26 Things to Do With Your Partner in Quarantine

So, you can’t leave the house for at least the next 14 days? With the current issues we are facing across the globe due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, it’s important to ground ourselves in the love and positivity that will keep us resilient during these unfortunate circumstances. If things are on hold and you’re one of the many couples in self-isolation or quarantine for the indefinite future, help each other by keeping spirits high with some fun activities you can do together at home. There’s really no better way to spend some quality one-on-one time with your S.O. than a mandatory staycation!

Here are a few fun things for couples to do together while in quarantine.

Binge-watch a show

Now is the time to indulge, guilt-free, in hours of endless binge-watching of content on streaming services. Netflix, Prime, Disney Plus… go for it. Pick the longest-running series out there and enjoy every minute of it.

Movie marathon

Have you seen every Hitchcock film? Probably not. Pick your favourite director or actor and make a point of watching each and every one of their films, or catch up on some classics to buff up your film theory knowledge together.

Do a crossword puzzle

If you’ve got some old newspapers lying around, flip through to the games section and complete a crossword together. If you’ve already filled them all out, try to create your own! You can each make one for the other to complete, stocked with clues for inside jokes and personal facts. Who knows, maybe you’ll learn something new about one another!

Plan for a fun event in the future

Have a special birthday coming up? An anniversary? Whatever the occasion may be, set aside some time to plan for an upcoming party for when social distancing restrictions let up—The Bash can help. Decide on a location, a theme, shop online for decorations, and maybe even plan a scheme and make it a surprise! You’ll thank yourselves later for putting in the effort early on.

Host a virtual party

Speaking of event planning, why not host a virtual party. Stay connected with friends and family by organizing regular get-togethers on Zoom, Google Hangout, FaceTime or Houseparty. From virtual dinner parties to vacation slideshows to playing games online, there are plenty of virtual party ideas to socialize during self-isolation.

Listen to a podcast

Into UFOs? Politics? Learning a new language? With the plethora of podcasts out there, take your pick and delve into a topic you can both enjoy. You can listen together while you cook for a change from your usual playlists!

Cook together

Take stock of all the weird stuff in your cupboards and find a recipe to help incorporate the ingredients you wouldn’t normally use. Now is the time to experiment with slow-cooking, baking, and perfecting Nonna’s tomato sauce! 

Plan a photo album

When was the last time you organized the thousands of photos on your phone? Comb through your favourites together and start compiling them into an album. Print them later and put them in a real-life hard-cover photo album! You can also make a slideshow to eventually play at your wedding reception.

Bust out the sketchbooks

Go through some old photos of a fun vacation and pick one out to draw or paint! Or better yet, do a blind portrait of one another. Get your partner to pose in front of you, and without looking at your page, draw what you feel they look like, keeping your eyes on them the entire time. The results can be surprising!

Journal together

What a time to be alive! Dust off one of the four empty notebooks you probably have lying around and commemorate everything that’s been going on in a journal you can share. It can be as elaborate as a novella or as simple as a list of things you did that day - just put something down that you can read at a later date together and hopefully share a laugh or two.

Bubble bath

Now. We’re. Talking. Let’s get a little romantic up in here! Light some candles and relax together with some bubbles and a glass of wine (or some tea if you’re actually feeling under the weather). Don’t have a tub? See the post below for some similar vibes.

DIY spa date

Even if you don’t have a luxurious bathtub, there are plenty of ways to relax together. Start with your favourite wind-down music, a few face masks, and maybe even give each other a mani/pedi. Just make sure you finish off with a sensual massage exchange, candles and scented oils included.

Jam out

If you’re the musical type, look up some tabs to a song you both like and learn it on that guitar you’ve been neglecting. Practice until you know it by heart, and bust it out at your next social gathering to wow your friends with your undeniable talent. No instruments in the house? Get YouTube up and running, find the karaoke version of your favourite song, and sing your hearts out! It can be quite cathartic to make some racket while you’re cooped up at home.

Dress up for a date night in

Go through each other’s closets and pick out your favourite fancy outfits. Maybe it’s that dress you wore to your cousin’s wedding or that blazer that would have cost a fortune if it weren’t for that crazy sale at the Bay. You don’t need to go anywhere to be seen looking your best, so get dolled up, take some photos, and have fun dressing up (and dressing down when you’re ready for bed and clothes are no longer necessary). Bonus: check out these awesome at-home date ideas.

Experiment with your liquor cabinet

What’s up with that black currant liqueur hiding behind that big bottle of gin you haven’t opened yet? I’m sure you two could find out. If you’ve got ice, sugar, and some kind of citrus, you’re fully stocked to experiment with a little mixology. Turn up the music (or the podcast), and throw yourselves a little quarantine cocktail party!

Make a home video

Whether you’re documenting day three of your “staycation,” or acting out an elaborate script in which one of you plays a zombie and the other a vampire - get the camera rolling! If nothing else, it’s something to do, and something I’m sure your future-selves will enjoy (or cringe at) later!

Pretend it’s 1865

Put away the laptops, the phones - may all of the screens be gone! Light some candles and get back to the basics, just the two of you. Talk to each other. Cuddle. Nap. Take some time away from all the buzz and pings that otherwise often consume us.

Read to each other

There is something so soothing about being read to. Pick a book neither of you has read before and read to one another, taking turns at each page or chapter.

Play some board games

Whether it’s Scrabble or Settlers of Catan, grab some chips and let the competition heat up. No board games lying around? Everyone’s got a deck of cards! Make it interesting and play strip-poker together, betting chores and massages instead of the cash you’re saving up by not going out!

Work out together

You might not be able to go to your usual fitness class, but if you’ve got some tunes and a yoga mat, you can work out together straight from home! Need a little extra inspiration? A few simple searches on YouTube or Instagram can help get the ball rolling. Take this down-time to do some extra stretching too, especially if you’re working from home or used to a more active lifestyle and the quarantine is really making you slow it down.

Tune-up your bikes

Prepare for your re-emergence into the world by ensuring your bike is ready to ride! Making sure your tires are pumped and brakes are tight can be easy to do at home if you’ve got some tools lying around. There are excellent forums and tutorials online if you’re looking to get your hands dirty with a more thorough tune-up.

Construct a pillow fort

Who doesn’t love a sweet childhood throwback? Gather all of your pillows, sheets, and blankets, and build a pillow fort so epic your inner-child is left weeping with joy. It’s the perfect set up for that movie marathon.

Rearrange the furniture

Get your feng-shui on and try out some different furniture combinations around the house! Move your bed to the other side of the room and maybe, just maybe, the two of you will have a better sleep tonight. If you don’t feel like heavy lifting, experiment with putting up some art you never got around to hanging, or maybe install those floating shelves you forgot you had.

Nurture your relationship

Being in close quarters for weeks can test your relationship and that’s where downloading the Lasting app can help. Make progress in key relationship areas and break down barriers so that you can actually solve any problems. Even if you aren’t in a rough patch, the app can help strengthen your communication and make you a better couple.

Deep clean

I know, I know, “happy memories” and “deep clean” aren’t always a pair that come to mind right away. But think of the satisfaction that will surround both of you when you can literally eat a pizza off of the kitchen floor! Off of the bathroom floor! Neither are actually recommended but the idea that you could is pretty freaking awesome if you ask me.

Learn some choreography

Find a hilarious music video and imitate the steps together to jazz up your dance-move repertoire. You can change the video playback speed on YouTube, so slow it down if you need to and get dancing! It could be a great scene to include in that home-video you’re definitely making, right?

A note to our couples: we’ve opened up a dedicated hotline to answer any and all wedding planning questions that you may have – (833) 998-2865 or help@weddingwire.com

Article written by Brittany Barber
Brittany Barber, lover of books, dogs and romance, graduated from Bishop’s University with a Communications and Theatre degree. After spending some time working abroad in the theatre world, she now is a freelance writer covering a range of lifestyle topics including wedding and event planning.