Date Night at Home with Board Games
One thing that I hear and see often on social media are ideas for elaborate date nights. These ideas look fun, but they always seem to be expensive or require a babysitter, which isn't always possible. It is important as Christian women, to make our husband's a priority in our lives. One way to do this is by having a date night at home.
When you Google date night ideas at home you will find results for date kits, movie suggestions, challenges and more. After almost 13 years of marriage, we have finally found our favorite date night (or day) activity. Board games!
Now I am NOT talking about the board games of your childhood like Scrabble or Monopoly. Those games can be fun for some, but there is a whole realm of board games available to be played. My husband had the privilege of being a missionary to gamers in the past, and we have learned a ton about the video games and board games that are available. If you haven't tried a new board game, one that wasn't purchased from Target or Walmart, you should!
Benefits of Board Game Date Nights
Having a board game date night at home with your spouse has so many benefits! Some of the few benefits that we have found are: conversation, affordable, no babysitter needed, fun and repeatable. Continue reading to find out why these are some great benefits.
Conversational
We both love to sit and watch a good movie, but we always leave movie date nights wanting more. Watching a movie with your spouse is a good way to spend time, but it doesn't leave for conversation. Conversation is very important to me, so I am not a huge fan of date night ideas that do not allow for conversation. Playing board games is perfect for conversation! Having something to do and focus on can help conversation flow easier, and even allow you to approach difficult topics. We always find that playing a game helps both of us to discuss more touchy subjects while keeping emotions leveled.
Interactive
Like I stated in the past paragraph, board games allow for more interaction as a couple. Instead of being passive on a date, like watching something, a board game allows you to interact with each other. That interaction could be helping each other in the game, or trying to defeat the other persons army. Either way, it is always fun to interact with each other on different levels while playing a board game.
Affordable
Not only do you get to have conversation and interaction with your spouse, but playing board games at home for date night is super affordable! The initial cost of board games can be anywhere from $20-$100. Some of our favorite board games are around $50. The best part is that you can play them multiple times!
Styles
There are many different styles of board games depending on what you enjoy. Cooperative games are where you and your spouse try to beat the board game and play on the same team. There are competitive games, where you and your spouse go head to head and destroy the other person's people. Some competitive games are based on points that you acquire without messing with your opponent.
No matter what type of game you chose, they can be played over and over again. Board gaming allows for an interactive date full of fun, conversation and connecting. Having a board game night at home allows you to save the money on babysitters too! Put the kids to bed and play a game.
I keep talking about the different styles of board games. I will touch on a few different styles in the descriptions below. Continue reading to find out our favorite date night board games.
Favorite Date Night Board Games
Here are a few of our top board games to play as a couple. If these are new to you, I'd suggest you google a play through on YouTube. Those are immensely helping in explaining the directions in a way that is easier to understand than the directions.
Caverna
Caverna is one of out top favorite board games for a date night or day. In this game, you and your spouse are both dwarfs who are working your farm and your mine. You chose an action on the board and receive points for the amount of animals, mining, rooms, dwarfs and food that your produce. Throughout the game you have the opportunity to purchase these different items. This type of game is called a work placement. You win by gaining the most points. We love how often this game changes which allows us to play this over and over.
Star Realms
Star Realms is a quick 2 player deck building card game. This game takes us about 20 minutes to play, so it is great for those nights you are exhausted but still want to spend some time together. In this game, each team has 50 points, and you purchase cards that allow you to deal damage to the other player. We have played this game in the hospital while waiting for labor to get intense, at home, and even taught our children. We love how compact and easy to travel this game is as well as the quickness of it to complete.
Forbidden Desert
Forbidden Desert, or Forbidden Island are great cooperative games. These are games where you and your spouse play on a team and are working together to beat the board game. In Forbidden Desert, your plane crashes in the desert and your team needs to traverse the dangers and find your airplane parts and fly away. It is a simple concept that allows for different levels of game play based on your experience. We appreciate this game when we want to work together instead of against each other.
Five Tribes
Five Tribes is another worker placement game with a few twists. You are a trader and are working towards getting the most amount of points through the purchase of spaces, marketplace items and special cards. We like how the order of turns changes every round, and how your turn involves placing meeples all over the board. This worker placement game is great for beginners and is shorter than Caverna. Play last around 45minutes once you learn the rules.
Honorable Mentions
As you can see, there are many varieties of board games you can chose for your date night. The flexibility of board games make them a great date night at home option for everyone! It's just a matter of finding a board game you both enjoy. Leave a comment and let me know if you have ever had a board game date night at home. Can't wait to hear your responses!