Valentine’s day is almost upon us! This can be a very romantic time; a time for grand gestures, expensive gifts, and romantic getaways. However, it can also be a rather stressful time. The year has just started; we are settling back into work and school and normal life. Valentine’s day this year is on a normal Tuesday in the middle of a work week. Add to all this the constraints of time, finances, and lack of ideas. That’s why we are here to help! Here are 16 Valentine’s mini date ideas that can help you sweep your spouse off their feet, while staying within the confines of your busy life!
What is a Mini Date?
Continuously dating your spouse is so important. We date before marriage to get to know each other and learn how to work together. But once we get married, the need for learning about each other doesn’t stop. People will continue to grow and change their whole lives. Therefore, we must continue to get to know our spouse and have intimate moments together. Hence, dating your spouse. But our lives get busy. Work and kids and church and finances and cleaning… the to-do lists never seem to be done.
Mini dates are a way to keep building intimacy. They are smaller scale ways to show your spouse that you care. They are also a way to have some fun together! Those fun moments are what separates roommates who have sex and spouses who are best friends. Mini dates can be romantic, silly, fun, and/or sexy. If you want even more mini date ideas, here are 11 more!
Mini Date Ideas
#1 Picnic in the Living Room
This date is one of my favorites, mostly because this is how I spent my only Valentine’s day with a fiancee :). Take your dinner/dessert from the dining table to the living room. Lay out a blanket on the floor, light some candles (I like scented ones), and turn down the lights. If you have kids, wait until they are asleep so you can have time together. Make a rule that planning and stressing can wait until tomorrow. Share what you love about each other, things you are grateful for, or even your new favorite joke. To put your date over the top, print out your favorite love poem to share with each other.
#2 Flower Arranging
Buy flowers for your spouse (Note: it is usually women who like flowers. However, many women have been surprised to find their husband also likes flowers!). These don’t have to be fancy. Then, once you present them to your spouse, spend time together trimming and arranging the flowers. This won’t take very much time or money, but it can be fun to learn a new skill together. And you will have a beautiful product sitting around reminding you both of your mutual love and intimacy.
#3 Dance in the Kitchen
While you are making dinner or cleaning up, turn on some music and dance in the kitchen! Pick out a sweet song and pull her/him into an embrace. Start slow dancing or swing dancing together. This simple moment together can help turn a mundane, every day task into something magical and romantic.
#4 Write and Hide Love Letters
Buy a pack of Valentines at Walmart or your local grocery store. Write down everything you love about your spouse. Think of things they do you are grateful for, parts of their body you love, romantic moments you’ve had together etc. Go through as many cards as you can! Then, when your spouse is elsewhere, hide them everywhere! Hide them in the pockets of clothes, in notebooks and laptops, in their favorite food in the fridge, everywhere you can think of! This may seem silly, but you will never know in what moment your spouse will find one of your notes. It could be just the love and reassurance they will need.
#5 Lunchtime Affair
Here’s a more sexy idea! Come home for lunch (try to get away on Valentine’s day!) and schedule a “rendezvous” with your spouse. You can “sexy text” during the day and maybe create a sexy roleplay scenario. Have a quick lunch and get it on with your “secret lover.” Check out our Dirty Talk guide for more ideas for sexy foreplays and roleplays!
#6 Go to Petco
This may be a very silly idea, but sometimes something silly is exactly what the doctor ordered! Find a local pet shop and browse the fish and animals on display. Or go window shopping in a local mall. Or go put together a ridiculous outfit at a thrift shop. The idea is to go out and just have fun together! As adults, we don’t find the time or give ourselves permission to feed our inner child. Let go of adult restraints for a night and be a kid again.
#7 Sex Toy Shopping
The same idea as above, but sexier ;). Decide if you are more comfortable going to an actual store that sells sex toys or find an online store you like (here is our round-up of Christian-friendly sex toy websites). There are also physical shops that cater to husbands and wives that are free of graphic or pornographic imagery (like this one in Utah!)
#8 Text Love Poems
Again, this is an idea I stole from my amazing husband. He sneakily asked me when the most stressful part of my day was. I told him it was usually right after lunch. He then surprised me by texting me a love poem during my lunch break! And the next time I worked… I got another one! Soon, I looked forward to lunch time instead of dreading it because it meant a sweet profession of love from my sweetheart. My husband had googled love poems and saved a bunch of his favorites. He then simply set an alarm on his phone that reminded him to copy, paste, and send me a poem every day.
In the build up to Valentine’s day, send your lover a love poem each day!
#9 Year in Review
Create a photo slideshow of your past year together, going back to last Valentine’s day. Dig up photos of dates, or your family, big accomplishments, and funny little memories. Put it to music, and make it as fancy or as simple as you prefer. Have a 15 minute date together to watch and reminisce.
#10 Watch the Sunset
Google what time the sunsets tonight. Make plans to get together 30 minutes before that and find a spot to sit and watch. Sit in the backyard, climb up on the roof, or take a drive to a high place. This is a very simple mini-date, but can be very romantic and will promote vulnerability and intimacy.
#11 Cooking Competition
See which of you is the better cook! You can start with the same ingredients as each other and set a timer. Ready set go! You can enlist your kids, another couple, or your neighbors to be judges. Or you can spice things up by cooking in just your aprons. In that case, you may have to find another way to determine the winner 🙂
#12 Nearby Concert or Play
Get on google and see what productions are going on in your area! There are usual local theater groups or undiscovered artists performing in any city. You can even try out a high school or middle school performance.
#13 Tandem Bike
Rent a tandem bike or find someone to borrow it from. It may take a bit to get the hang of riding it as you need to sync up and decide how to signal to each other. After getting the hang of it, ride around your neighborhood or find an easy trail to tackle. This activity can be picturesque, but it can also teach you two about communication and help you work as a team.
#14 “Heart-attack” a Friend in Need
Brainstorm together who you know that might need a little extra love. At this time of year, it may be a recent widower, a friend who is single or recently divorced, or anyone else you feel might need it. Cut out paper hearts and discreetly tape them on their front door, ring the doorbell, and run. You can also write kind things and what you love about this person on the hearts. Serving others together is a great way to grow closer together!
#15 Chocolate Tasting Party
Go to your local grocery store and get one of every chocolate they have (or at least the ones you want to try). Bring them all home and create a system for judging. This can be making a chart with sections like, “Hardness” “Sweetness” “Richness” and “Overall Taste”. Then, rate each chocolate on a scale of one to ten. You can also taste test different french fries, hot chocolate, coffee, chips, or any other food you like.
#16 Lingerie Fashion Show
One last spicy idea. Plan a fashion show of your sexiest outfits. This can mean raiding your lingerie draw, but you can also get creative with the other clothes you have. A wife in her husband’s shirt can be really sexy. Find a time you can be alone, pick out a song that makes you feel sexy, and show off all those hot outfits!
14 Days of Sextimacy Challenge
Valentine’s day is also the perfect opportunity to improve your sex life and increase your intimacy with your spouse. We invite you to join us in our 14 days of Sextimacy Challenge from February 1st to 14th (Valentine’s day!). Download the Intimately Us app, sync with your spouse, and complete the simple challenges listed to earn points. You could win one of our fabulous prizes, but the best prize will be growing closer to your sweetheart!
Written by Amanda Severson with Get Your Marriage On!
I love this app! My husband and I are such busy people, this helps us stop and make sure we show the love that we have for each other. I’d give 6 stars if I could!
This is by far the #1 sex app for Christian couples! My wife and I played the games like 5 times over the last week. Sparks are flying and we’ve never felt so close before. Thank you!
