60 Fun Challenges to Do at Home With Family or Friends (2027)

The most fun challenges to do at home need almost nothing: a timer, some paper and the people on your sofa. Blindfolded drawing, a cup-stacking race, a 10-minute pantry cook-off or a pillow-stepping race will fill an evening; a 7-day "no phones at dinner" or "tidy for 15 minutes" challenge will change how the house runs.

Below are 60 ideas, sorted by who is playing and how long it lasts: quick games, family challenges for all ages, challenges with friends at home, solo ones for a quiet evening, and multi-day challenges the whole household can keep score of.

Quick challenges with things you already have

These take five minutes to set up and work for any age from about six up.

1. Blindfolded drawing: one person draws a word with their eyes covered, everyone else guesses.
2. Cup-stacking race: build a pyramid from plastic cups, knock it down, rebuild. Fastest of three tries wins.
3. Paper plane contest: one sheet each, three throws, points for distance and extra points for a loop.
4. Pillow stepping stones: cross the room using two pillows without touching the floor. Do it in pairs for chaos.
5. Guess the song: play three seconds of a song, first right answer gets a point.
6. Sock basketball: rolled-up socks, a laundry basket, ten shots each from behind the sofa.
7. Spoon and coin relay: carry a coin on a spoon across the room and back, no hands.
8. Would you rather: everyone has to give a reason, no skipping.
9. The alphabet game: name a fruit, an animal or a band for every letter, A to Z, in turn.
10. Tallest tower: anything in the room counts, three minutes, it has to stand for ten seconds.
11. Statues: play music, freeze when it stops. Anyone who wobbles is out.
12. Speed sorting: dump a box of LEGO or buttons, first to sort by color wins.

Family fun challenges for all ages

Good family challenges let a seven-year-old beat a parent at least half the time.

13. Indoor scavenger hunt: a list of ten things ("something older than you", "something that smells good"), first back wins.
14. No-bake bake-off: teams make the best dessert from what is in the cupboard. The prize: winners skip a chore.
15. Family talent show: two minutes each, any talent counts, including "can name every dinosaur".
16. Build a fort: blankets, chairs and cushions; it has to fit everyone for a movie.
17. Mystery box: put an object in a box, guess it by touch only.
18. Picture charades: kids draw, adults act, then swap.
19. Cardboard challenge: one box and tape each, build something that rolls.
20. Family trivia: everyone writes five questions about themselves. You learn things.
21. Reverse dinner: dessert first, if you finish the vegetables after.
22. Story chain: one sentence each, recorded on a phone, played back at the end.
23. Chore race: one room, one timer, everyone tidies; beat yesterday's time.
24. Grandparent video quiz: call a grandparent and quiz them on the family history.

Fun challenges to do at home with friends

For sleepovers, game nights and the evening when nobody wants to go out.

25. 10-minute pantry cook-off: same five ingredients each, one neutral judge.
26. Whisper challenge: one friend wears headphones with loud music, the other mouths a phrase.
27. Bad karaoke battle: you pick your opponent's song. Scores for commitment only.
28. Blind taste test: crisps, sodas or chocolate, guess the brand.
29. Draw your friend from memory, then reveal side by side.
30. One-word story: one word per person, hesitate and you're out.
31. Copy the dance: one friend makes up eight counts, everyone repeats it perfectly.
32. Plank-off: last one down chooses the next challenge.
33. Phones in a bowl: first person to pick theirs up does the dishes.
34. Mini film festival: everyone shoots a one-minute film on their phone around the house, vote for the best.

More ideas for when you are out of the house: 80 fun challenges to do with friends.

Solo challenges to do at home

For an evening on your own, or a quiet week.

35. Learn to juggle three balls (rolled socks work).
36. Cook something you have never cooked, from what is already in the fridge.
37. Declutter one drawer a day for a week.
38. Draw the same object every day for seven days and compare.
39. Read a whole short book in one evening, phone in another room.
40. Learn a card trick and perform it for the next person who visits.
41. Write a letter to someone you have not spoken to in a year.
42. A 20-minute home workout with no equipment, every day this week.

7-day and 30-day challenges for the whole household

The one-evening games are fun. These are the ones that change the house. Pick one, give it a start date and keep score where everyone can see it.

43. Make your bed every morning: the easiest streak to start with.
44. 15-minute tidy before dinner, everyone at once.
45. No phones at dinner for 30 days.
46. 20 minutes of reading a day, parents included.
47. A walk after dinner, rain or shine.
48. Screens off an hour before bed.
49. Cook together once a week, each person picks a recipe in turn.
50. One chore a day each: dishes, laundry, the dog walk.
51. Drink a glass of water before every meal.
52. 10 minutes of stretching together in the morning.
53. A gratitude round at dinner: one thing from today, nobody repeats.
54. No takeout for 30 days.
55. Learn 30 words of a new language as a family, one a day.
56. A family push-up ladder: one more each day, kids do their own version.
57. Outside for 30 minutes a day, all of you.
58. One kind thing a day for someone outside the house.
59. Practice an instrument for 15 minutes a day.
60. A family photo a day for a month, printed at the end.

Want a full month? Try one of our 30-day challenge ideas, or something shorter from weekly challenge ideas.

How to run a challenge at home (so it lasts past day three)

1. One challenge at a time. Three at once means none of them survive.
2. Agree on what counts before you start: "tidy" is vague, "15 minutes, timer on" is not.
3. Make it visible. A shared board, a printable habit tracker on the fridge, or a pact in the app where everyone sees who has checked in.
4. Small prizes beat big ones: the winner picks the movie, skips a chore or chooses dinner.
5. Let the youngest set the difficulty for family challenges, so everyone can win sometimes.
6. Plan for missed days. A cold or a trip is not a failure; agree on a pause instead of restarting. In Daily Pact that is PactPause: ask the group, the group votes, the streak survives.

For the full family setup, see Daily Pact for families.

A quick word on safety

Fun should not mean risky. Clear the floor before anything physical, keep food challenges to normal amounts (no "eat as much as you can" contests, no extreme spice), and skip any internet challenge that involves holding your breath, choking games or dares. If it would worry you to see a child copy it, it is not a home challenge.

FAQ

What are fun challenges to do at home with friends?

A 10-minute pantry cook-off, the whisper challenge, blind taste tests, a plank-off and a one-minute film contest all work with what is already in the house. For something longer, try a week of "phones in a bowl" evenings.

What are good family challenges for kids?

An indoor scavenger hunt, a cardboard build, picture charades and cup stacking work from about age six. For habits, start with "make your bed" or "20 minutes of reading": easy enough for everyone to keep a streak.

What is a good 30-day challenge to do at home?

No phones at dinner, a 15-minute daily tidy, a walk after dinner or 20 minutes of reading a day. Pick the one that solves an actual problem in your house and keep score where everyone can see it.

How do you make a home challenge competitive without fights?

Score effort, not talent (streaks instead of speed), give small prizes, and let the youngest or least competitive person set the rules for the next round.