15 Communication Building Games to Grow Closer to Your Partner
The fact that you’re reading this article shows a lot about how much you love your partner, and you’re searching for tools to make you both stronger in your communication. I’m glad you stumbled upon this article because I’m going to give you some of the answers you’ve been looking for in a judgment-free and positive space.
Although this is a serious topic, that doesn’t mean that you can’t take on the task of building your communication skills with your partner in a fun way! If you think about it, you and your partner may even be more open to absorbing these communication relationship games if they are presented in a non-daunting manner.
Let’s dive into 15 communication-building games to grow closer to your partner and gently start implementing healthy habits. Before we get jammin’, I took the liberty of searching through a large list of communication-based activities and games, which was presented by PositivePsychology.com, a community of thousands of therapists and psychology professionals.
1 . Communication Origami
What you’ll need:
- Two pieces of paper
- YouTube Video
First, you and your partner can pick out a YouTube tutorial on a specific origami, and the next part is where our communication understanding ties in. You’ll both be following along with the video, but only with your ears since your eyes and mouths must remain closed.
You may be thinking, ‘Closed?! How in the world?‘ and that is fair enough, it will feel challenging but remember it is for a purpose and to keep it fun.
When the video is over, you and your partner may open your eyes and see how well you did and what your origami creations look like! Laugh it off, but then embrace the meaning of this activity; everyone takes in information differently, which is why it is so important to talk with one another and not assume things from your partner.
2 . Guess the Emotion
What you’ll need:
- Cut out slips of paper
- Bowl to place slips of paper in
- Writing utensils
Charades with a purpose would be an alternative name for this game; you can either play this exclusively with your partner or plan a game night with your partner and a couple of friends.
Everyone playing will write down an emotion on each piece of paper (Ex: Excited, Frustrated, Inpatient, Sad). Once the pieces are all ready to go, fold them in half and toss in a bowl like you’re tossing salad. And next is the classic game of charades rules! You can do a points system if you’d like, such as 10 points per right guess, but you can also just play for fun.
The point of this activity is to better understand how emotions look for your partner and for them to understand how they look for you. It may seem juvenile, but you’d be surprised by the enlightenment and fun you and your partner could have with this simple game!
3 . Copycat
What you’ll need:
- Building blocks of some kind
Another simple but effective little game involves you both with some building blocks in front of you and sitting back to back with each other. One of you will build a structure out of the blocks, and after you’re done, you’ll give instructions while still back to back with each other on how your partner should build a replica. Once you’re finished, you can compare your structures and try again, taking turns! You can even challenge yourself by creating harder and harder creations.
The main focus of this game is to work on speaking to one another effectively, so in the future, when you are trying to communicate, you’re able to get to your desired end goal.
4 . Minefield
What you’ll need:
- A blindfold
For this game, you’ll need to have a lot of trust in each other. You’ll be creating a room (the living room may be the best option or a finished basement) into a makeshift obstacle course, and your goal is to guide the blindfolded partner through the obstacle course verbally. You can high-five each other on the communication skills you realize you have together and strengthen the ones that need a bit of work.
Although this is a fun game, be careful and watch out for those shins!
5 . Give Me a Hand
What you’ll need:
- String/rope
Whether you’re living together or not, you share a lot of space in a relationship, and it’s important to realize that you need each other to cooperate to make things run smoothly. For this goofy but insightful game, you’ll each have a hand tied behind your back, and you’ll be completing household chores together. This means you’ll have to communicate clearly and work together to complete tasks, and you’ll be able to see that you need both hands on deck in a relationship to make it the best it can be.
6 . A Game for Couples
What you’ll need:
A Game For Couples is a game that you and your partner play over several days, weeks, or even months! This relationship game is not just a deck of 108 cards; it’s an amazing communication-building tool. Packed with over 150 questions from in-depth categories (Warm-Up, Finances, Health, Intimacy & Relationships, Family, and Ethics & Values), this game will bring you and your partner closer together and create a space of understanding.
This game is the perfect tool for couples in serious relationships who want to ask important life questions that greatly impact their lives. If you think you’ve found the one, break out the deck and play again to rekindle those great communication skills.
7 . Twenty Questions Times Two
What you’ll need:
- Paper
- Pencil
The night before you plan to make time to play this game together, take some separate time to write a list of 20 questions that you want to ask your partner. Instead of the questions being about your partner, they will be questions such as ‘What is my favorite food?‘, and next night, you can both sit on the couch and ask one another these questions. Talk about the memories that may come up, and enjoy each other’s company. If one of you doesn’t get a question right, don’t be disappointed; instead, lovingly communicate with your partner what the right answer is.
8 . Eye-to-Eye
What you’ll need:
- Each other!
Now don’t be alarmed, this game may make you feel a little awkward, weird, or uncomfy at first, but I promise you’ll be surprised with how comfortable and intimate you’ll become with your partner after practicing this.
Sit across from one another and look into each other’s eyes. You’ll both take turns talking about simple things, and then gradually, as you become more comfortable with looking in each other’s eyes, you can take turns telling one another the things that make you grateful. Having this healthy moment of intimacy can be extremely helpful in keeping your communication strong between each other. Plus, it’s romantic!
9 . The Top Three
What you’ll need:
- Each other!
Once again, you’ll need one another, and we’re also expressing and acknowledging gratitude in this game as well! At the end of the day, you’ll each share three things with one another that you’re grateful for that the other did that day. Even if they’re little things, they matter a whole lot!
Play this game once, at the end of the day as you’re going to bed with each other, and slowly start to implement it as a part of your nightly routine. Over time, you’ll notice how much gratitude can positively impact you and your relationship and how clearer and understanding your communication with one another will become.
The next two games/activities have been provided by LovePanky. These games are so enjoyable you won’t even realize you’re building great communication!
10 . Cuddle Together
What you’ll need:
- Each other & space to cuddle
Get comfy, cuddle up, and be in the moment with each other. Play a game of asking each other questions from the early parts of your relationship, of memories, of your favorite things about each other. Don’t be afraid to get all lovey-dovey since that’s what it’s all about! Building that love and intimacy is an important foundation of great communication.
11 . Circle Back
What you’ll need:
- Each other
- No distractions
- Listening ears
Everyone wants to be heard and acknowledged, especially from their loved ones! Miscommunication often happens when we’re not being intentional when we’re listening. To build a clear line of communication, you should make time every day to ask each other specific questions about your day.
You can ask, ‘What’s something that made you smile today?‘ or ‘Did something happen today that frustrated you? What did you do to solve it?‘ This way, you and your partner feel heard and loved, and you’re building that communication together!
And in our home stretch of the communication-building journey, you’re on, Mariage.com has presented these last few games, so let’s keep going!
12 . Two Truths and a Lie
What you’ll need:
- Each other!
We’re taking it back to the old school games! Two Truths and a Lie is a classic icebreaker and relationship game to build connections and have fun with one another.
13 . This or That
What you’ll need:
- Paper
- Writing utensils
This or That is another question-based game. Together, you and your partner can compile a list of 20 options such as Movies or TV Shows, Comics or Books, Salty or Sweet, and so on!
After you’ve separately made lists, you’ll write down not only your answer but also what you think your partner would answer. Once you’re done, you’ll share the results with each other! You may be surprised how many you get right and find a new sense of confidence in how well you know each other. And if not, it’s not a big sweat, dissect the answers and understand why you each like the things you do!
14 . Uninterrupted Listening
What you’ll need:
- Phone timer
Uninterrupted listening may not seem like much of a game to you and your partner at first, but you may surprise yourself with how much fun it is and how freeing it can feel to express yourself to one another fully.
You’ll set a timer on your phone for five minutes, and without interruptions from your partner, you can talk about any topic you’d like! Your partner, though, can only listen and embrace your words. Take turns doing this, but of course, and notice how good it feels to truly listen to your partner and be in the moment with them. This will help you realize when to fully engage in conversation with your partner and lower the risk of miscommunications due to a lack of listening.
15. 36 Questions That Can Lead to Love
What you’ll need:
As you can see, there’s a bit of a theme with question-based games in this list, which is on purpose. Questions are essential for communication, so there aren’t any misunderstandings taking place. For this game, you and your partner can get to know each other on the next level, and therefore build each other up and create that stronger bond of communication.
Psychology students created these 36 questions to understand how intimacy is built up and brings people closer together. Print these questions off or read them from your phone, then take turns asking and answering these questions in order and have a night of understanding and love blossom. Maybe even throw in some wine if you’d like!
There we have it, a solid 15 inspiring games and ideas to get you and your partner boosted and ready to head out together on this adventure of better communication for yourselves and each other.
