Ideas for Date Night vs Quality Time
How to use both to improve your relationship quality
We often hear about scheduling date nights for successful, happy relationships. But what does that mean? Does it have to be a date to be quality time? Do you really need both in a relationship?
Let’s compare date night vs quality time and take a look at some ways you can schedule both into your relationship to help create a greater connection.
10 Quality Time Ideas with Your Partner as a Love Language
Quality time is a love language used to validate your connections. People with quality time love language require this time to feel and receive love from their partner. There are many ways to enjoy quality time with your partner, and quality time can be 5 minutes to hours. Think of quality time as a way to just dedicate your time and your attention to your partner.
1. Playing games
Games are a great way to just sit down and be with one another without any extreme amount of planning, getting ready, prep work, etc. Just grab some cards or a board game and have a good time for a bit.
2. Dance Party
Again, no need to spend a lot of time thinking or planning this. Put a song on and grab your partner for a quick dance. This doesn’t have to be a 2-hour party per se, even time for just one song is a huge impact for quality time.
3. Take a walk
A 10-minute walk around the neighborhood, simply holding hands with my husband fills my heart with so much joy, and it’s also something we can do with our daughter. It’s a way to embrace quality time while also doing a family activity.
4. Coffee/Tea in the backyard
Not feeling energized for a quick walk, take your morning/evening cup of coffee or tea outside and sit together on the porch/patio. Again, this is something you can do as a family and let your kiddo(s) play in the yard while you two just sit as a couple.
5. Plan your next date night together
Planning a future getaway is a great way to spend time with your significant other. This allows you to connect emotionally as you talk through what you want to do. It gives you something to look forward to too You get a few moments of quality time and then a future date night on the calendar. Win-win!
6. Watch the Sunset/Sunrise
Something about just sitting together, seeing the start of a new day or the setting of the existing day. What a way to be thankful for whom you have right next to you. This is so effortless, doesn’t require much energy, you can be inside or outside.
7. Trivia Nights
These are great experiences where you can be together, spend time together, but also interact with friends too. You could bump it up here and maybe go for a cocktail or an evening stroll before or after just the 2 of you.
8. Create an entertainment to-do list
This piggybacks on planning a future date night, but this can also be used to plan more family events too. My husband and I have a note page that we keep a list of things to do, new restaurants to try, new recipes to make, etc.
9. Meal Prep
In the step above, you have a list of new recipes you want to try. Schedule a time to prep the meal together. This could be from going to the store together, chopping, seasoning, or my favorite: having a glass of wine in the kitchen while my husband works his chef magic. 🙂
10. What was one highlight of your day?
Sometimes quality time can be as simple as coming together for 5 minutes after the kids are asleep, and just acknowledging each other. A simple question such as “What was one highlight of your day?” allows you to tune into each other briefly. It’s a way to reflect on something positive to end a stressful day. It’s a moment of quality time without a lot of energy, planning, or other resources needed. It’s a way to connect on something each of experienced during the day and brings you together.
10 Date Night Ideas with Your Partner
1. Explore a new part of your city
Have you ever driven around and thought, hmm that looks interesting? Take note of those places, then when you have time for a date out on the town, go explore something new together. Take in the sights, sounds, and explore either by walking the area, finding a new restaurant or a new entertainment venue.
2. Miniature Golf
Explore your ‘youthful’ side and go have fun. Many miniature golf parks are adult oriented, and you can even enjoy a nice adult beverage and snacks while you play.
3. Date Night In
You don’t always have to spend the whole evening out of the house. Take one of those new recipes you found during quality time, plan the evening, dress up, turn on the dinner music, and have a pleasant dinner at home, maybe followed by some dancing in the living room since the music is already playing.
4. Explore a new hobby together
Take a cooking class. Learn to play a new game. Try improv comedy. Do a wine and painting event. There are tons of creative hobbies and free online tools to explore.
5. Go for a drive
Some amazing, in-depth, intimate, emotional conversations can happen on a road trip. Just as we would explore our own local town, find a town potentially about an hour away, but use the drive as part of your date too, not just the destination.
6. Explore Conversation Starter Cards
There are many games out designed to spark conversations amongst couples. You can also do some re-search online and create DIY (free) ones yourself. Have a mix of serious, funny, silly, and emotional topics.
7. Take a hike/picnic
Go explore some nature trails around you. Pack a picnic and enjoy the scenery and nature.
8. Overnight Dates
Don’t forget, especially when you are parents, to incorporate some overnight dates. These can be done at home, somewhere local, somewhere a couple of hours away, or on some exotic trip. Take that time that you can fall asleep without a nighttime routine battle with the kiddo. Take that time in the morning waking up without needing to tend to a child right away.
9. At Home Scavenger Hunts
You each create a scavenger hunt for each other to do at home. We all have tons of misc items we can theme together. It might feel childish at first, but embrace that side. Take off your ‘adulting’ hat for a moment.
10. Escape Rooms
These require team work, communication, understanding, problem-solving, etc. What a great way to begin the connection you want to feel on a date night/day!!
Date night vs quality time planning, just remember to keep it simple!
Simple date night ideas are a great way to spend quality time with your spouse. Spending regular quality time with your spouse is important. Neither need to be extravagant and break the bank. Take the time to just be with one another, get off our electronic devices, and connect on an emotional level. Though date night vs quality time may still seem like the same thing, the more you create these moments in your relationship, the more you will discern what is needed more in your relationship.
How to Prioritize Date Night vs Quality Time
In our marriage, we find ways each day to create moments of quality time while we create date nights to be more of a weekly time we come together. Date nights should always be quality time together, but quality time together doesn’t always have to be date nights. We also find times for quality time as a family, but Date Night is always just us as a couple.
Starting off, don’t get hung up on if this is date night vs quality time. Just focus on keeping it simple, make sure there is room for you to connect, launch, be happy, be in the moment. It’s tough these days to turn the world off and focus on our partner, but it is a necessity for the relationship and for you.
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