10 non-cliche Valentine's Day date ideas that celebrate quality time, not consumerism

January 25, 2026

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Valentine's Day in that I think its true, beautiful meaning often gets lost in the consumerist messaging that equates love to the $$$ you spend.

But there are so many meaningful alternatives that shift the focus from the price tag to intentional quality time together, I wanted to share some of my personal favourites with you:

1. Play sushi battleship (watch video )

Draw two 8 by 8 grids on a paper roll, add a partition between you, place sushi pieces on your grids as ‘battleships’ and get playing!

2. Sketch Disney cartoons (watch video)

Follow a step by step Disney sketching tutorial on YouTube (they come out so well, even if you can’t draw at all!).

3. Solve a realistic murder mystery game (watch video )

Become a pair of detectives for an evening, solving the Jason Turner cold case file game.

4. Make your own wooden boards (watch video)

Learn to make our own wooden serving boards from scratch in a woodworking workshop.

5. Solve an escape room at home (watch video)

Solve this Bangkok-themed escape room game. You’ll have to work as a team to solve 6 cryptic puzzles in under 60 minutes.

6. Get your inner kids loose on the trampolines (watch video)

Complete obstacle courses, go nuts on the trampolines, get competitive in battle beam fights and go down giant slides.

7. Get competitive with some pen & paper games (watch video)

Cover your table in kraft paper roll and play pen & paper games on it: noughts & crosses, categories, hangman, dots & boxes etc.

8. Have a good laugh playing this couples' game (watch video)

Rediscover each other all over again, trying to match your partner's answers to 75 questions you've never asked before, with the Match Me If You Can game.

9. Make a sculpture of your hands (watch video)

Use an at-home hand casting kit to capture this very moment in time forever. It doubles up as home decor as well!

10. Make 'glow in the dark' art (watch video)

Find a glow in the dark paint workshop near you. They'll give you a couple of canvases, paints and tools to splash around for a couple of hours and make some really cool art.