Good things to do with friends at home include a scavenger hunt, a drawing or craft challenge, making a snack, playing a board or card game, or sharing a favorite video game. Pick an idea that suits the group’s energy, available space and materials; you do not need to plan every minute.
Fun Things to Do With Friends at Home
Choose from active, creative, food-based, relaxed or screen-based activities. Most can be adapted for a small group, and many use things you may already have at home. These are options, not rules: interests, household expectations and supervision needs vary.
Active games and challenges
- Indoor scavenger hunt: Make a list of things to find, such as something blue, a book with an animal on the cover or a soft object. Set a time limit if everyone wants a challenge, and agree which rooms are off-limits.
- Charades: Write familiar characters, activities or animals on scraps of paper, then take turns acting them out without speaking. No special equipment is needed.
- Build a simple obstacle course: Use cushions or other suitable household items to mark a route. Decide on the course together and keep it within a space that works for your home. Follow household rules and ask an adult for help if needed.
- Make up a quiz show: One person asks questions about shared interests, films, music or general trivia while the others answer individually or in teams. Paper and a pencil can help keep score, but they are optional.
Creative projects and crafts
- Drawing challenge: Each person draws the same prompt, such as an imaginary pet or a dream bedroom, using paper and whatever pens or pencils are available. Compare the results or combine ideas into one group picture.
- Friendship bracelets: Use spare yarn, thread or embroidery floss to make simple bracelets. If you do not have craft supplies, try paper designs or a shared doodle instead.
- Invent a comic or story: Take turns adding a character, problem or plot twist. Write it down, draw it as a comic or perform it as a short scene.
- Design a new game: Choose a goal, make a few simple rules and test the game. Change anything that makes it confusing or less fun for the group.
Make or decorate a snack
- Snack decorating: With ingredients already available, decorate biscuits, fruit or another simple snack. Ask before using food or kitchen equipment, and get adult help with cooking, sharp tools or anything your household rules require.
- Make a menu together: Pick a few available snacks and give them imaginative names, then create a paper menu for your get-together. This works even if you would rather not cook.
- Blind taste test: If everyone is comfortable and the foods are familiar, take turns guessing a snack by taste. Check for allergies or food restrictions with an adult first, and skip the activity if there is any uncertainty.
Relaxed ways to hang out
- Play cards or a board game: Choose something the group already knows, or read the rules together and try a short round. If nobody has a game, invent one using paper, pencils and a few agreed rules.
- Do a puzzle or shared drawing: Work on a puzzle together or pass a drawing around, with each person adding one detail before passing it on.
- Make a playlist: Take turns suggesting songs and listen together, following the family’s rules about devices and volume.
- Set up a cozy reading or comic swap: Bring a book, comic or magazine to share, or simply read side by side. Not every visit needs a structured game.
Shared screen activities
- Play a multiplayer game: Choose a game everyone can join or take turns playing. Agree on the game and how long to play before starting if that helps the group.
- Watch and react: Pick a short video or a film that everyone is allowed to watch, then talk about favorite moments or rate it afterward.
- Try a drawing or music app together: Make a group picture, guess a song or create something collaboratively, using devices and apps permitted at home.
Screen-free activities are available if the group wants a break from devices, but screens can also be part of a shared plan. Choose what suits the friends and the household rather than assuming everyone prefers the same thing.
How to Choose When Nobody Can Agree
Offer a short menu instead of trying to plan the whole visit. For example, each person can suggest one active idea, one creative idea and one relaxed option. Put the choices on scraps of paper and draw one, or let each friend take a turn choosing. If an activity stops being fun, switch to another.
Before starting, check what materials are available, how much space you can use and which household rules apply. Activities involving cooking, tools or movement may need adult help or a different setup. A simple game with paper and pencils can be a good fallback when supplies are limited.
If You’re Home Alone or Want a Solo Activity
If friends are not over, or you want something to do by yourself, try drawing, reading, making a paper craft, doing a puzzle, writing a short story or practicing a hobby you already enjoy. You could also set yourself a small challenge, such as learning a card trick or sketching an object from different angles.
These ideas can be adapted for different ages and interests; they are not specific to boys or girls, and no activity suits everyone. Use materials you are allowed to use, follow household rules and ask an adult when an activity or equipment needs supervision.