The honeymoon phase is over, so how do you keep the spark alive? Once you get comfortable with your person, it can feel difficult to get out of your regular routine and find new and exciting ways to connect. For the folks looking for fun things to do as a couple, we have an extensive list of ideas to help keep your relationship strong and even spice things up!
Things to Do as a Couple That Will Reinforce Your Relationship
If you want to know how to keep a relationship strong and happy, there is a simple recipe for success: date your significant other and consistently try new things together. This allows you to learn about the other person and grow together as a unit. Here are eight main activities to try, as well as 50 ways to make them happen!
Play 20 Questions Regularly
How well do you really know your partner? Whether you have been together for six months or 16 years, there is always an opportunity to learn more about your significant other. These getting to know you questions can be silly, serious, or insightful inquiries.
- What would you buy if we won the lottery?
- Name something that scares you.
- What is a secret dream of yours?
- Do you wish you studied something else in college or pursued a different career?
- What is your biggest pet peeve?
- What is the best decision you have ever made?
- What is something that you have always wanted to do?
Remember that you don't have to sit down and look each other in the eyes to make this happen. Ask questions at the supermarket, when you are stuck in traffic, or send each other question texts while stuck in mundane meetings at work! Take small moments to learn meaningful details about your partner.
Get Season Tickets
What do the two of you both enjoy? Pick an interest you share and invest in spending more time enjoying it together. Buying season tickets to partake in pastimes regularly can help couples escape their regular routines and build regular dates into your busy schedule. Season ticket spots to consider include:
- Sporting Events
- Symphonies
- Amusement Parks
- Zoos
- Water Parks
- Ski Resorts
- National Parks
- Aquariums
- Museums
- Lakes
- Campgrounds
It's important to remember that relationships always need maintenance. Research shows that by regularly dating your partner, you not only become closer with them, but you also become motivated to better yourself. By being proactive in planning shared recreation, couples can enhance their relationship quality.
Go On Day Trips
Road trips are a great time to unplug and get to know your partner better. Best of all, these excursions don't need to be pricy! You can plan activities ahead of your adventure or couples can just jump in the car and see where the road takes them. Explore the fine city you call home or head outside of city limits to see what surrounds you. While cruising, engage in a round of 20 questions or play a funny game of would you rather questions for couples!
Learn Something New Together
It turns out that there is a reason why high school romance seemed so exciting! Research shows that learning together can enhance your relationship. The key is finding a subject that you both find intriguing. Couples can consider classes that help them master:
- Cooking
- Mixology
- Dance
- Pottery
- Painting
- Glass Art
- Fluid Art
- DIY projects like Floral Design
- Dog Training
- Aerial Silks
- Circus Skills
- Wine Pairing
- Cookie Decorating
In other words, get out of the 'dinner and a movie' rut and find new passions and pastimes. These experiences give couples the opportunity to learn, laugh, and even be vulnerable in front of one another.
This is a fundamental aspect of strengthening a relationship. The reason - it gives you and your significant other chances to show support and build up each other's confidences, which enhances a couple's trust in one another. So become a connoisseur of something new and connect with your partner!
Be Active Together
Would you believe that sweating is another key to satisfaction in a relationship? Seems ridiculous, but researchers have found that couples who perspire together are not only happier together, but they also have a more enjoyable sex life! However, if you aren't the most athletic individual, it doesn't mean that you cannot have fun while working out! Exciting exercise-themed things to do as a couple are:
- Stand up paddle boarding
- Hiking
- Kickboxing
- Indoor rock climbing
- Axe throwing
- Golfing
- Roller skating
- Yoga
- Pedal boating
- Swimming
- Ropes courses
Couples can also consider joining athletic leagues, being a part of a team, or signing up for unique group events to enjoy together. Some options include:
- Coed soccer
- Coed softball
- Paintball
- Flag football
- Color runs
- Zumba
- Mud runs
These are fun relationship-building activities for couples because they help the two people hold each other accountable, they allow partners to challenge one another, and they present opportunities to build each other up.
Volunteer as a Couple
Not only does giving back genuinely make people happier, but it is also proven to enhance a couple's relationship! Studies have found that "giving together not only allows partners the chance to work on issues they care deeply about, it also provides an opportunity for their relationship to grow. Some couples say their joint philanthropy is one of the most meaningful shared experiences in their lives."
The problem is that the word "volunteering" doesn't seem like a very exciting way to spend your limited free time. Thankfully, there are actually some really fun things to do as a couple that involve giving back to others. Some opportunities are:
- Walking dogs at an animal shelter
- Assembling care packages for sick children and distributing them at the hospital
- Choosing an organization that you want to support and inviting family members and friends over for a game night where winnings go to the charity
- Starting a Little Free Library in your front yard
- Attending a gala and supporting a good cause
Make-A-Wish also has amazing volunteer opportunities for couples of many talents. These range from formal dancing (Waltzing for Wishes) to gaming (Streaming for Wishes). Couples can reach out to their local chapter to see what options are available in their region.
Get Creative in the Kitchen
Studies show that seven in 10 couples find that "whipping something up for their partner in the kitchen is actually more intimate than having sex." Say what?! How could this possibly be? Let's take a look at the recipe.
When cooking, you and your significant other's hands are busy, which means that you are unplugged from the world and in tune with only your partner. This gives you the chance to talk, taste, and tease one other. Better yet, you have opportunities for those corny movie moments, that are actually quite romantic, where one person shows the other how to conduct a task in a very intimate way.
In other words, go to your nearest bookstore with your boo and pick out an enticing cookbook. Then, once a week, cook up some sparks in your kitchen and share a meal with your favorite person!
Create and Complete a Bucket List Together
As mentioned above, studies show that couples who make plans together have more secure and meaningful relationships. An easy way to continue making plans is to ask one another, 'What is something that you have always wanted to do?' It's one of the twenty questions to consider asking your partner, so why not see where your interests align?
Talk about the places you've always wanted to travel, foods you desire to try, skills you strive to learn, and life goals you hope to achieve. The best way to build a partnership is to support each other's hopes and dreams! A bucket list is a great start.
Once you complete your list, agree to complete one small and on medium item each year, as well as one big item every three years. Then, make your date nights more purposeful by considering activities that could help you achieve these hopes and dreams.
Choose Fun Things to Do in a Relationship That Appeal to Both of You
The best way to strengthen your relationship and have fun at the same time is to try new things that you both think that you will enjoy. However, every once in a while, take the time to try something out of your comfort zone that you know your partner will love. This can help you learn more about them and get them excited about sharing their favorite pastimes with you!
