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Entertain your pals at home all day or all night with these playful ideas
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This article was co-authored by Ashton Wu
and by wikiHow staff writer, Annabelle Reyes
. Ashton Wu is a Game Expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 35K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
Sometimes, you want to do something fun with your friends, but you don’t want to have to leave the house. If you're in this situation, we’ve got you covered! We’ve compiled a thorough list of entertaining things to do with your friends at home, from relaxing spa days to exciting karaoke nights. Keep reading to have an awesome hangout session with your besties, no car required!
Fun Activities to Do with Friends at Home: Top Picks
- Throw an at-home spa day.
- Have an arts & crafts session.
- Cook a themed dinner together.
- Host a trivia or game night.
- Have a karaoke party.
- Throw a themed movie marathon.
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This is the perfect option to rest and recharge. First, dim the lights, light some scented candles , and put on relaxing spa music to get the right ambience going. From there, you can completely customize the spa treatments you and your friends want to do. Give each other manicures , apply some store bought or DIY face masks , cozy up in some fluffy bathrobes —it’s entirely up to you! [1] X Research source
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If you’re an artsy group, get together and do some crafts. There are tons of fun creative projects you and your besties can try out together. You could make friendship bracelets , try your hand at DIY candles , or sculpt cute knick-knacks with air dry clay . Or, if each of you has your own creative hobby, like knitting, crocheting, or drawing, you can bring your own supplies and work on your individual projects while hanging out.
- If you aren’t the craftiest group but you still want to do something artistic, adult coloring books are a great option!
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This is a great activity to do with your friends at the start of a new year. Just get some poster boards , glue sticks, magazines, and printed-out pictures from online, and create collages of your dreams and aspirations for the upcoming months. This is a fun way to get creative together, and it also allows you to learn about your friends' goals and cheer each other on.
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Get together to create a friendship scrapbook of your best memories. Choose a scrapbook that you all love, then decorate the pages with your favorite photos. You’ll have fun reminiscing over the good times you’ve shared, and then you’ll have a tangible memento of your friendship to cherish forever.
- If you’ve saved tickets from concerts you’ve attended together or theme parks you’ve visited, feel free to add these to the pages, too.
- You can also get creative with things like stickers, glitter pens, cute doodles, and personalized notes in the margins.
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Write a list of all the things you’re dying to do together. Maybe you want to go on your first vacation as a friend group. Or, maybe you want to challenge each other to be brave and try something outside your comfort zones, like attending a salsa dancing class or singing in front of a crowd at a karaoke bar. Whatever fun things you’re hoping to try, jot them down on your list!
- This is a great activity for the start of the year, but you can also make seasonal bucket lists.
- For example, you could make a summer bucket list filled with fun outdoors-y activities to try, or a winter bucket list of festive things to do together.
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This is the perfect activity if you’re a sentimental group. Just put a slip with each person’s name in a bowl, then take turns picking a name. Once you’ve picked your person, write a letter letting them know how much you care about them, making sure to mention the qualities you admire about them and the amazing memories you share. At the end of the activity, each of you will have a heartfelt memento of friendship to cherish forever!
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Center and ground yourselves with some yoga. If you and your friends have been feeling stressed out or busy lately, this could be the perfect option. Arrange some yoga mats in your living room (or outside if you have a yard), and do some poses together. You can follow an online class on YouTube, or enroll in an online class from a yoga studio.
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A meditation session is another great way to ground yourselves. Just set up some cushions to sit on, light a few candles, and take some time to meditate . You can also follow a guided meditation on an app on one of your phones, such as Calm or Headspace, if you need a little more structure.
- To really set the right vibe, consider lighting some candles or incense and playing some relaxing instrumental music.
- You can also arrange some crystals around each cushion to draw on their healing energies .
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If you and your friends are book lovers, try starting a book club together. Start by agreeing on a book to read, then decide how many chapters to read before the first meeting. From there, you can meet up to discuss what you’ve read so far . To make your meetings extra fun, consider having some themed snacks based on whatever book you’re reading!
- If you all love books but you prefer not to read the same thing at the same time, you can also host a book swapping night.
- Instruct each guest to bring one or two books they'd like to recommend to the group, then you can each choose one from the pile.
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Have you ever wanted to go shopping in your besties’ closets? If so, this is the perfect option for you. Have all your friends gather the clothing items and jewelry they’ve been meaning to clear out of their closets, and you can all get first dibs on things before they get sent to the donation pile. You might find some hidden treasures in each others’ castoffs!
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Make some yummy treats and engage in a little friendly competition. Have each of your friends bring a recipe and ingredients for a delicious baked good, then take turns making your treats. When everything’s done, you can taste and rate each others’ dishes, and the tastiest one wins. It’s basically like the Great British Bake Off , but in your kitchen.
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Create a spread of yummy picnic foods, then set it up at home. Classics like sandwiches, chips, dips, and fresh fruit are delicious and easy options. If you have access to a fireplace or a fire pit, you can even finish off the meal with some s’mores. Set your spread up in the back or front yard if you have one, or create a fun indoor picnic in your living room, if you prefer!
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To really make a night of it, try picking a fun theme. For example, you could have a Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings themed dinner, complete with fantasy-inspired dishes like warm stews or roasted meat and potatoes. Or, you could make a spaghetti dinner inspired by the classic scene from Lady and the Tramp , or a gourmet French meal inspired by Ratatouille .
- And, of course, you can put on the movie or TV show your dinner is inspired by to round out the experience.
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Turn your kitchen into a custom pizzeria. This is a delicious, easy, and cost-efficient option if you want to cook together, but you also want to keep things simple. Just get some dough for individual-sized pizzas, and put out a bunch of sauce, cheese, and topping options for your guests to mix and match. Here are some ingredient ideas to inspire you:
- For sauces, it’s a good idea to have a classic option like marinara or tomato sauce, and a few alternatives like pesto or alfredo sauce.
- For cheeses, mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta are essentials, and other options like provolone, fontina, feta, or goat cheese are great, too.
- A wide range of toppings is key here. Diced veggies like onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and olives are musts, as are sausage and pepperoni for meat eaters. Fancier options like basil, roasted garlic, or chili oil are also good to have.
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This popular TikTok trend is an entertaining (and delicious!) option. To do it, each person brings their own themed charcuterie board or snack board for the entire group to munch on. TikToks documenting the trend have included fun options like chips and dips boards, french fry boards from various fast food restaurants, sushi boards, and dessert or candy boards. The point is to get creative, so feel free to come up with your own unique ideas!
- For inspiration, check out this TikTok by @lovekennedygrace.
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Want to get creative and unwind? Try throwing your own paint-and-sip night! Set up some canvases and paint for you and your friends, and instruct everyone to bring a bottle of their favorite wine (if you’re throwing a 21+ party) or their favorite beverage in general (if you’re throwing an alcohol-free party). You can exercise your imaginations while also chatting and sipping some yummy drinks.
- If you aren’t the artsiest group, try getting some paint-by-numbers kits to work on. This makes it easy to create gorgeous paintings, even for beginners!
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This has been a popular trend on TikTok, and for good reason. To participate, each of your friends makes a themed cocktail or mocktail, then they walk into the room with the drinks on a platter to present them to the group. For example, in this TikTok by user @kaattee.h, each person makes a special cocktail based on a movie, including a yellow drink with a rose on top for Beauty and the Beast and a pink cocktail for Mean Girls with quotes from the movie decorating the cups.
- You can film each person’s reveal to make a TikTok, or just enjoy the delicious drinks for fun!
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This is a fun activity for fans of mystery movies or books. At a murder mystery party , everyone gets assigned a specific character to play, and one person is the “murderer” (but other party guests don’t know who). Throughout the night, people make guesses about who the murderer is until their identity is finally revealed.
- This is your chance to go all-out—costumes are definitely encouraged, and extra points if everyone manages to stay in character throughout the night!
- You can write out character descriptions and construct the mystery yourself, or you can look up a pre-planned scenario online.
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If you’ve got a brainy group of friends, try throwing a trivia night. It’s an awesome chance to show off your knowledge and engage in a little friendly competition with your besties. You can play individually or construct teams, just make sure to get some cool prizes to make things even more interesting!
- You and your guests can each contribute questions yourselves, or you can look up a list of trivia questions to use online.
- To make things a little simpler, you can also play a trivia board game, like Trivial Pursuit , or play the trivia games available on Amazon’s Alexa.
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A classic game night is always a good time. Just get some snacks and beverages, put on some tunes, and get to playing. Fun board game options to choose from include Clue , Monopoly , Catan , and Ticket to Ride , and entertaining card games include Uno , Apples to Apples , and Exploding Kittens .
- If you’d like, you can also have some prizes for the winning players. This is a great way to up the stakes and get some fun competitive energy going!
EXPERT TIPGame ExpertAshton Wu is a Game Expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 35K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate.If you're hosting a game night at your house, make it presentable . Make sure your table is ready, and that sure you have food and drinks prepared. If you want to go the extra mile, you can bake or cook something that fits the theme of the game you’re playing.
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There are a ton of interesting games you can play with Amazon’s Alexa. All you need is a device equipped with Alexa, such as an Echo or a Fire Smart TV . One popular choice is Song Quiz, which plays music from the decade of your choice, and your job is to guess the song’s title. To play, just say “Alexa, start Song Quiz.” [2] X Research source
- Other games available on Alexa include Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Jeopardy!, as well as classic conversation games like Truth or Dare or Would You Rather.
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If you’re not the most competitive group, opt for a puzzle night. Puzzles are an entertaining and low-key activity, and you can work on them while also watching a good movie, listening to music, or conversing with each other. If you’d like, you can also go over the puzzle with puzzle glue when you’re done. This allows you to frame it and preserve the memory of your fun night!
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This hilarious TikTok trend will get you all laughing. To participate, each guest makes their own PowerPoint presentation on the topic of their choice before getting to the party, then you take turns presenting to each other. Your presentation could be a recap of what you’ve been doing the past few months, a list of contenders in your dating life, an overview of what your dream wedding would look like, a countdown of unpopular opinions, a ranking of the best movies of the year—the options are literally endless!
- For inspiration, check out this TikTok by @jadecarsonxo, or this one by @katynicoleg.
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This TikTok trend is all about your friend group’s funniest crushes. First, you’ll need to get a plain frosted cake from the grocery store (or bake one yourself). Next, you and your friends will need to print out pictures of the silliest and most out-there characters from movies or TV shows that you have crushes on, then cut them out and tape them to wooden skewers. Finally you’ll take turns sticking the skewers into the cake and revealing your hilarious picks!
- Remember, the goal of the game isn’t to pick conventionally attractive characters that anyone might have a crush on. It’s all about making wild or wacky selections to get your friends laughing.
- For example, some popular choices from viral TikToks include Barry from Bee Movie , Scar from The Lion King , the fairy godmother from Shrek 2 , and Patchy the Pirate from Spongebob .
- This TikTok from @taylornaustin is a great example if you’re looking for a reference!
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A night in is the perfect time to belt out some tunes with your friends. If you want to go hardcore, you could invest in your very own karaoke machine , or you could get a karaoke microphone to use with an app on your phone or TV. For an easier, more low-key option, try looking up karaoke versions of songs on YouTube. Whatever works best for you!
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You don’t need to go to a bar or club to dance it out! Just choose a song that you and your friends love, then try choreographing your very own dance number to it. Or, if that sounds too daunting, pick a few TikTok dances you all love and work on learning those. Once you’ve got it down, you can film a TikTok to share your skills with your followers!
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A movie marathon is a classic activity for a night in with your besties. Make sure to set the scene in your living room and create the right ambience. Snuggly blankets and fluffy pillows are essential, and you can even set up an air mattress on the floor if you want to make things even more cozy. Classic movie theater snacks like buttered popcorn and bags of candy are great to have, too!
- To make things a bit more interesting, try planning a themed marathon. For example, if you’re fantasy fans, you could watch the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter movies.
- Or, if you’re horror buffs, a marathon of the Scream movies may be more your speed.
- A marathon of beloved childhood classics, like Monster’s Inc. , Lilo & Stitch , and The Lion King , is another great option.
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If you want to do something nostalgic, this is the perfect choice. You can do classic slumber party activities, like painting each others’ nails, doing face masks, watching rom coms, and playing conversation games like Truth or Dare or Would You Rather . If you tend to have a hard time coming up with questions, there are also some great conversation card games you can actually purchase, like For the Girls or We’re Not Really Strangers .
- For the Girls is meant for adult players, so make sure you’re playing with an age-appropriate group if you decide to go with this one.
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Take a peek into you and your friends’ futures with this fun activity. You don’t need to be an expert to read tarot —just get a deck of tarot cards and start learning about their meanings, then practice pulling a few cards for your friends! The whole process can be super fun and enlightening, and you might just find that one of you has a special talent for it.
- Luckily, most decks of tarot cards come with a small book of explanations for each card for you to refer to!
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If you have a backyard, lay out and gaze at the stars. Set up some cozy blankets and cushions to make the experience warm and snuggly, and put out some snacks and beverages, too. To make things more interesting, try keeping track of the constellations you each spot, like The Big Dipper, Ursa Major, and Orion. [3] X Research source
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You don’t need to travel somewhere else to have a fun camping trip. With a tent, some sleeping bags, and lanterns, your backyard can be just as fun as a campground! If you don’t have a backyard space to camp in, you can even build a fort or set up your tent inside for an indoor camping experience. Tell some spooky stories, have some s’mores, and enjoy hanging out with your buddies!
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About This Article
This article was co-authored by Ashton Wu
and by wikiHow staff writer, Annabelle Reyes
. Ashton Wu is a Game Expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 35K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate.
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Co-authors: 3
Updated: February 6, 2025
Views: 798
Categories: Hobbies and Crafts
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