Key Takeaways
- Get creative with a unique date idea to keep things exciting.
- A weekend escape can recharge your relationship with quality time.
- Try a new hobby together to bond and explore shared interests.
We know the feeling. The one where it begins to feel like Groundhog’s Day with your partner, every day. Maybe you both come home from work, have dinner together, watch TV, sleep, then rinse and repeat. It’s easy to fall into a relationship rut, especially if you don’t take time to carve out a little fun together. Looking for things to do as a couple to bring adventure and/or romance to your relationship can help strengthen your bond and make things exciting again.
“It’s helpful for couples to savor the positive aspects of their relationship together,” says Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, clinical psychologist. “This is a form of gratitude conditioning as there are many things in the relationship both large and small for which you may be grateful.”
Stuck on ideas for things to do together? Read on for some fun activities to help you connect as a couple, share quality time, and create new memories.
Press Play for Advice On How to Incorporate More Fun Into Your Life
Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast featuring psychologist Dr. Mike Rucker shares how you can start having more fun in life. Click below to listen now.
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Get Creative With a New Date Idea
The typical dinner-and-a-movie date night is always great, but sometimes you also need a spontaneous break from your routine. Think outside the box: brunch, karaoke, or a lazy day at the park count as dates, too. Date nights don’t have to be expensive to be fun, either.
Things to Do on a Date
- Take a walk in nature
- Visit a museum
- Go thrift shopping
- Join a trivia team
- Go to an escape room
- Visit the zoo
- Go to an arcade or amusement park
- Try a new restaurant
- Make a new recipe together
- Have a spa night at home
- Take a dance class
- Make a craft together
- Go to a concert or comedy show
- Take a new workout class together
- Go to an open house
- Tour a brewery or go to a wine tasting
- Try roller skating
- Host a party
These activities involve shifting attentional resources to things to be thankful for and ways to savor that appreciation instead of getting caught in daily arguments or banal routines.
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SABRINA ROMANOFF, PSYD, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
Verywell / JR Bee
Escape for the Weekend
Pack your suitcase and get away for the night, a weekend, or a week. A romantic getaway recharges you both and gives you some quality time together away from your normal routine.
If your budget is tight, opt for a one-night excursion that’s close to home, and consider booking a home rental through a website such as VRBO, Airbnb, or HomeToGo.
Dine Off the Beaten Path
Bored with your local restaurants? One fun thing to do as a couple is to plan a trip to explore an acclaimed restaurant you never tried before. Pick a city that’s not terribly far from home or splurge and stay one night at a nearby hotel. Dining off the beaten path can provide a romantic and new experience for both of you.
Explore the Nearest State Park
Spending time outdoors comes with a world of benefits, including bonding and creating lifelong memories. Pack a backpack and head to the nearest state park for the day. Get those endorphins going and go for a long hike together. Or, set up camp for the night and lie side by side gazing at the stars.
Recap
Going on a trip together doesn’t have to involve a big budget or a long journey to an exotic location. Visiting off-the-beaten-path spots in your own town or nearby sights can also be a great way to enjoy the benefits of traveling and exploring together.
Get Active Together
Engaging in physical activities together can also be a great way to spend time together. Fortunately, there are plenty of great ideas that will help you connect.
Exercise
The benefits of exercising together are plenty. Not only will you get to spend more time together, but you’ll also improve your overall health, get in better shape, and even enhance your sex life. Exercise has been linked to improved body image, reduced sexual and erectile dysfunction, and short- and long-term arousal in women.
This might mean taking a walk together, going to a yoga class, using an exercise app at home, or playing a fitness game on a video game console. Exercising together can also be in the form of a strenuous activity like painting a room, cleaning out a basement, or planting a garden.
Dance
Play those old records (if you still have them) or put on your favorite playlist. Ask your partner for a dance in the kitchen. Or, take your moves out on the town and hit a dance club.
Pick Up a New Hobby Together
Another option if you’re looking for things to do as a couple, and a way to connect, is to spend time together exploring a hobby. This can be something that you both enjoy doing, or you might enjoy helping each other explore your individual interests.
Start a New Hobby
Find common ground and look for hobbies you would enjoy together. If you can’t agree on an activity you both enjoy, choose to do separate hobbies in the same room or on the same couch. For instance, if one person likes to scrapbook, they can do that while their partner plays video games.
Cook Together
Consider breaking out the measuring cups and cookbooks to spice things up in the kitchen. If you have children, take at least one night a month to eat dinner after the kids go to bed. Cook together and enjoy a nice quiet meal for just the two of you.
If you can get out of the house, taking a cooking class together is a fun way to learn some new recipes and cooking techniques.
Redecorate
Pick a room to redecorate together. It could be a room that needs an organizational makeover or one that you want to freshen up since you use it often.
Decorating isn’t about being a master interior designer. It’s about the time you and your partner spend together while reorganizing, repurposing, or reevaluating the needs you have for a particular room or space in your home.
Recap
Trying a new hobby or activity together can be a fun way to bond and do something you love with the person you love.
Relax and Unwind
Getting active and exploring hobbies can be fun things to do as a couple, but sometimes you might want to do something more relaxing or low-key. This can be a great opportunity to destress and unwind while enjoying each other’s company.
Share a Book
Curl up on the couch or in bed and read a book together. Read out loud or read together quietly. Start your own private book club for the two of you. Discuss the books you’re reading over coffee or your favorite meal.
Listen to a Podcast or Audiobook
Snuggle on the couch and tune into a podcast or audiobook together. Pick something funny to add a little mood-boosting laughter to your life, or something motivational that can strengthen you as individuals and as a couple.
Play Games
Whether you’re hitting the Xbox together or sitting down with a good card game, board game, or puzzle, games can be a great stress reliever. Playing games with your partner will present you with plenty of moments to laugh and test your competitive spirit.
Games can be sexy, too. Think strip poker or Twister. Why not? Game on!
Watch TV and Movies
Watching TV and movies together is one of the simplest activities you can do after a long day of work. But be sure it’s just the two of you, sitting together and holding hands. No gadgets. No status updates or Instagram posts.
It’s a great time to snuggle and get closer while doing something as simple as watching a Netflix series or movie.
Try a Couples Massage
Turn on some relaxing music, dim the lights, and take turns giving each other a massage. If you don’t want to commit to a full-body massage, you can try a hand or foot massage and see where it takes you.
Recap
The activities you enjoy together don’t need to be a lot of work. Just spending time together relaxing, reading, or watching television can be enjoyable.
Focus on Your Connection
Doing things together that are centered on your relationship can also be a great way to improve your bond.
Some relationship-centered things to do as a couple include:
Take a Walk Down Memory Lane
You’ve spent a lot of years together and there are many more to come. Take some time to review your life together. Scroll through your smartphone camera roll, Facebook photos, or Instagram shots, and take a look at your first pictures together.
Reminisce about all of the things you’ve done and places you’ve been together over the years, and keep looking through until you reach your most recent photos together as a couple.
Renew Your Vows
Looking for something to do together that’s a little more elaborate? Renew your vows in front of friends and family or have a private ceremony in your living room. Renewing your vows is a great reminder of the bond you have with each other. If you have kids, it’s a fun way to incorporate them into your ceremony, especially if they missed it the first time around!
Visit Your Partner’s Hometown
Heading to your partner’s hometown is a great way to learn more about their childhood. Even if you feel like you already know everything about your partner, seeing them in their hometown setting will help you connect deeper. Swap embarrassing childhood stories or meaningful family memories as you explore old hangouts together.
