How to Have Fun With Your Boyfriend at Home

This might be his idea of having fun at home, but unplugging has its benefits.

Spending time at home together is much cheaper than hitting the town and it strategically sets the stage for some serious bonding. Whether you just started dating or you share the same address, you can have fun with your boyfriend at home in ways that don't involve a remote control.

Instructions

1. Whip up something interesting in the kitchen. Go beyond the usual pasta dinner and try your hands at a completely new culinary creation. Baking bread from scratch or making homemade ice cream might give you both the opportunity to learn an impressive new skill, and the downtime involved while you wait for your treats to come out of the oven or freezer gives you a chance to chat.

2. Play a game. Your guy might love losing himself in a video game for the day, but opting for an old-fashioned board game is more romantic. Facing each other instead of the screen makes it easier to connect, and the slower pace creates a more intimate mood. A little friendly competition can even be flirtatious, especially if you make a romantic wager before you start the game.

3. Share a project or chore. Couples who live together run the risk of falling into predictable domestic routines, but tackling a home improvement project or just tidying up is automatically more fun when you do it together. Turn on some upbeat music and rearrange the living room or go all out and paint the bedroom a sensual new color.

4. Get crafty. Working together on a creative endeavor allows you to drop your inhibitions and just be silly. Assemble a collage of photos of the two of you and add doodles and captions with permanent markers, or jazz up T-shirts with fabric paint and give them to friends as goofy gifts.

5. Get close. Sometimes it's more fun to forget the organized activities and simply snuggle up on stay home dates. It might start with trading massages or lead to a squealing tickle fight, but neither you or your boyfriend are likely to be bored when you spend some up-close and personal, quality time together.

Tips & Warnings

• Invite friends to join you. Adding a few pals to the mix makes it easy to have fun staying in, no matter what you do. Plan a party with your boyfriend, or phone your friends for an impromptu get-together.

• Staying in doesn't have to mean staying indoors. Hit the backyard or balcony to catch a sunset together, or spread out a blanket and do some stargazing.

References

• "The Everything Date Book"; Alison Blackman Dunham; 2006
• Redbook: 100 Great Date-Night Ideas
• Redbook: 20 Ways to Spice Up Your Next Date
• Hot Date Ideas: At Home Date Ideas

Resources

• Nifty Date Ideas: Indoor Date Ideas