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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SJSU chapter.

Whether you are seeing someone new or are in a long-term relationship, date ideas can be really hard to come up with. But, what if I told you that your next date could be specifically geared towards you and your partner? 

Love languages are a great way to better understand the needs of your partner, which makes them the perfect cheat code for planning a date. If you’ve never heard of them before, there are five — quality time, words of affirmation, gift giving, acts of service, and physical touch — and they refer to how someone shows and receives love in a romantic relationship. 

If you’d like to find out which love language best describes you, take the quiz here. It is completely free and offers additional details about how you can utilize them in your relationship. (Pro tip: send the quiz to your partner so you can learn about theirs too!)

Keep reading to learn which date idea best suits your love language.

QUALITY TIME

This love language is all about spending uninterrupted time with your partner. For this date, it is important to prioritize being present, actively listening, and enjoying each other’s company. 

Cooking a meal is a great way to spend quality time together while doing a fun activity. Not to mention that once you’ve finished cooking, you’ll be able to sit down, eat your delicious home-cooked meal, and spend some time together without interruptions. Bonus points if you silence your phones and completely unplug.

WORDS OF AFFIRMATION

If your love language is words of affirmation, your date should include having your partner share positive words of encouragement with you. A perfect way to incorporate this into your date is to write love letters to each other. 

All you will need is some writing supplies and a place to sit down with your partner; then you can set a timer and write your letters. 

After you finish, read them aloud to one another; this will make your letters even more memorable!

GIFT GIVING

Gift-giving may seem fairly self-explanatory, but in order to show your partner that you listen and think about them when you’re apart, it is important to be intentional with the gifts you pick out. A fun date that incorporates this love language is the Target Challenge. 

For your date, drive to your local Target (or a store of your choice) and pick out five items for each other within a set price limit. My five suggested categories are favorite snack, favorite drink, favorite color, something they need, and a surprise item (but feel free to switch it up and make the challenge your own).

You can find an example of this challenge on TikTok, here. 

ACTS OF SERVICE

This love language is all about doing a service for your partner that they’d really appreciate, and an at-home spa night offers a perfect opportunity to do that. Not only will this date give you a chance to relax and decompress together, it also allows you to do an intentional act of service while enjoying each other’s company. 

To make this date even more romantic, turn on relaxing music, light some candles, and grab your favorite lotion. Once you’re done with the massages, you can finish off the date with face masks and your favorite TV show.

PHYSICAL TOUCH

For physical touch, you should ensure that your date activity includes lots of touching and affection (disclaimer: be sure your partner is comfortable with this before the date begins). 

Having a relaxing movie night is a great way to incorporate physical touch into your date while still doing a fun activity. Watching a movie will give you an extended period of time to intentionally focus on being close and enjoying each other’s physical presence. 

To make the experience even better, grab some blankets and put on your coziest pajamas before it starts! 

What date ideas resonate best with your love language? Let us know, @HerCampusSJSU!

Hannah is a fourth-year student at San Jose State majoring in Public Relations with an emphasis in Journalism. Outside of class, she can be found reading cheesy romance novels, studying at local coffee shops, shopping at Target, or rewatching her favorite TV shows.