obvious from the fact that all the movies and TV shows we’ve posted about on this blog so far are cartoons, we’re young at heart. If you feel like going back to a simpler time in your life, dress up in pjs (bonus points for footie pajamas), make a kid-friendly dinner, create some finger painting masterpieces to hang on your fridge, and finish the night off with a cartoon you haven’t watched since you were a kid. 

When we did this, we ate goldfish, chicken nuggets and fries, and juice boxes. No vegetables (because yuck). We watched old episodes of Arthur, the episodes that we remembered from our own childhoods. You can add variations to this date however you like—maybe you do adult coloring pages instead of finger painting, for instance. The point is that it’s supposed to be ridiculous and fun. 

5. Have a Cheese Tasting Night

This one is really simple, but you’ll need to make sure you have the stuff beforehand. Go to your local supermarket or farmer’s market and find the cheese station. (Some of you might be thinking that your spouse is the cheese station based on their sense of humor, but you’ll need real cheese for this date.) Find three or four of the fanciest cheeses you can afford (the harder their names are to spell, the fancier they probably are). Then, grab a fruity beverage (we like sparkling cider, but you can get whatever suits your palate) and some crackers or pretzels or bread.

On the evening of the date, dress up in your fanciest digs and sample the various cheeses while you sip from your fruity beverage. You may discover some new favorites and some total duds, but then you can finally say that you’ve tasted camembert, even if you will never be able pronounce it.

6. Play a Game With Story Cubes

If you and your spouse are the creative type, Story Cubes is right up your alley. We received the game as a gift, and we’ve put it to good use. The basic premise of the game is simple: you have several dice with pictures on them instead of numbers. You roll the dice and see what pictures show up, and then you have to invent a story that incorporates each picture in some element of the story.

The first couple of rounds can be a bit awkward while you’re warming up. But once you and your spouse hit your stride, the stories about octopi wielding lanterns as their weapon of choice against the evil, corrupt Sheriff PigeonHead will just roll off your tongue.

You can probably vary the style a little. If you’re overwhelmed using all of the cubes, roll just a few of them. Or, you can roll them one at a time, weaving the new cube into the story as you go. Add a scrumptious dinner or some yummy treats, and you’ve got yourself a splendid evening in!

You can buy Story Cubes here, or you can probably make your own with some paper and origami skills.

Bonus idea: Keep it simple

Sometimes, you’re both feeling tired and you just need to relax. You don’t need to feel guilty if date night is just relaxing together. Any time spent with your spouse or significant other is worthwhile. If you feel like you just need a regular movie night, or like you just want to curl up with a good book and snuggle while you read together, do it. And, if you want to relax but you’re in between seasons of the Great British Baking Show and don’t know what else to do with yourself (trust us, we’ve been there), check out our archives for some recommended books, shows, and games to enjoy together. 

What are your favorite at-home date ideas? Share them with us in the comments below!