12 Simple Bonding Activities for Couples to Bring You Closer
Doesn't sound like much, does it? But if you're like most of us, it's easy to get wrapped up in the busy moments of work and family and kind of forget to touch your special someone enough. Set aside five minutes for each of you when you won't be interrupted (or if you have littles, won't be interrupted much). Take that time to exchange shoulder massages, back rubs, or any other type of touch you like. Even if you just hold hands, you may find it can help build your relationship.
Life is full of ups and downs - often within a single day. Take a minute to think about what happened to you today and share it with one another. If something was really hard, as some days super are, let your partner help you process it. If you got a great review at work or had something amazing happen, celebrate it with your person.
Reading out loud together is a great bonding activity for couples. Not only do you get to share your favorite books with your favorite person, you also get to be physically close. Sit near each other and read anything you think you'll both love - from Harry Potter to an Emily Dickinson poem. It's an easy way to wind down after a long day and feel closer at the same time.
Not into the same books? Tell each other stories from your lives. Share your first memory, the dream you had last night, your most embarrassing moment, or anything else.
Remember how fun it was to play as a kid? You can capture that joy with your partner too. One of the best relationship building activities is to find something you both love doing just for fun and do it together. We're talking tennis, board games, croquet, cards, or basically any game you both like. Keep competition to a minimum and just have a wonderful time.
Whether you need to build a new deck or just do the dishes from dinner, you can work on it together. Taking something on as a team and triumphing over it lets you feel successful as a couple (and even doing the dishes can feel like a major win after a busy day). What's more, doing a chore or project together as a couple can also help you show each other you have support.
Blanket fort, anyone? A few minutes of silence together or just whispered conversation can go a long way. Head out to your backyard while the kids are playing a game or napping. Take a few moments in your bedroom with the door closed. Basically, go anywhere where you don't have to talk or adult and just be. This is all about mindfulness and being in the moment together.
Make any ordinary space special by lighting a few candles or putting on some peaceful music.
Once a week or once a month, write a quick thank you note to your partner. You can thank them for who they are, how they've changed your life, or something they've done this week to help. Be specific and personal. Exchange your notes and watch their face light up. Don't be surprised if these notes get saved forever.
There's just something about listening to music in the dark that makes you feel everything just a little bit more. Once in a while, turn off all the lights and share a pair of earbuds to listen to a song or two. Bonus points if you can put it on the stereo and snuggle while you listen.
If you don't like the same music, there's nothing wrong with sitting together in silence in the dark. You could also put on a meditation soundtrack or white noise.
One of the things that can really bond couples is their shared humor. What do you both find funny? Whether it's stand-up or Shakespeare, watch or read it together. Sharing laughter is a great bonding exercise for couples, especially when you're dealing with the stress of everyday life. Give yourself a few minutes together to watch something funny.
If you've been together for a while, chances are you have some pictures. Grab your phone or, if you're old school like some of us, your real photo album. Set some time aside to go through your photos and remember all the good times you've had together. This shared history is a huge relationship builder, so let yourselves embrace it.
Knowing your person thinks of you during the day can make a big difference in how you feel about your relationship. Every time your partner crosses your mind, send them a quick text. It doesn't have to be anything fancy - just let them know they're on your mind.
Working out together is a great way to strengthen your bond as a couple. This is especially true if you chose an activity you both like or just go for a walk or hike together. If you're not working out too hard, you can chat while you're doing it too. It's an awesome way to reconnect.
There are so many incredible bonding activities for couples, but ultimately, they are all about quality time. Carve out a few minutes in your busy schedules to prioritize your relationship. What you do isn't as important as just making the time for each other.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
13 minutes ago
- Washington Post
My friends are having an affair. How can we stay friends?
My dad has two sugar babies and asked me to lie to my mom May 10, 2025
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
My husband and I made a pact never to divorce, even when it felt impossible. 30 years later, I'm glad we stayed.
My husband and I made a pact never to divorce if we had children. We spent years disconnected and barely speaking, but we didn't leave — thanks to the pact. Nearly 30 years later, I'm grateful we stayed because our love now is deeper and hard-earned. I remember sitting on opposite ends of the couch, years into our marriage, barely speaking to each other. We were in therapy, and the couple's therapist looked at us and said we'd be better off apart. At the time, I believed her. Our marriage had slipped into a quiet disconnection. We were going through the motions, parenting well but partnering poorly. I don't remember when it started. It wasn't one dramatic argument or betrayal. It was the slow erosion of everything that matters in a marriage: attention, intimacy, and communication. The space between us got wider, and eventually, we lived like roommates instead of husband and wife. But we couldn't leave each other because we made a promise that divorce would never be in the cards for us. Early in our marriage, we made a pact Years before we found ourselves on that therapy couch, we both agreed that if we became parents, we wouldn't get divorced. It wasn't a promise either of us took lightly. We both came from divorced families. We knew what it felt like to be caught in the back-and-forth, split holidays, loyalty tests, and the constant calculation of whose turn it was, who you vacationed with last, and who you "owed" the next visit. That quiet damage shapes you. You learn to keep score. You learn not to expect peace. And we both agreed: if we had kids, we'd never put them through that. So when things got hard, and they really did, we stayed. Sometimes we were resentful. Many times we were mean to one another. Most of the time, we were just numb. There was a two-year stretch where we were simply coexisting. We weren't even fighting anymore. We were just surviving. We learned to reconnect and grow again That therapist's words stuck with me: "You'd be better off apart." For a long time, I didn't disagree. But we had made a commitment to each other and, more importantly, to the family we were building. As difficult as it was, we kept showing up. Not perfectly, not always willingly, but consistently. But then one day, my husband made me laugh. That reminded me of why we got married in the first place. We used to laugh a lot. We used to have fun. That was the turning point. That was the part in the long middle of our marriage when we started to grow together again. We learned that connection is something you can relearn, that intimacy can return, but only if you allow each other to be seen and heard. Forgiveness isn't a moment; it's a process. Sometimes, love looks like staying. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it We're now approaching our 30th wedding anniversary. I find myself most grateful not for how long we lasted, but for how far we've come. I'm thankful because staying forced us to grow. We became better partners — more honest, more respectful, more trusting. Not because we willed ourselves to be, but because the pact we made gave us the time and space to get there. Regrettably, in today's society, it's acceptable to just walk away when something doesn't make you happy anymore. While some marriages do need to end, particularly when there's abuse, chronic infidelity, or betrayal that breaks trust beyond repair, many relationships aren't broken; they're just stuck. If both partners are willing, there is a path forward. It might not be pretty. It will take time, but healing is possible. The love I have for my husband now is not the kind of love I had at 28 when I was planning our wedding. It's deeper. It's calmer. It's built on shared history, mutual respect, and the kind of trust that only comes from walking through fire together and making it out the other side. We still have hard days. Every couple does. But now we move past them, together. We solve our problems, together. We choose to laugh a lot. We talk about everything. We prefer being together rather than apart. This joy didn't come from some big romantic revelation; it came from rebuilding, one brick at a time. We didn't stay because it was easy. We stayed because it mattered. And I'm so glad we did. Read the original article on Business Insider Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
Do I Have to Let My Brother Crash With Me Forever?
I come from a large family; my siblings and I are now in our 50s to 70s. Our parents, worn out by so many children, ended up neglecting our needs, physically and emotionally, in different ways. I hold no grudge; they did their best, and they've been gone for decades. Unfortunately, my younger brother has been couch-surfing with me and other siblings for about 20 years. He spent some time living in inexpensive countries on his inheritance, but now the money is gone, and he has no job. He has been living with me for the last few years, and as I approach 60, I'm exhausted. I don't feel I can host him much longer. For years, I and others have urged him to get counseling for his anxiety and his difficulties with executive function. We've also suggested that he see a social worker and start building independence, especially as he gets older. He insists he's working on tech projects that will bring in passive income — he's highly intelligent and has big dreams — but nothing has panned out. None of my other siblings can take him in again. I do think he needs counseling and maybe medication. I'm empathetic by nature, and I hate the idea of putting him on the street — but would that be what finally gets him to seek professional help? I'm not equipped to be his case worker. Am I enabling him to avoid the help he needs by continuing to provide him with a place to stay? — Name Withheld From the Ethicist: From what you say, it sounds as if you're carrying a lot, especially as you get older yourself. It's clear you care about your younger brother and don't want to see him suffer. Still, you're right to wonder whether you're simply enabling a middle-aged man to avoid facing reality and getting the assistance he needs, with respect to his mental health and his ability to function. Our obligations to adult siblings — unless they are truly incapable of independence — are real but not unlimited. Most people in our society accept that while family bonds matter, there comes a point when adults are expected to take responsibility for their own lives, or at least to make a genuine effort to do so. You might start by setting clear boundaries: Explain that your home is open to him only if he takes concrete steps toward getting help. But you have to mean it. And you have to convey from the outset that this is not a permanent solution. Your hope is that, with support — perhaps some combination of counseling and medication — he'll be able to live on his own. You'll have to set a timeline for that. If he is just going through the motions, you'll know soon enough. If he genuinely commits, you can decide together what independence looks like and how he might get there. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
