5 Date Ideas to Help Keep Your Relationship Exciting

If you are married or in a committed relationship, experts agree you should continue dating your significant other, and we hope these date ideas will help.

COVID-19 (and life in general) may have made that a challenge.

However, there are still great ways to enjoy quality time with your partner.

You might wonder why you should date your spouse.

Dating keeps your relationship exciting, and according to themarriagehub.com it can:

• help build communication
• help you de-stress
• remind you that your partner is someone you like to have fun with

Each of these five date ideas will incorporate all those important relationship stepping stones, and maybe even bring about a little romance!

Date Idea #1: Revolving Dinner and Conversation

This date sounds like a ton of fun, and I heard about it from a friend after she and her husband tried it.

By tweaking her idea just a little, you can add in some incredible opportunities to have meaningful conversations.

If you have been with your partner for a long time, you may have noticed that you talk a lot.

Yet, it’s always about the same things.

Which kids’ activities are happening, did all the bills get paid, and how is work, are just a sample of daily mundane conversation.

This is not only a fun date, but it will get you talking about something else.

Basically, you break dinner down into four courses: drinks, appetizers, entrée, and dessert.

Then you take four slips of paper and write your name on two of them and your partner’s name on the other two.

Each person then comes up with two conversation topics and writes one on each of their slips of paper.

Conversation topics

These conversation starters are a chance to be vulnerable and real with one another in a way you might have neglected.

Here are a few of my favorites (Indwell has 50 conversation starters) to get you thinking, but remember all those normally talked about topics are off-limits:

• What question have you always wanted to ask me but never have?
• If safety wasn’t a concern, which natural phenomenon/ disaster would you want to experience?
• What is your favorite thing that I do in bed?
• What would make up a perfect day for you?
• Is intelligence or wisdom more useful?

Once you have that done, grab a hat (or anything to put the paper in).

Then draw the first slip out of the hat.

The person whose name was drawn gets to pick a place to have drinks, and you discuss their conversation starter.

Get back in the car when you finish drinks and draw another slip.

You guessed it!

That person gets to choose where you will have appetizers, and their topic is open for discussion.

Keep going until you get through with dessert!

“You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you.” — Bob Marley

Date Idea #2: Sip and Paint

I always thought this was an activity that was better suited to a group of friends, but my husband and I did this the other night.

We had a blast!

We got to tap into our creative side, relax with a drink, and spend some time with just the two of us!

It was the perfect way to de-stress, even though it can be a little messy!

We also got to listen to some outstanding 90s jams the owner had playing, and we talked while we painted.

He was a little worried because he “Isn’t artsy,” but the lady was there for any help we needed with technique.

Your painting does not have to be perfect, so don’t worry about that, and just have fun!

This date also allowed us to build up one another while we complemented each other’s work.

The paintings were a big hit when we got home and are now hanging in our preteen son’s room.

“Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes are uncertain. People are irrational.” — Hugh Mackay

Date Idea #3: Scrapbooking

This is a great socially distanced date idea, in case you are not ready to venture outside into the world just yet!

All you need is a scrapbook and some supplies, and pictures of you guys together.

This will get you both together and reminiscing about some of the best moments in your relationship while you decide what pictures to put inside.

Once you have decided on the pictures you want to use, you can plan how to make your scrapbook.

It’s your guys’ book, so decorate it to fit who you are.

Then challenge yourself to write one thing each of you felt when those pictures were taken.

This date idea will help you create something and have fun together.

The walk down memory lane will bring up lots of happy feelings, and you will have something tangible you two can share years later!

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou

Date Idea #4: Casino Night

‘Casino Night’ is the perfect date for when you have the house to yourselves!

You can make this as spicy as you want by raising the stakes.

Set up a poker table (depending on what you plan on ‘wagering’; play this game last… or not!) and see if the cards are in your favor.

You could play roulette and assign each number with chores, and if you pick that number and win, you don’t have to do it for the next two weeks.

You could also assign certain activities to the numbers, and if you choose that number and win, you get to do that activity right then.

If you go that route, playing poker first might be more prudent!

This date night is perfect if you were looking for a little ‘luck.’

If you aren’t feeling that adventurous, but are looking to have a little fun, then you can’t go wrong with this one.

The sky is the limit, and you and your partner can set risks based on what you feel comfortable with.

“Sex is like money; only too much is enough.” — John Updike

Date Idea #5: Volunteering

This date is a wonderful opportunity to get out and give back to the causes that matter to you both.

When you volunteer as a couple, you get to build a meaningful memory centered on a shared set of values.

This will not only benefit those you are helping but strengthen the bond you have together as well.

The University of California psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky recommends that couples actively work at building companionship by making time to talk and be together.

Depending on what type of volunteering you do, this might be a perfect opportunity for just that!

One year, when Disney was doing the ‘Give a day, get a day’ campaign, my husband and I picked up trash off the highway.

We were happy that day, out in the sun, working on something that meant a lot to us.

We got to take a walk, help the planet, and talk with one another all at the same time.

Later, we got to go to Disney, which was lots of fun!

Sometimes the best date ideas are not the most obvious!

“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” ― H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Ready to spend more quality time together?

Whether you want to spend more quality time together, have fun, communicate better, or spice up things in the bedroom, these date ideas will keep you on the right track.

Don’t ignore your relationship with your life partner, regardless of how long you have been with someone.

Life is hard, though, and we settle into just trying to survive daily.

Remember, you aren’t alone, and there is someone that would love to spend some time with you.

Dating was important when you were trying to build a relationship, and it is critical now that you are trying to maintain one.

What are some of the best dates you have been on?

What made them special?

Have you been keeping up with dating your spouse even though life is hectic and crazy?

Share any date ideas or tips in the comment section below!

We could all use some fresh date ideas and help one another out!