How to Play a Sexy Game

Don’t underestimate the power of play to break you out of a sexual rut. Tapping into your inner teenager can restore some of the fun and spontaneity that often gets lost in a monogamous relationship. We get so enmeshed in day-to-day chores — paying bills, washing dishes, or driving carpools — we tend to forget that it’s okay to take a break from the responsibilities of daily life and just have fun.

Plus there’s nothing like a little healthy competition to shake up and add some spice to your relationship. And it’s okay for one of you to be the “winner,” when the cost for the “loser” is to provide a mutually agreed-upon sexy prize!

Truth-or-Dare

Not to be written off as a kid's game, this classic combines two of the key elements of great sex: indulging in secret fantasies and the thrill of disclosing the unknown. You and your partner can feel free to make previously unspoken sexual requests of each other, as well as ask all the burning questions you've been wondering about. It's all within the rules of the game and results in a better-sex-better-intimacy activity. Game on!

Start by spending a night at home making dinner and drinking some wine, and then put a playful cap on the evening. Though it's only the two of you, the game will bring you back to your experimental adolescent days, which can be refreshing in a serious adult relationship. Your partner may think you're joking, but he might change his mind once you've said "Dare!" a few times! When he realizes you're game for whatever his heart desires, he's sure to jump onboard; and don't forget to get creative for those "Truth" turns. What have you always wanted to know?

Mad Libs

Got a way with words? Make up some kinky Mad Libs for you and your partner, and you'll get the creative juices flowing. There are two ways to do it:

The first is to take a paragraph from a sexy story. Lift a passage from your favorite Danielle Steel novel, or do an online search for "erotica." Type up the text, then go through it and delete key words. If you ever played Mad Libs as a kid, you know how it works: Nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs are replaced by your partner with no sense of the story's real context. Only this time, the vocabulary's a bit more grown-up.

The other way is to take the driest writing and sex it up with a "naughty words only" rule. Try a news story from today's headlines, or clip an ad from a magazine. It's fun to see how sexy you can get about fabric softener!

If either Mad Libs or Truth-or-Dare isn’t your thing, try dirty Scrabble, strip gin rummy, or an intimate game of your own devising. Who knew game night could be so sexy?