The summer months with the kids home can seem very long! It can be hard on your relationship and even on some friendships as everyone survives the chaos that summer brings. To keep some excitement alive (without breaking the bank, of course), here are some summer date night ideas.

If you have access to someone who is willing to babysit your kids, then use it! Enjoy dinner or lunch out with your spouse. Even a movie or other type of show. Go do something without the kids!

Not everyone is that lucky, so I have a couple of other ideas for you to squeeze in some date time.

If you have young kids, it can feel like all of your energy is going into them! The nice thing, though, about having young kids is that they go to bed before the sun does – typically! Take advantage of that.

• Set up a backyard movie for you and your partner. Go all out if you have a projector, etc. If not, you can also enjoy a cozy movie outside on a tablet.
• Work on a puzzle together
• Play a boardgame – if you get too competitive with each other, look up some co-op based games!
• Order in a fancy dinner and actually enjoy the meal alone!
• Read a book out loud together
• Sort through old pictures together and share memories and laughs

If you have more inbetweener aged kids that maybe go to bed a bit later, you may need to get more creative with your couple time.

• Have the kids eat lunch, then give them a bit of screen time after so that you and your partner can enjoy a meal without the kids at the table. Another screen time option is letting them watch a movie in the evening while you finally have some conversations without the kids around or watch a different movie yourselves.
• Take the kids to the park and let them play while you and your partner have a picnic a bit away from the park.
• If your kids sleep in at all, try to wake up early one morning and enjoy a coffee together before the kids wake up. Or you could use the time to do a workout together.
• Depending on the ages of the kids, if they can stay home for even 30 minutes on their own, head out for a walk around the block to enjoy some time with each other.
• Let the kids ride their bikes while you and your partner walk or ride a little behind.
• Play mini putt; let the kids play ahead of you. Sure, you will still see them and may need to parent them, but at least you will have some moments of feeling like you’re on a date.
• Go to the movies, but sit somewhere different in the theatre than the kids. It will make them feel like they’re being independent while also providing that date feeling – even if it’s a childrens movie.

Kids behave differently when other kids are around, so try to set up play dates that work for everyone! The kids can all play together while the adults play, too. While the kids are happy, pull out some cards or some other game. Or spice it up with your own sampling party – try things like exotic fruits, fancy cheeses, hot sauces, or ice cream flavours! It can even be fun to watch the kids’ reactions to some of the samples as well!

Trade babysitting with friends! Take turns with friends so that they have a date night one night and you get a date night another night! It can be a great and frugal way to enjoy some time with your partner.

No matter what your circumstances are, there are always ways to connect with your partner – even amongst the chaos. Prioritize some time to just hang out with your loved one. There’s no need to break the bank or send your kids away every weekend.

If this post doesn’t provide enough ideas, check out my other post about date night ideas.

As the summer days seem endless, use some time to really enjoy the freedom of summer once again.

Thanks for coming home!