8 Couple Bonding Activities to Strengthen the Relationship

Your partner may have had you at hello, but years later, does your partner still complete you?

It’s easy to let the humdrum of everyday life chip away at the very things that bond you together as a couple.

If you’ve drifted apart, or are just feeling alone, there are steps you can take and opt for bonding activities for couples to put the excitement back in your relationship. Here are eight surprising couple bonding activities.

1. The thrill of the chase

Remember when you first started dating? The thrill of the chase?

While we don’t suggest playing hard to get with your partner now, chasing a thrill together can be the bonding ideas for couples. That might mean going skydiving together or completing a scavenger hunt, depending on your tolerance for thrill-seeking activities.

Couple bonding activities give the feeling of well-being because of the risk or uncertainty it is imbued with.

2. Get your hearts pumping

A recent survey found that a runner’s high is also a natural turn-on. Working out can be counted as adventure activities for couples. It releases endorphins, a naturally produced chemical that makes you feel good.

Whether it’s a run around the block or a gym date, working out could lead you two to break a sweat now, and again later — wink, wink.

3. Get out of the house

We’ve all spent a lot of time at home this year. And in some parts of the country, restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic will keep us at home for the foreseeable future.

That’s why just leaving the house with your beau can also be taken as one of the couple bonding activities. Head out for a nature hike or a long car ride around town.

Leave the stress from being cooped up behind, and you’ll be surprised at how much this simple trick will turn into fun things for couples to do and help you bond with your partner.

4. Complete a Project Together

A vacation to an exotic locale is out of the question, at least for now. But in place of an epic escape, sit down with your loved one and plan out a pandemic project to do together as a part of couple bonding activities.

You may have already mastered the perfect loaf of sourdough bread and taken up guitar, but if you’re looking to bond as a couple, a joint project is an answer. You can finally plant a garden together, repaint the bedroom, or knock out anything on your joint to-do list that you’ve never gotten around to.

Or you might try something new— like learning to brew your beer together or downloading that 5K app together. Sharing new interests releases the pleasure neurotransmitter dopamine. That’s the same brain chemical that gave you a rush when you were first falling in love.

5. Turn off Your Phones

Date nights are harder to come by, with lockdowns, business shutdowns, and potential job losses straining the budget. But turning off your phone and having dinner together alone can be one of the couple bonding activities at home.

Stop scrolling through your social media or texting with your friends — and focus on talking to your mate. When you focus on your spouse, it’s far easier to strengthen your bond than when you’re distracted by your phone.

6. Volunteer Together

Focusing on something other than each other may seem counterintuitive, but if you both volunteer for something you’re passionate about, you’ll share those feelings of accomplishment and generosity.

You can choose to help sort food at your local food bank or foster homeless animals, or plant trees and flowers along a trail. Just make sure it’s a cause you can both get behind and feel united in no time.

7. Spend Time Apart

This surprising tip is aimed at couples who are spending time locked down together. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and some couples may come out of quarantine feeling suffocated.

Let your partner indulge in the quiet of an empty house while you and the kids take care of errands.

Honor your partner’s desire to spend a few hours tooling around in the garage, taking a long run, or playing video games without checking in with them. It’s also essential to refrain from having a honey-do list ready when they return.

In turn, take the time for yourself too. That may mean a long bike ride or hike, or time relaxing on the couch watching what you want on Netflix.

The video below discusses the tools if you need space to spend time with yourself. A relationship only flourishes when we take a step back from time to time to reflect on it.

8. Look to the Future

Instead of complaining about the present, you and your spouse can be sitting down together to write out plans for the future as one of the couple bonding activities. That could mean a vacation in 2021, or you could go as far as mapping out a five-year plan.

Spend an evening going through travel brochures. Having joint goals creates a real bond, as you both give yourselves something to work towards. That’s one of the powerful couple bonding activities that you and your partner can look forward to for months or years to come.

There is no one-size-fits-all recipe for bonding together as a couple — it depends on who you and your partner are.

But if you’re feeling bored, you might look for joint thrills. If you’re feeling smothered, you might look at the individual alone time, and if you’re just feeling stuck, well, then it might be time to look toward the future.

One last tip: Stay flexible when you are trying out a bonding activity. No matter what happens, you might find that just attempting something will draw you two closer together.