The New Year is almost here! Get ready for some mother-daughter quality time with these date ideas---one for every month of the year. Personalize each idea with your own creativity.

🌸 Pamper Together:Indulge in a Spa/Massage Day or Enjoy At-Home Manicures and Pedicures

🌸 Watch Together: Movies, TV series, Live Performances, or Concerts

🌸 Create Together: Paint, Draw, Knit, Make Pottery, or Write a Poem or Short Story

🌸 Volunteer Together: Food Pantry, Senior Facility, Church, or Donation Center

🌸 Explore Together: Museums, Antique Stores, Historic Towns, Beach Shores, Parks, or Train/Boat Rides

🌸 Dine Together: Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, a Picnic, High Tea, or Dinner Theater

🌸 Solve Together: “Who Done It” Game, Word/Number/Jigsaw Puzzle, Escape Room

🌸 Move Together: Hike, Walk, Jog, Bike, Ride, Skate, Dance, or Workout

🌸 Renovate Together: Paint, Build, Repair, Redesign, Remodel, Reorganize, Declutter

🌸 Play Together: Tennis, Golf, Board Game, Card Game, Lawn Game, Arcade

🌸 Learn Together: Online/In Person/From a Book: Culinary Skills, Self Defense, Dance Moves, Painting

🌸 Cook Together: Bake, Boil, or Broil; Whip Up a Decadent Dessert; Make a Fancy Fruit Bowl or Salad

Click "Download File" for a printable version.

As I mentioned in a recent social media post, novel dates are a key to helping couples cultivate closeness. Novel dates help couples connect, help conflicted couples experience decompression, help stressed couples destress, and help unmotivated couples become revitalized.

Like any other healthy marriage practice, novel dates are not a cure all, but they are a healthy ingredient in strengthening a marriage. If you are a marriage mentor or coach, encourage your couples to not just add regular dates to their relationship, but to add novel dates.

Keep in mind, dates don’t have to be a scheduled “every Friday night” event. Some couples are good at being spontaneous or at regularly building consistent adventures and experiences into their relationship. That's excellent! But for couples in a dating rut, carving out a weekly or even consistent monthly time for novel dates can be transformative.

​And remember, a novel date is a date that is different from the couple's norm. What is novel for one couple might not be novel for another couple. Help couples to brainstorm on what would be novel to them.

Here are some ideas!

• Take a photo of the front of your house and then use the photo as a guide to create a painting of your house.
• Draw portraits of each other.
• Attend an improv show or take an improv class.
• Play hide and seek, play your own version of charades or Pictionary, or learn a new game together.
• Participate in a cooking, painting, pottery, or dance class.
• Browse a vintage or antique store, go to an open house, or attend an estate sale.
• Create a themed dinner night at home, complete with music and dancing.
• Volunteer together.
• Take a day trip or spend the day at a resort.
• Go hiking, biking, skating, skiing, snorkeling, fishing, or biking.
• Have a picnic on the waterfront or take a dinner cruise.
• Take turns planning a scavenger hunt for each other. (It can be as simple as a scavenger hunt around the house or it can be as far afield as around your town or city.)
• Go to a rodeo or compete together in a community event.
• Write a fun poem or story together by taking turns adding one line or sentence at a time.

What are some novel dates you've experienced? Tell us in the comments.