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Both the first US confirmed case of coronavirus and the first death happened in Washington state, and Seattle is currently completely shut down. Even though we’re super close to Seattle here in Portland, Oregon, we haven’t shut down and quarantined everyone yet. But it’s coming.

I don’t know all the numbers or even all the facts about the coronavirus. I don’t have any medical expertise nor do I want to just make jokes and memes. What I do know is that social distancing and self-quarantining are the responsible things to do. And pretty soon, with more events being cancelled and places of business shutting down, staying home will be the only option.

So I’m pretty sure every marriage blogger out there had the same idea about sharing at-home date ideas while people are stuck at home due to the Coronavirus. But I still want to add my two cents to the pot.

It’s important to continue to date your spouse and make your marriage exciting even when it seems like the end of the world is upon us. Because in all seriousness, life does go on. And we want this time to be as pleasant as possible. If you’re not having fun together right now and all you ever talk about is how you’re going to get through this epidemic, you’ll go crazy! You have to have some fun and you still need to connect with your partner!

5 Outdoor Date Ideas for during the Coronavirus

Right now, most of us can get outside while still “social distancing.” And getting some fresh air and vitamin D while we still can is very important! Here are some outdoor date ideas you can do while still staying away from others.

ONE || Hang out on your own porch or patio

When we’re on our own patio, we’re certainly still social distancing. So take advantage of that. Create a comfortable space with nice furniture and fun lights (we have these and love them – Amazon is still delivering). Make it a place you want to be that’s also different from your house.

Maybe grill out on your deck or take a picnic out there. Then relax and have some meaningful conversation like you did when you were dating. You can include the kids or continue your date after your kids go to bed. I always feel so much better just being outside.

Related: Kicking off a Summer of Grilling

TWO || Exercise together

Go for a long walk around your neighborhood. Hold hands and have some meaningful conversation. Or you could go for a run together. Not much conversation can go on then but the endorphins make up for it. Also, a bike ride is always fun. Find a bike trail to conquer together!

If none of those is your thing, get out in the yard together or as a whole family and play a game of catch, throw a frisbee (discraft is the only brand we use because we’re Ultimate Frisbee snobs), or play some touch football! These are some of my favorite things to do as a couple!

Related: Why I Started Exercising for the Right Reasons

THREE || Go stargazing

You can do this in your own back yard. Especially if you live far enough from major cities and can see the stars really well from your place. Make it super romantic by laying out a couple blankets and bring some bubbly.

Or drive your pick-up to a park somewhere away from everything and make a bed in the bed of the truck. Just enjoy each other’s company and the beautiful stars above you. Use this time to remember that the God who created the expanse of the universe is still in control!

FOUR || Go for a long drive

I tell you, some of our best conversations happen in the car. Especially when we have nowhere to go and we just drive. You’ll still be in your own car so it definitely counts as social distancing, but it would be nice to get a change of scenery.

Related: How To Use A Roadtrip To Strengthen Your Marriage

FIVE || Watch a sunrise or sunset

Maybe you can see the sunset from your home. Maybe from a balcony or a yard. Or try something out of the box like sitting on your roof!

If you can’t get a good view from your home, you could also go somewhere you can. Find a secluded place away from people. Enjoy the drive or walk to get there, set up chairs or a blanket, and enjoy the free show in each other’s company.

10 Indoor Home Date Ideas for during the Coronavirus

If you are quarantined or have chosen to self-quarantine, you can still date your spouse at home. Plus, we had snow over the weekend, so spending a lot of time outside might not be ideal for some. Here are some wonderful date ideas you can do in your own home.

ONE || Have an outbreak movie marathon

Is that too morbid? I say have fun with this viral outbreak! But maybe it’s just me, but I love suspenseful movies and suspending my disbelief. So combining reality with some really good movies sounds like a fantastic idea! Pass the popcorn!

There are so many good ones out there to choose from (disclaimer: I only shared ones you can stream without paying extra on each of the platforms. Also, I’m sure I missed some from these platforms, these are just ones I found with a quick search):

• On Netflix:
  • Outbreak
  • Containment
  • The Rain (a series)
  • 93 Days
  • Carriers
  • Pandemic (a docuseries about the flu)
• On Hulu:
  • 28 Days Later
  • Annihilation
  • The Strain (series)
  • Contagion (with CINEMAX add-on – I included it because it’s so good)
• On Amazon Prime Video
  • Pandemic (A series, season 1 available with Prime)
  • Toxic Skies
  • The Paradise Virus
  • Return of the Black Death (documentary)
  • Unseen Enemy (documentary)
  • Domain
  • FLU
  • And the Band Played On
  • Diverge
  • Outbreak (documentary)
  • Night of the Living Dead
  • Contagion (must rent or buy – I included it because it’s so good)

TWO || Camp out at home

Set up your tent inside or create a blanket fort in the living room. Or even just blow up an air mattress on the floor. If you don’t want to go that far, just have a picnic on the floor in the living room. Just changing things up that little bit can make all the difference.

If you have a yard and some good weather, camp out in your own back yard! Who says you have to be a kid to do this? Bring some cards and have a game night in a tent on your own property under the stars.

Related: 7 Date Ideas for Rainy Days

THREE || Have a theme night

Pick something you both enjoy and plan your night around that. For example, maybe you’ll have a Lord of the Rings movie marathon. You can both dress like hobbits and make/eat the 7 hobbit meals throughout the day.

Or watch Harry Potter and make butterbeer and pumpkin pie. Get creative and go all out!

Related: Marvel Movie Marathon

FOUR || Read together

When I’ve seen this suggestion in other date night lists I’ve always thought it was a little strange. Like how is it a date if you’re both reading? You’re not connecting. But I’ve actually found that if we’re sitting together and reading, we are connecting. Even if we’re reading different books, we’re still together, we’re often holding hands, and we take breaks where we tell each other about what we’re reading.

Another way to look at this though, is to read the same book separately and then talk about it. OR to take turns reading out loud. That’s something I love to do on long road trips!

FIVE || Have a dance party

You just can’t beat a good dance party. Turn on a nostalgic station or playlist on Spotify, Pandora, Google Play, Apple Music or wherever you listen to music.

If you want to take it a step further, find a dance workout video. I’ve even heard that Youtube has some awesome ballroom dancing lessons.

SIX || Create an all out romantic evening

You can still make your date romantic even if you never leave the house. Get dressed up just like you’re going out. Spend some time and effort on your hair and makeup. Bonus points if you can get ready in separate rooms.

Play romantic music as you cook dinner together (check out this awesome Date Night In Cookbook). Set the table with fancy china and even candles. While you’re eating, try to avoid talking about the logistics of your marriage. Reminisce on your past and dream about your future together instead.

Then maybe end the night with a bubble bath for two or take turns giving shoulder massages.

Related: A Low-Key Valentine’s Day Is My Favorite

SEVEN || Have a game night

Whether you play board games, card games, or video games, a little competition can be great for your marriage! Just the other night, Pearson and I played Mario Party!

But we’ve found that we actually do better if we’re on the same team. So we play Mario Party as a team, we play Super Smash Brothers on the same team, we enjoy playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Star Wars Battlefront II on co-op and we love cooperative board games!

Related: Why These Awesome Cooperative Games Are Better For Your Marriage

EIGHT || Workout together at home

At home workouts are all the rage right now. It started with purchasing VHSs or DVDs and now it’s all done through streaming! A lot of physical gyms, especially boutique ones, have online workouts. Orangetheory says they’re working on something like that because of the coronavirus. Since Intel is having everybody work from home and therefore employees cannot use their gym, they’ve even released some workout videos online.

If you don’t have a subscription to something like Beachbody or any of the above, there are tons of free workouts on Youtube. Two of my favorite channels are Blogilates and Yoga with Adriene!

NINE || Check in with your marriage

Having regular meetings with your spouse is not a new concept among marriage bloggers and influences on the internet. In fact, I go into great detail about how to do it and why it’s important in this blog post. Checking in with each other regularly can strengthen your marriage so much so think about what it can do for your relationship at a time like this! Sit down with your spouse and have some intentional conversation!

A few years ago I created a cheat sheet for our regular couple check-ins and I want to share that with you! Just sign up for my newsletter below and when you get a welcome email from me, click the “Access Past Newsletter Freebies” button to download your cheat sheet!

Related: How To Have A Weekly Couple’s Meeting

TEN || Use printable date night resources

I feel like share these types of resources a lot but I can never share them too much! I think printable dates are brilliant and there are some great resources out there!

• Prioritizing Date Night in Your Marriage ebook by Amberly of A Prioritized Marriage
• Josie at Romance Enhanced Consulting has a ton of printable bedroom games to help keep things interesting
• The entire Dating Divas website is full of super cute and clever printable date ideas

So the bottom line is just because we’re stuck at home trying to avoid the coronavirus doesn’t mean we can’t still date each other. And even though we’re together 24/7 now, we still need to set aside intentional time to connect with our spouse.

What awesome date ideas do you have for this time of social distancing?
Thanks for reading!