February 14, better known as Valentine's Day: A day intended to be a day of love and gratitude at its core.
We all need a friendly reminder to tell and show others how much they mean to us, and Valentine's Day serves as such. (But significant other not needed.)
From outdoor Valentine's Day events to classic at-home date ideas, make this the best (and funnest) Valentine's yet!
Outdoor Activities
Weather permitting, a fresh air date can rejuvenate the soul and inspire play. Plus, if kiddos are an undeniable priority this Valentine's Day, they can tag along too.
Some commonly underrated outdoor date activities include hiking, bike riding around town or a park, playing frisbee in the backyard, taking a leisurely walk, creating a scavenger hunt, or best of all, making up your own!
Yet, the options are truly endless. Thanks to technology, we can take classic indoor activities outdoors now. Some of these options include projecting a movie in the backyard, doing a fun workout or exercise class, tackling furniture projects, having a dance party, and so much more.
Think outside the box and discover the power of imagination!
Cooking/Baking-Related
Let's face it… The middle of February weather is a toss-up between frigid, snowy cold and uncharacteristically warm, random days. If this Valentine’s Day falls on the former, indoor date ideas prevail.
Many enticing indoor date ideas include none other than food. A frequent expression of love, food is known to bring people together, remind us of our blessings, and nourish us.
Sounds like the perfect activity for a Valentine's Day date! So, here are a few ways to spice up this date idea (pun intended)!
Replicate Favorite Dishes
Choose a restaurant of your wildest dreams and vow to replicate one or two menu items of choice from the comfort of your home. A meal prepared with sincerity, a positive attitude, and lots of love is sure to receive five stars from everyone eating.
If needing some inspiration, use these romantic dinner ideas for two equipped with first and main courses. Oh, and do not miss the dessert ideas with heart-shaped melon and ice cream included!
Bake Off Challenge
If cooking is not enticing, challenge your partner or group of friends to mimic a favorite baking show like cupcake wars or the Great British Baking Show. Bonus points if everyone involved bakes something brand new!
Other Foodie Favorites
Additional foodie date ideas include:
• Having an indoor or outdoor picnic
• Preparing a DIY wine tasting
• Cooking a fan-favorite meal like spaghetti or tacos for fun
• Creating an epic charcuterie board
Mind-Provoking Activities
Some individuals and couples prefer stimulating the mind for their version of fun activity. Engaging in this type of interaction can intensify and strengthen a relationship. So, it'd be keen to throw a few of these activities into the rotation every so often!
• Puzzles
• Crosswords, sudoku, or word crosses
• Card games
• Research ways to donate/volunteer
• Make budgets and spreadsheets
• Create life Bucket Lists
• Research future trips and adventures
• Write love letters to each other
Date Ideas
Why not use this Valentine's to try something totally new, to push outside a comfort zone, and just be silly? You never know, painting could become a new favorite hobby!
Below lists curation of some of the most unique date ideas circulating the ether right now.
Paint-Off
Grab the art supplies or lack thereof (pens and pencils work fine) and challenge each other or a group to create any still-life scene of choice. Drawing each other earns bonus points and may reveal some hidden talent or confirm the arts were meant for Picasso and Davinci.
Spa Night
This beloved activity usually targets the female population, however, spas are inclusive of all. Everyone's skin needs refreshing from time-to-time and care for it need not be overly fancy or precise.
Have fun with it by scavenging the bathroom and closets for face masks, hand creams, foot rubbers, and whatever else. Put on some robes, infuse some water with lemon, relax and wala- home turned spa in ten minutes flat.
DIY Project
Creativity truly brings out the best in others. No better day than Valentine's to test this theory then! Tackle a project from the never-ending to-do list and feel the creativity brightening the mood. And do not be afraid to call upon some HGTV for ideas.
Some conventional ideas include painting a piece of furniture, making vision boards, rearranging or sorting closets, feng shui'ing a room, or decorating according to season.
Old School Games
It is hard to consider how couples dated before binging Netflix became the ultimate go-to. Well maybe now is the time to explore that notion and forego Netflix for traditional board game night!
We are talkin' Yahtzee, Clue, Monopoly, Connect Four, and Operation! Step it up a notch by playing round-robin tournaments or play more than one for the ultimate trip down memory lane.
Deep Conversation
The best part of dating is not actually the what or where... The best part is really getting to know the who.
Discovering their quirks, what inspires and angers and motivates them, how they love and want to be loved. But this can only happen through organic, deep conversation and something many couples neglect, oftentimes on nothing more than an accident.
So this Valentine's Day, prioritize and have fun having a profound, meaningful conversation as a date. And appreciate the simplicity, fulfillment, and fun of deep conversation.
Wrapping Up Valentine's Date Ideas
Although you can certainly enjoy a traditional Valentine's Day, why not think outside the conventional date idea box? We recommend combining a food-related activity with any other for a balanced, sustained evening of fun!
