Going out to watch a movie, see a sports game, and attend a concert can be a fun way to spend your time, but it can also get pretty costly. But you don’t have to spend a ton of money to have a good time! There are tons of fun challenges to do at home to beat the boredom.
Did you know, Americans spend about $3,000 on entertainment every year? Instead of spending your hard-earned cash on entertainment, gather up some friends and family and give these at home challenges a try.
28 Fun challenges to do at home
Whether you love speed challenges or physical challenges we have just the list of at home challenges for you! These challenges can be played by yourself or with friends and family. That said, here are 28 fun challenges you can do at home that are entertaining and budget-friendly!
1. Accent and impressions challenge
The accent and impressions challenge requires at least two people, 20 sheets of paper, a paper/pen, and a timer. First, write an accent (i.e., American, British, Scottish accent) on each slip of paper. If there are more than two players, you can split the participants into two teams.
Then, two players (from the same team) must stand on opposite sides of each other. Have one player pick up an accent card and raise that card above their head.
Finally, the other player must speak with the accent shown on the card. If the participant with the accent card can guess the accent being spoken, then the team gets a point. Each team is given one minute to rack up the most points. Alternatively, you can also impersonate famous people and guess who that person is.
2. Psychiatrist challenge
This at home challenge requires at least two players and no materials will be needed. One player will be assigned the role of the “psychiatrist,” and the remaining players will be the patient(s). Then the players must form a circle with the psychiatrist in the middle. The objective of the psychiatrist is to figure out the shared pattern among the other players.
For example, say the players (patients) agree to use a number every time they speak. The psychiatrist will be allowed a maximum of 20 questions to figure this pattern out.
Example:
Psychiatrist: Patient 1, who are you?
Player 1: No one (1)
Psychiatrist: Patient 2, who are you?
Player 2: Me too (2), I am no one (1).
If a player (patient) doesn’t follow the rule, then the other patients must shout “Psychiatrist!” This usually gives the psychiatrist a hint as to what the pattern might be.
3. Know that lyric challenge
Are you a song aficionado? You’ll certainly love this fun challenge that you can do at home! The “know that lyric” challenge requires at least two players, 20-30 slips of paper, and a pen/pencil.
First, on each slip of paper, write a song lyric. Then, underline half of the lyric for each slip of paper. Take a look at this song lyric for example: “Oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early light.”
You would start by singing the first part. Then, the other players would have to jump in and guess the second part (the underlined section). If a player guesses the lyric, then they receive a point. The player with the most points wins.
4. Blindfold makeover challenge
The makeover challenge requires at least two players, a blindfold, and the makeup of your choice. One player must apply makeup on the other participant while wearing a blindfold.
Take some pictures after the challenge and share them with your friends. You might be surprised by how well you’ve done! Maybe you will get inspired to try our custom “glow-up” challenge too!
5. Blindfold drawing challenge
The blindfold drawing challenge requires at least two players, a pen/pencil, two pieces of paper, and a blindfold. The players must wear a blindfold and draw the same picture from memory.
When finished, remove your blindfolds and compare drawings. Then have a judge decide who drew the better picture and give that person a point.
6. Baby food challenge
Ready to test your senses? Here is a fun challenge you can do at home. The baby food challenge requires at least two players or more, six types of baby food, and a couple of spoons.
Each must take turns eating a spoonful of baby food without spitting it out. If a player keeps the food in their mouths, then they will get a point. The player will get another point for identifying the type of baby food that was eaten.
After going through all six containers, tally up the scores. The player with the most points wins!
7. Tin can challenge
The tin can challenge requires at least two players, eight to ten tin cans, a spoon, and a can opener. First, pick out different types of canned food that you find gross, strange, or smelly. Then, pick out several canned foods that you find tasty.
Next, remove the label of each can and place a number on each corresponding can. Write the numbers down and place them in a container (or a hat).
Then, have each player draw a number from the container and open the can with the matching number. Finally, the player must eat a spoonful of the mysterious substance without spitting it out.
Each person that guesses correctly gets a point, and the person with the most points wins the game! This is one of those fun challenges to do at home that requires a strong stomach.
8. Eat it or wear it challenge
Don’t mind the mess? Here is another fun challenge you can do at home that you’ll definitely enjoy! The eat it or wear it challenge requires at least two players. You will also need about 15-20 brown bags, spoons, cups, and random food (mayonnaise, tuna, soda, french fries, juice, and donuts) you may have in your house.
Start the game by having each player will go through the bag and remove the item inside. The player can either choose to eat it or dump it over their heads. If the player chooses to eat it, they can dump the remainder on the player of their choice.
This game can get really messy (and smelly!) so you might want to play this at home challenge in your backyard.
9. Whisper challenge
The whisper challenge requires at least two players, headphones, and a device to play music from. Pick one player to wear the headphones and another turn up the music so that the other participant is inaudible.
The player without headphones must say a phrase, while the player with the headphones guesses the phrase by reading the other person’s lips. If the player guesses the phrase right, then they get a point. The player with the most points wins.
This is one of the best at home challenges to play. Even Keanu Reeves and Jimmy Fallon have a blast with this challenge!
10. Cookie challenge
The cookie challenge requires at least two players and a cookie of choice. First, have each player must place the cookie on the middle of their forehead.
Then, they must use their facial muscles to get the cookie into their mouth. The first player that gets the cookie into their mouth wins! The cookie challenge is personally my favorite out of all the fun challenges to do at home.
11. Chubby bunny challenge
The chubby bunny challenge requires at least one player and a bag of marshmallows. Stick as many marshmallows into your mouth until you can no longer say “chubby bunny.”
If playing with multiple participants, take turns putting a marshmallow into your mouth and saying “chubby bunny”. The person that can fit the most marshmallows into their mouth while being able to say “chubby bunny” wins! If you love sweets then this is one of the tastiest fun challenges to do at home.
12. Bake off challenge
The bake-off challenge requires at least two people and random ingredients you can find in your pantry. First, give each player 30 minutes to make something from those ingredients. After the 30 minutes is over, have someone taste the creations and decide who did it best.
Alternatively, you can challenge yourself to a bake-off with another player by seeing who can make the best meal out of the same recipe. Try these delicious, frugal recipes to level up your game.
13. Egg dropping challenge
The Egg dropping challenge requires one person, a raw egg, and materials for the container.
The objective is to build an “egg” armor that can withstand the impact of a drop. Test your design by dropping the egg from a high elevation. If your egg stays don’t crack, congrats, your device works!
14. Yoga challenge
Every yogi will love this fun challenge that you can do at home! The yoga challenge requires at least two players, and no materials are necessary. Start by having the first player perform a yoga pose of their choice.
They can either start with an easy pose or jump to something more advanced. The other players must mimic the pose and hold it for at least ten seconds. Each player that can mimic and hold the pose for ten seconds gets a point. The player that gets the most points wins!
15. Dance-off challenge
Get ready to bust a move with this at home challenge! The dance-off challenge requires at least two players and no materials are necessary. To start off, the first player must perform a short dance move. Then, the next player must mimic the dance move, and add a new one.
Each player will take turns performing the previous moves while adding their own. There will eventually be a long sequence of dance moves, so the person that breaks the sequence loses! This could be another great date-night idea too.
16. Relay race
Hosting a relay race among friends can be a fun summer challenge that you can do while you’re home! The relay race challenge requires at least two players. The materials will vary based on the type of relay race.
There are messy, outdoor water activities like fill the bucket water race, or bobbing for coins, and fun indoor games like necking the orange or passing the balloon. The types of relay races are endless, and are pretty easy to set up!
17. 30-Day jump rope challenge
Jump rope is a great way to get your body moving and your heart pumping, especially if you don’t have that much time! This challenge is great if you want to squeeze a little exercise into your day. The 30-day jump rope challenge requires at least one person and a jump rope.
Start off with as many skips as you feel comfortable with, then increase your skips in 25-50 intervals each day. By the end of the 30-day challenge, you might be able to get up to 1500 steps or more!
Of course, don’t forget to take breaks when needed. After all, this is supposed to be an enjoyable challenge!
18. Riff-off challenge
Love to sing? Then this is one of the most fun challenges to do at home with your friends. The riff-off challenge originated from the movie Pitch Perfect and has been a popular game since. This riff-off challenge requires at least two players, and no materials are necessary.
One player starts the game by singing a song lyric, then stops at a word of their choice. Then, the other player has to sing a new song starting off with that particular word.
For example, if the song lyric is:
“I can’t help falling in love-“
The other participant can jump in with:
“-love never felt so good.”
The game ends when a player can’t jump back into the song at that particular word.
19. Alphabet game
The alphabet game has at least two people, and no materials are necessary.
Each player will take turns acting out a random scene (e.g. friends at a party, or students in class). The first person must start their sentence off with the letter A, then the next player must start their sentence off with the letter B.
Each player must deliver their line starting with the next letter of the alphabet. The objective of the game is to go through the entire alphabet without stopping. Give each player about five seconds in between each turn. If a player can’t think of the next sentence before time is up, they are eliminated. The last player standing wins!
If you can think quickly on your feet, this is an extremely fun at home challenge.
20. Not my hands challenge
The not my hands’ challenge requires three people and a large shirt. One person will be the narrator, and the rest will be participants. Have one player stand behind the other.
Then, have the narrator give commands such as eating, drinking, or applying makeup. The person standing behind the other will follow the commands by moving their hands for the player in front of them. Be sure to wear a shirt that you won’t miss as this game can get pretty messy!
21. Minute-to-win-it challenge
The minute-to-win-it challenge can either be played by one person, a group of people, or in teams. The materials vary based on which games you choose to do. Make a scoreboard if you are playing with multiple people to keep track of who or which teams win. The list of Minute to win it challenges is endless!
Play defying gravity and try to keep three balloons up for a minute, or see if you can completely wrap your friend up in streamers without exceeding the time limit. Sounds fun? Here are 200+ minute to win it fun challenges to do at home!
22. Word Recall challenge
Word recall challenge requires at least two people, at least 4 sheets of paper, and a pen/pencil. Start by having one player write a list of 25 words (preferably 4 letter words) on a sheet of paper.
Then, give the other player two minutes to study the entire list. After the two minutes is over, take the list away and have that player write down every word they remember. Finally, the players will switch roles and repeat the process. The person that can recall the most words wins!
23. Try not to laugh challenge
This challenge requires at least two players and a compilation of your favorite videos (there are tons of “try not to laugh,” videos on Youtube). The players must sit through the video and watch without laughing. The player that goes the longest without laughing wins. This at home challenge will brighten anyone’s day!
24. Photoshoot challenge
The photoshoot challenge requires at least one person and a camera (can be your mobile phone). Have a photoshoot in and around your house. Use your imagination and create backdrops and props from items lying around.
Then share the silly pictures with your friends and family! Who knows, maybe you will love it so much you will turn it into a profitable photography side hustle!
25. 100 layer challenge
The 100 layer challenge requires at least one person and 100 articles of the same type of clothing or makeup of your choice. If your clothing of choice is a shirt, then layer on 100 shirts.
If your makeup of choice is lipstick, then apply 100 layers of that lipstick. You might consider having someone on standby as it gets tricky to remove all those layers.
26. Pillow challenge
The pillow challenge is taking TikTok by storm! This challenge involves taking common home decor (like a pillow) and turning it into a wearable piece.
The pillow challenge requires at least one person, a pillow, and accessories of choice. Turn your pillow into a dress, or a skirt and embellish your outfit with accessories! Then, have a photo shoot around your house and share your pictures with friends and family!
27. Cleaning challenge
Need to get some cleaning done, but don’t have the motivation to do it? Decluttering your life can have a ton of benefits like reduced stress and increased focus, for instance. And decluttering doesn’t have to be boring either!
This can be one of the most fun challenges to do at home. Simply spice up your cleaning routine by turning it into a game. See how fast you can declutter your room and try to beat that number each time you clean it.
Want to get your family to enjoy decluttering? Have a competition and see who can clean their room the fastest. Reward the winner with a prize afterward! Download our free “declutter your life” checklist to help you get started!
28. Getting to know you challenge
Getting to know you is one of the best at home challenges for new best friends or even long-time partners. Good communication builds strong relationships and can improve all aspects of your shared life. It doesn’t have to be daunting either!
The getting to know your challenge facilitates conversation through the exchange of surface leveled and personal questions. You can deepen your relationships by getting to know more about someone, and having them learn more about you!
Expert tip
Trying out a fun at home challenge can save you a ton of money. It can also help you bond and spend quality time with your friends and family. Pick a night one a week, every two weeks or once a month to try out something fun!
What challenges can you do at home for kids?
There are so many fun challenges to do at home for kids. Some great challenge ideas include the accents and impersonation challenge, the blindfold makeover challenge, the blindfold drawing challenge, the whisper challenge, and the dance challenge.
What at home challenges can you do by yourself?
On your own? Not to worry, there are several challenges you can do at home alone that are a ton of fun! For example, you can try out the chubby bunny challenge, the egg-dropping challenge, the 100-layer challenge, the cleaning challenge, and the 30-day jump rope challenge.
Be sure to check out our list of things to do when you’re bored!
Related articles
If you enjoyed this article on fun at home challenges, check out this related content!
Try these fun challenges to do at home!
These at home challenges are an excellent way to enjoy the day without spending a bunch of money. Even if you are a mother of three kids, a full-time graduate student, or a working professional, you are never too busy to have fun. “Playing” as adults can have lots of benefits, and can be considered a form of self-care.
The best part is that having fun can be completely inexpensive and guilt-free! Learn how to incorporate “fun” into your budget by creating a budget that works for you with our completely free budgeting course! You can also make saving money fun by trying out some different money-saving challenges.
Check out the Clever Girls Know podcast and YouTube channel for more fun ideas on how to save money!