Random Activity Generator for When You Are Bored

One press, one thing to do, with the minutes it takes and what you need to start.

Random Activity Generator for When You Are Bored

  1. Time yourself walking one mile20 minutes. A watch and a route you know is a mile. Write the time down and beat it next week.

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Tip: the space bar makes a new one.

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Random Activity Generator for When You Are Bored: how it works

Bored? This random activity generator hands you one card: a thing to do, how long it takes and what you need. Fly a kite. Play freeze tag. Make lemonade from scratch. We wrote all 433 ourselves, for one person or a group.

Four rows for where, who and how long

One chip per row, and the draw keeps to cards that fit them all. Where: At home 266, Outside 167. Who: With friends 241, Alone 257. Time: up to 10, 20, 30 or 60 minutes, and 10 keeps the 128 quickest. Only: No screens 387, where a phone as a timer or speaker does not count, or Free 421. Outside plus Alone plus 10 minutes leaves 21. The list at the bottom files every card once, by At home or Outside.

Why it draws one card and not a list

A long list is easy to scroll and hard to act on. When the thought in your head is I'm bored, what should I do, one answer with a time on it is easier to say yes to, so this random thing to do generator opens on a single card. A few wait for dark, wind, rain or snow and say so.

Tips

  • Asking what should I do now, with a gap before dinner? Set Time to 10 minutes and take the first card.
  • Friends on the way? Draw 3, press Share and post the link. It opens the same cards for everyone.
  • Tick a card once it is done. It stays while the others change, and Open saved list brings the sheet back later.

Questions and answers

I am bored. What should I do?

Press once and do the first card, even if it sounds small. The cards are built around a clear first step: Juggle two rolled-up socks, Make fancy toast, Walk a street you have never walked. If a card cannot work where you are, Swap changes that one card.

What should I do today with a whole free day?

Draw 5 and build the day from them. Lock the ones you want and press again for the rest. Aim for one outside, one with someone else and one that makes something, and tick each as you finish it. Longer cards help, such as Start a jigsaw puzzle or Play tourist in your own town.

What should I do if I'm bored and have no money?

Set the Only row to Free. It holds 421 of the 433 cards, each using things already in a home, such as paper, flour, tape or a deck of cards. The other 12 involve a purchase, such as Go bowling or Walk to get ice cream, and say roughly what it costs.

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All 433 activities

Show all 433 activities

At home 266

  • Add to one drawing in turns 15 minutes. One big sheet of paper. Thirty seconds each, then pass. Stop when the page is full.
  • Ask each other questions you have never asked 20 minutes. Nothing. What did you want to be at ten. What is the most trouble you were ever in.
  • Bake cookies from what is in the pantry 45 minutes. Butter, sugar, flour, an egg. Add what you find: oats, chips, a chopped candy bar.
  • Balance a book on your head down the hallway 5 minutes. One hardback. Chin level, eyes forward. Then try it while turning around.
  • Balance a spoon on your nose 5 minutes. A teaspoon. Breathe on the bowl of the spoon, then hang it from the tip of your nose.
  • Braid each other's hair 15 minutes. A brush and hair ties. Three strands first. A video helps for a French braid.
  • Brew tea with a timer and taste the difference 10 minutes. Tea and a timer. Steep one cup for two minutes and one for five, then compare.
  • Build a blanket fort and read in it 25 minutes. Blankets, chairs, clothespins, a lamp. Bring the book in before you seal the door.
  • Build a card tower 15 minutes. An old deck of cards and a surface with some grip. Three stories is a good day.
  • Build a marble run from cardboard tubes 30 minutes. Paper tubes, tape, a marble or a bead, and a door you can tape things to.
  • Build a playlist where each song links to the last 30 minutes. A speaker and one phone passed around. Same word, same year or same singer. Defend the link.
  • Build a sandwich you have never made before 15 minutes. Whatever is in the fridge. It needs one crunchy thing, one sharp thing and a name.
  • Build a snack plate from fridge odds and ends 10 minutes. A plate. Something salty, something sweet, something crunchy, arranged like you mean it.
  • Build a spaghetti and marshmallow tower 20 minutes. Dry spaghetti, a bag of marshmallows, a timer. Teams of two. Tallest standing tower wins.
  • Build a time capsule as a household 30 minutes. A box, one object per person, a note each. Agree on the opening date and write it on the lid.
  • Build a tower from every cup and container you own 10 minutes. Plastic cups and food containers. Build until it falls, then count the pieces.
  • Build the tallest tower you can from one sheet of paper 15 minutes. One sheet, scissors, a little tape. Tubes beat folds. Measure it before it leans.
  • Call a friend just to say hello 10 minutes. A phone. Open with: I have ten minutes and thought of you.
  • Call a relative and ask for a family recipe 15 minutes. A phone, paper, a pen. Ask them what they change from the written version.
  • Cast a rainbow with a glass of water 10 minutes. A full glass, white paper, a sunny windowsill. Tilt the glass until colors land on the paper.
  • Cook an egg a way you never have 15 minutes. An egg. Poach it, soft-boil it, or try a rolled French omelet.
  • Cook one dish with an ingredient picked by each person 45 minutes. Your kitchen. Everyone names one ingredient, then the group has to make it work.
  • Cut a paper snowflake 10 minutes. Paper and scissors. Fold in six, snip small shapes, open slowly.
  • Design a flag for your household 15 minutes. Paper and colored pens. Three colors at most, and one symbol that means something.
  • Do a crayon rubbing of five textures 15 minutes. Paper and a bare crayon. Try a coin, a leaf, a shoe sole, a basket, a key.
  • Do a crossword or a sudoku on paper 20 minutes. A newspaper or a puzzle book and a pencil. Pen if you are feeling bold.
  • Do a group crossword out loud 20 minutes. One crossword. One person holds the pen and reads clues, everyone shouts answers.
  • Draw a comic strip of your day so far 20 minutes. Paper and a pen. Four boxes, stick figures allowed, one punchline.
  • Draw a map of your childhood street from memory 20 minutes. Paper and a pen. Mark who lived where and the spots that mattered.
  • Draw a self-portrait with your other hand 10 minutes. Paper, a pen, a mirror. The wrong hand takes the pressure off being good.
  • Draw fold-over creatures 15 minutes. Paper and pens. One draws a head and folds it over, the next the body, the next the legs.
  • Draw on each other's backs and guess 10 minutes. Nothing. One finger, one simple picture or word at a time. Swap after three.
  • Draw portraits of each other in three minutes 10 minutes. Paper, pens, a timer. Swap and sign them. Nobody is allowed to apologize.
  • Draw the floor plan of your dream house 25 minutes. Graph paper if you have it. Start with the room you would spend the most time in.
  • Draw washable marker tattoos on each other 15 minutes. Washable markers. Each person names a subject and takes what they get.
  • Draw with your eyes closed and let them guess 10 minutes. Paper and a pen. One person names the subject, the artist shuts their eyes.
  • Draw your family tree as far back as you know 20 minutes. Paper and a pen. Then call the relative who knows the next row up.
  • Draw your hand in one continuous line 10 minutes. Paper and a pen. Never lift the pen, never erase. Wobbles are the style.
  • Drink a cup of tea with no phone in the room 15 minutes. A kettle, a mug, a chair by the window. The phone waits in another room.
  • Empty your head onto one page 10 minutes. Paper and a pen. Write every open loop in your mind, in any order, until the page is full.
  • Explore a city you have never seen at street level 20 minutes. A map app with street-level photos. Drop the pin at random and find your way to water.
  • Fill a jar with small treats written on slips 15 minutes. A jar, paper slips, a pen. Twenty small treats, such as a bath, a walk, a call.
  • Fill a page with repeating patterns 20 minutes. Paper and a fine pen. Divide the page into sections and give each its own pattern.
  • Film a ten-second stop-motion movie 40 minutes. A phone, a stack of books to hold it still, a toy or a piece of fruit. About 100 photos.
  • Find the number one song from the day you were born 10 minutes. A search engine. Play it, then play the one from your tenth birthday.
  • Fold a cloth napkin into a fan 10 minutes. A napkin and a video or diagram. Accordion pleats, fold in half, tuck the corner.
  • Fold a jumping frog from an index card 10 minutes. An index card and a folding diagram. Press the back edge and let go. Measure the jump.
  • Fold a paper boat and float it in the sink 10 minutes. One sheet of paper and a sink of water. Load it with coins until it goes under.
  • Fold a paper chatterbox with compliments inside 15 minutes. A square of paper and a pen. Eight flaps, eight compliments or silly tasks.
  • Fold a paper crane 15 minutes. One square of paper and a folding diagram or video. The third crane takes a third of the time.
  • Fold a tiny magazine from one sheet of paper 25 minutes. One sheet, scissors, a pen. Fold into eighths, make one cut, fill the eight pages.
  • Fold paper airplanes and test three designs 15 minutes. Three sheets of paper. Mark each landing spot with a coin and keep the winner.
  • Give yourself a hand massage 5 minutes. Any hand lotion. Thumb circles in the palm, then pull gently along each finger.
  • Guess the object in the bag by touch 10 minutes. A pillowcase and ten household objects. Reach in, no peeking, name each one.
  • Guess the song from its first second 15 minutes. A speaker and one person holding the phone. Play one second, then two, then three.
  • Guess the spice by smell alone 10 minutes. A scarf and six jars from the spice rack. Cinnamon is easy. Cumin against coriander is not.
  • Hand-whisk a bowl of whipped cream 10 minutes. Cold cream, a bowl, a whisk, a spoon of sugar. Your arm gives out just before it works.
  • Have an indoor picnic on the floor 30 minutes. A blanket and whatever is in the fridge. No chairs allowed.
  • Hold a bake-off with a secret ingredient 60 minutes. Two bowls, one oven, one ingredient both teams must use. Someone neutral judges.
  • Hold a blindfolded drawing relay 15 minutes. Paper, a marker, a scarf. Teammates call directions while the artist draws blind.
  • Hold a lip sync contest 20 minutes. A speaker. One song each, full commitment. Judges score from 1 to 10.
  • Hold a movie night with the pick drawn from a bowl 120 minutes. A screen and paper slips. Everyone writes one title, one slip is drawn, no vetoes.
  • Hold a newspaper fashion show 30 minutes. Newspaper, tape, scissors. Pairs: one designer, one model. Ten minutes to build.
  • Hold a paper airplane contest 20 minutes. Paper and tape for a start line. Award distance, hang time and style separately.
  • Hold a rock paper scissors tournament 10 minutes. Nothing. Two wins out of three, and each loser joins the winner's cheering section.
  • Hold a show and tell for grown-ups 20 minutes. One object each that has a story. Three minutes per person.
  • Hold a spelling bee 15 minutes. A dictionary. One reads, the rest spell. Miss a word and you become the reader.
  • Hold a staring contest bracket 10 minutes. Nothing. Blinking, laughing and looking away all count as a loss.
  • Hold a talent show with five minutes to prepare 30 minutes. Whatever is in the room. Any act counts, including reciting a cereal box with feeling.
  • Hold a tea party with mismatched mugs 20 minutes. Tea, every odd mug you own, something sweet. Pinkies up is optional.
  • Hold a thumb war tournament 10 minutes. Nothing. One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war. Winner stays on.
  • Hold a tic-tac-toe tournament 10 minutes. Paper and pens. First to win five games, and the loser draws the next grid.
  • Hold a trivia night with questions you write 40 minutes. Paper and pens. Each person writes five questions on a subject they know cold.
  • Hum a song and make them guess 10 minutes. Nothing. No words, no la la, humming only.
  • Identify the song stuck in your head and learn the words 15 minutes. A lyrics site. Most of us have the second verse completely wrong.
  • Interview the oldest person in the room 30 minutes. A phone recorder and five questions. Ask about their first job and first home.
  • Invent a board game on one sheet of paper 30 minutes. Paper, a pen, a coin to flip. Draw a track of 30 squares and put a rule on ten.
  • Invent a holiday and its traditions 15 minutes. Paper and a pen. It needs a date, a food, a song and one thing everybody has to wear.
  • Invent a secret handshake 10 minutes. Two people. Five moves at least, and it must end with something ridiculous.
  • Juggle two rolled-up socks 10 minutes. Two pairs of socks rolled into balls. Throw the second when the first one peaks.
  • Keep a balloon up using only your heads 5 minutes. One balloon. Count the touches out loud. No hands, no feet.
  • Learn a coin vanish 20 minutes. One coin, a mirror and a video lesson. The French drop is the standard first vanish.
  • Learn a line dance from a video 20 minutes. A screen and floor space. Many line dances repeat one short pattern facing each wall in turn.
  • Learn a second kind of solitaire 20 minutes. A deck of cards. Look up Clock, Pyramid or Golf. The rules fit on an index card.
  • Learn a song's chorus on an online piano 20 minutes. A free on-screen piano and a song with a simple chorus. Right hand only.
  • Learn five keyboard shortcuts you keep meaning to learn 15 minutes. Your computer and a sticky note. Write them down and stick it to the monitor.
  • Learn one card trick well enough to fool someone 25 minutes. A deck of cards and a video lesson. The key card trick is the usual first one.
  • Learn ten words in a language you do not speak 15 minutes. A free language app or a phrasebook. Hello, thank you, sorry, and seven foods.
  • Learn the phonetic alphabet 20 minutes. A printed list from Alfa to Zulu. Spell your name, your street and your lunch.
  • Learn to count to ten in sign language 15 minutes. A video from a Deaf teacher. In American Sign Language one hand does all ten.
  • Learn to draw a star without lifting the pen 5 minutes. Paper and a pen. Five strokes. Fill a page until they stop leaning.
  • Learn to fold a shirt in two seconds 10 minutes. A tee, a flat surface and a video of the pinch fold. Two pinches, one flip.
  • Learn to roll a coin across your knuckles 20 minutes. One large coin and a bed underneath to catch it. It will drop a hundred times.
  • Learn to shuffle cards with a bridge 15 minutes. A deck of cards. Split, riffle the corners together, bend the halves up, let them fall.
  • Learn to spin a pen around your thumb 15 minutes. A pen with some weight to it. Push with the middle finger and let the thumb be the axle.
  • Learn to tie three knots 20 minutes. A shoelace or a yard of cord. Bowline, clove hitch, figure eight. Look each up once.
  • Learn to whistle with two fingers 15 minutes. Clean hands and patience. Expect ten minutes of air and then one sudden shriek.
  • Lie on the floor with your legs up the wall 10 minutes. A wall and a timer. Scoot close, legs up, arms out, eyes closed.
  • Light a candle and do nothing until the timer rings 10 minutes. A candle, a lighter, a ten-minute timer. Blow it out when you leave the room.
  • List 20 small things that made you smile this year 15 minutes. A notebook. Small things count most: a good sandwich, a text, a dog you met.
  • List every teacher you ever had 10 minutes. Paper and a pen. Go year by year. One name brings back the next.
  • List ten things you are good at 10 minutes. Paper and a pen. Include the small ones, such as parallel parking or remembering birthdays.
  • Listen to a radio station from another country 15 minutes. A free world radio site or app. Spin to a city you cannot place and stay two songs.
  • Listen to a whole album with your eyes closed 40 minutes. Headphones and an album you only know in pieces. No skipping.
  • Look at one picture for ten full minutes 10 minutes. Any picture on your wall or in a book, and a timer. New details show up near minute four.
  • Look through a box of old photos 30 minutes. The shoebox at the back of the closet. Pencil names and years on the backs.
  • Look up the history of your street name 20 minutes. A search engine or your library's local history page. Most are a person or a tree.
  • Make a bird feeder from a paper tube 15 minutes. A paper tube, peanut butter, birdseed, string. Roll it, thread it, hang it in view.
  • Make a bookmark for the book you are reading 15 minutes. A strip of card, pens, maybe a ribbon. Write the date you started on the back.
  • Make a collage from junk mail 25 minutes. Old mail or magazines, scissors, glue. Pick one color and hunt only for that.
  • Make a flip book in the corner of a notepad 20 minutes. A sticky note pad and a pen. A bouncing ball takes about twenty pages.
  • Make a front page about your household 30 minutes. A big sheet of paper and pens. A headline, a weather box, a sports result, one scandal.
  • Make a jar of overnight oats for tomorrow 5 minutes. Oats, milk, a jar, a spoon of jam or honey. Tomorrow's breakfast is handled.
  • Make a mug cake 10 minutes. Flour, sugar, cocoa, milk, oil, a mug, a microwave. About ninety seconds on high.
  • Make a paper chain counting down to a date 20 minutes. Paper strips and tape. One link per day until the thing you are waiting for.
  • Make a paper cup phone 15 minutes. Two paper cups and about fifteen feet of string. Knot it inside each cup and pull it tight.
  • Make a paper helicopter and drop it 10 minutes. A strip of paper and a paper clip. Cut two blades, fold them apart, let go at arm's height.
  • Make a paper pinwheel 15 minutes. A paper square, a pushpin, a pencil with an eraser. Cut in from the corners, pin every other tip.
  • Make a photo book of one trip 45 minutes. The photos on your phone. Pick 20, put them in order, caption each in five words.
  • Make a playlist for one very specific mood 20 minutes. Any music app. Name the mood first, such as driving home after good news.
  • Make a rubber band guitar from a tissue box 15 minutes. An empty tissue box and four rubber bands of different widths. Tighter bands sing higher.
  • Make a slideshow of your year in photos 40 minutes. The photos on your phone. Pick three per month and cut hard.
  • Make a smoothie from whatever is in the freezer 10 minutes. A blender, frozen fruit, milk or juice. A banana fixes most mistakes.
  • Make a sock puppet and give it a voice 20 minutes. An odd sock, buttons or a marker. It needs a name and one strong opinion.
  • Make a time capsule in a jar 25 minutes. A jar, today's receipt, a photo, a note about what is on your mind. Date the lid.
  • Make a word search for someone you know 20 minutes. Graph paper and a pen. Hide ten words only they would get, then fill the gaps with letters.
  • Make fancy toast 10 minutes. Bread and the fridge. Ricotta and honey, or peanut butter, banana and cinnamon.
  • Make flatbread from flour, water and salt 25 minutes. Flour, water, salt, oil, a hot dry pan. Roll thin and cook a minute per side.
  • Make friendship bracelets 30 minutes. Yarn or embroidery thread and tape to hold the end down. Start with a simple braid.
  • Make homemade play dough 20 minutes. Two cups of flour, one cup of salt, water, a spoon of oil, food coloring.
  • Make hot chocolate from cocoa powder 10 minutes. Cocoa, sugar, milk, a pinch of salt. Whisk the cocoa with a splash of milk first.
  • Make ice pops from juice 10 minutes. Juice, small cups, spoons or sticks, a freezer. Ten minutes now, then four hours of waiting.
  • Make lemonade from scratch 15 minutes. Three lemons, sugar, water. Dissolve the sugar in a little hot water first.
  • Make pancakes in ridiculous shapes 30 minutes. Flour, egg, milk, a pan. Pour the batter from a spoon. Dinosaurs are harder than letters.
  • Make paper beads from magazine pages 25 minutes. Magazine pages cut in long triangles, glue, a toothpick to roll them on.
  • Make personal pizzas on flatbread 30 minutes. Flatbreads or pitas, sauce, cheese, toppings. About 10 dollars feeds four.
  • Make shadow puppets on the wall 10 minutes. A dark room, one lamp or flashlight, a blank wall. Dog, bird, rabbit.
  • Make stovetop popcorn with a new seasoning 15 minutes. Kernels, oil, a pot with a lid. Try cinnamon sugar, or smoked paprika and salt.
  • Make thumbprint characters 15 minutes. A washable marker, paper, a fine pen. Thumbprint first, then add legs and faces.
  • Make up a secret code and write a note in it 20 minutes. Paper and a pen. Shift each letter three places, then invent your own rule.
  • Make up new rules for a card game you all know 25 minutes. A deck of cards. Add one rule each and play a hand. Keep the rules that are fun.
  • Memorize a short poem 20 minutes. One poem of eight to twelve lines. Learn two lines at a time, pacing as you say them.
  • Mix your own trail mix 10 minutes. Nuts, dried fruit, cereal, chocolate chips. Aim for salty, sweet, crunchy and chewy.
  • Move one chair to a new spot and sit in it 10 minutes. One chair. A new view of your own room is stronger than you expect.
  • Name a country for every letter of the alphabet 10 minutes. Paper and a pen. Two letters will beat you. Check an atlas afterward.
  • Paint each other's nails 20 minutes. Whatever polish is in the house and a paper towel under the hands. Wrong-handed is the rule.
  • Paint with coffee or tea 20 minutes. Strong cold coffee, a brush, thick paper. It dries to a warm brown like an old photo.
  • Pass a sketch around the table 25 minutes. Paper and pens. Write a phrase, the next person draws it, the next writes what they see.
  • Photograph one object ten different ways 20 minutes. A phone camera and something dull, such as a fork. Change the light, not just the angle.
  • Plan a dream trip on a paper map 30 minutes. An atlas or a printed map, a pen. Pick five stops and the meal you would eat at each.
  • Plan your ideal Saturday hour by hour 15 minutes. Paper and a pen. Keep it realistic enough to do this weekend.
  • Play a geography chain 10 minutes. Nothing. Each place must start with the last letter of the one before. No repeats.
  • Play balloon volleyball 15 minutes. One balloon and a string or the couch as a net. It must not touch the floor.
  • Play categories 20 minutes. Paper, pens, a timer. Five categories, one letter, two minutes. Only unique answers score.
  • Play charades with homemade clues 30 minutes. Paper slips, a bowl, a timer. Everyone writes five clues. One minute per turn.
  • Play checkers 20 minutes. A checkers set, or a chessboard with coins, heads against tails.
  • Play chess against yourself 30 minutes. A chess set. Turn the board after each move and play your honest hardest for both sides.
  • Play crazy eights 20 minutes. A deck of cards. Match the suit or the number. Eights are wild.
  • Play dominoes 30 minutes. A box of dominoes. Match the ends, draw when you cannot, first to empty their hand wins.
  • Play dots and boxes 10 minutes. Paper and two pens. Draw a grid of dots. Close a box, take another turn.
  • Play draw and guess 30 minutes. Paper, markers, a timer, a bowl of words. No letters, no numbers, no talking.
  • Play fortunately, unfortunately 10 minutes. Nothing. Take turns adding a sentence. One starts Fortunately, the next Unfortunately.
  • Play freeze dance 10 minutes. A speaker and one person on the pause button. Last one still moving is out.
  • Play go fish 15 minutes. A deck of cards. Ask for what you hold, collect sets of four, most sets wins.
  • Play hearts 40 minutes. A deck of cards and four players. Dodge the hearts and the queen of spades.
  • Play hot and cold 10 minutes. One small object. One hides it, the rest search while the hider says warmer or colder.
  • Play I doubt it 20 minutes. A deck of cards, three or more players. Play cards face down, say what they are, bluff well.
  • Play I spy 5 minutes. Nothing. I spy with my little eye something beginning with. Works in any room.
  • Play memory with a deck of cards 15 minutes. A deck of cards face down in a grid. Flip two per turn and keep the pairs.
  • Play musical chairs 15 minutes. Chairs, a speaker and someone to stop the music. Walk, do not run.
  • Play names in a bowl 30 minutes. Paper slips, a bowl, a timer. Everyone adds five famous names. Describe, never say the name.
  • Play old maid 15 minutes. A deck of cards with one queen removed. Draw from each other, pair up, avoid the odd queen.
  • Play paper football 10 minutes. A sheet of paper folded into a triangle and a table. Flick it through finger goalposts.
  • Play pick-up sticks with skewers 15 minutes. A handful of wooden skewers or straws. Drop them, lift one at a time, nothing else may move.
  • Play rummy 30 minutes. A deck of cards. Draw one, discard one, build runs and sets. First to go out scores.
  • Play sardines 20 minutes. A home with hiding spots. One hides, all seek, and each finder squeezes in too.
  • Play sea battle on graph paper 20 minutes. Two sheets of graph paper, two pens, a book to hide behind. Five ships each.
  • Play slapjack 10 minutes. A deck of cards. Flip in turn, slap the jacks, last player holding cards wins.
  • Play snap 10 minutes. A deck of cards. Flip in turn onto one pile. Shout snap when two in a row match.
  • Play sock basketball 10 minutes. Rolled socks and a laundry basket. Step back one pace after every basket you make.
  • Play solitaire with real cards 15 minutes. A deck of cards and a table. Klondike is the one you know from the computer.
  • Play spoons 15 minutes. A deck of cards and one fewer spoon than players. Four of a kind, then grab.
  • Play the alphabet adjective game 10 minutes. Nothing. My neighbor's cat is an angry cat, a bold cat, a clumsy cat. Miss a letter, you are out.
  • Play the alphabet grocery game 10 minutes. Nothing. I went to the store and bought an apple. Each player repeats the list and adds one.
  • Play the board game you own but never opened 60 minutes. The shrink-wrapped box on the shelf. One reads the rules aloud while the rest set up.
  • Play the card game war 15 minutes. A deck of cards split in two. Flip together, high card takes both. Ties go to war.
  • Play the dictionary game 25 minutes. A dictionary, paper, pens. One real definition hidden among invented ones. Vote.
  • Play the floor is lava 10 minutes. Cushions and rugs as islands. Feet never touch bare floor. Couch rules are up to the owner.
  • Play the memory tray game 10 minutes. A tray, fifteen small objects, a towel. One minute to look, cover it, then list what you recall.
  • Play the snowman word game 10 minutes. Paper and a pen. Guess the word by letters. Each miss adds a piece to the snowman.
  • Play twenty questions 10 minutes. Nothing. One person thinks of a thing, the rest get twenty yes or no questions.
  • Play two truths and one lie 15 minutes. Nothing. The trick is a boring lie and one truth that sounds impossible.
  • Play whisper down the line 10 minutes. Four or more people. Whisper a long sentence once each, then compare start and finish.
  • Play who am I with sticky notes 20 minutes. Sticky notes and a pen. A name on each forehead, yes or no questions only.
  • Play wink detective 15 minutes. Six or more. One secret winker, winked players quietly drop out, the detective gets three guesses.
  • Play would you rather 10 minutes. Nothing. Take turns inventing the choice. Everyone has to answer and defend it.
  • Practice a tongue twister until it is clean 5 minutes. Nothing. Try red leather, yellow leather ten times fast.
  • Practice your signature until you like it 10 minutes. Paper and the pen you like most. Fill a page, circle the winner.
  • Press a flower in a heavy book 10 minutes. A flower from your own yard, two sheets of paper, the heaviest book you own.
  • Put on three songs and dance in the kitchen 10 minutes. A speaker or headphones. Nobody is watching, so use your arms.
  • Quick-pickle a jar of red onions 15 minutes. One red onion, vinegar, sugar, salt, a jar. Ready to eat in about half an hour.
  • Race to stack ten cups into a pyramid 10 minutes. Ten plastic or paper cups and a timer. Build it, take it down, fastest time wins.
  • Rank your ten favorite movies 15 minutes. Paper and a pen. The top three are easy. Places seven to ten are where it gets hard.
  • Re-read your old birthday cards and letters 20 minutes. The box or drawer where they pile up. Keep the ones with real handwriting in them.
  • Read a picture book aloud in silly voices 10 minutes. Any picture book. Each reader takes a page and a different voice.
  • Read a poem out loud, twice 10 minutes. Any poetry book on your shelf. The second reading is always the good one.
  • Read a random encyclopedia article, then five links 20 minutes. A free online encyclopedia with a random article button. Five links, then stop.
  • Read one chapter of the book you abandoned 20 minutes. The book with the bookmark stuck in the middle. One chapter decides if it stays.
  • Read the front page of a newspaper from 100 years ago 20 minutes. A free online newspaper archive, often through your library. Read the small stories.
  • Record yourself reading a picture book for a kid you know 20 minutes. A picture book and your phone's voice recorder. Send it to the parent.
  • Recreate an old family photo 20 minutes. The old photo, the same people, similar clothes, a phone camera. Match the poses exactly.
  • Regrow scallions in a glass of water 5 minutes. The white root ends of store-bought scallions and a glass on a windowsill.
  • Run a blind taste test 20 minutes. A blindfold and five foods, or three brands of one thing. One serves, the rest guess.
  • Run an indoor scavenger hunt 25 minutes. Paper and a pen. List ten things: something older than you, something red, something tiny.
  • Say the alphabet backwards 10 minutes. Nothing. Learn it in chunks of four from Z, and time yourself once it sticks.
  • Set off a baking soda volcano in the sink 10 minutes. A cup, two spoons of baking soda, a splash of vinegar. A drop of dish soap makes it foam.
  • Set up a domino chain with books 20 minutes. Ten or more paperbacks or a box of dominoes. Film the fall if you like.
  • Set up hallway bowling 15 minutes. Ten plastic bottles and a soft ball. A little water in each bottle helps them stand.
  • Set up mini golf with cups on their sides 25 minutes. Cups, a small ball, an umbrella or broom as the putter. Books make the walls.
  • Shadow box for one song 5 minutes. A clear patch of floor and one fast song. Light feet, loose shoulders.
  • Sing karaoke off the TV 45 minutes. A TV or laptop. Search any song plus the word karaoke. Duets for the shy ones.
  • Sit by an open window and list ten sounds 10 minutes. A window, paper, a pen. The far-away sounds take the longest to notice.
  • Sketch what you can see from your window 20 minutes. Paper and a pencil. Put in the wires, the parked cars and the ugly parts too.
  • Sketch your pet or a houseplant in ten minutes 10 minutes. Paper, a pencil, a timer. Plants hold still. Pets teach you to draw fast.
  • Sketch your shoe without looking at the paper 10 minutes. A shoe, paper, a pen. Eyes stay on the shoe. The result is always funny.
  • Sort your coin jar and count it 15 minutes. The jar and a table. Guess the total first, then stack by type.
  • Sprout a dried bean in a damp paper towel 10 minutes. A dried bean, a paper towel, a jar by the window. Roots show in a few days.
  • Start a jigsaw puzzle 45 minutes. A puzzle and a table you can give up for a few days. Edges first, or not, it is your puzzle.
  • Start a list of 25 things you want to do 15 minutes. A notebook. Mix huge and tiny, and keep writing until you reach 25.
  • Start an avocado pit in water 10 minutes. An avocado pit, three toothpicks, a glass. Broad end down, half under water.
  • Stretch from your neck down to your ankles 10 minutes. A bit of floor. Hold each stretch for five slow breaths and skip anything that hurts.
  • Swap five songs each and listen together 30 minutes. A speaker. Take turns, one song at a time, with one sentence on why.
  • Take a long bath with a book 40 minutes. A tub, a book you do not mind steaming, a towel within reach.
  • Take a twenty-minute nap with a timer 25 minutes. A timer and a blanket. Set it for 25 minutes so you get 20. Shoes off.
  • Take a typing speed test 5 minutes. A keyboard and any free typing test. Do three runs and keep the middle score.
  • Tap out your name in Morse code 15 minutes. A Morse chart from any encyclopedia. Short taps and long taps on the table.
  • Taste three kinds of one thing side by side 15 minutes. Three apples, three cheeses or three chocolates. Write one word for each before you rank.
  • Teach each other one skill in five minutes 20 minutes. Each person picks something they can do: a knot, a whistle, a card shuffle.
  • Tell a story one word at a time 10 minutes. Nothing. Go clockwise, one word each, and try to land an ending.
  • Tell ghost stories by flashlight 20 minutes. A dark room and one flashlight. Go one sentence at a time if nobody has a story ready.
  • Test ten small objects to see which float 10 minutes. A bowl of water and ten small things. Guess each one first. Try an orange with and without peel.
  • Tidy your phone's home screen 15 minutes. Your phone. Delete ten apps and move the time-wasters to the last page.
  • Tour a museum collection online 30 minutes. A laptop. Many large museums publish their collections free. Pick one room and stay in it.
  • Trace the shadow of an object on the hour 10 minutes. Paper, a pencil, a sunny windowsill. Trace it now, then again every hour.
  • Trace your family name on a surname map 15 minutes. A free surname distribution site. See where the name is common and guess why.
  • Try not to laugh 10 minutes. Nothing. One person has a minute to crack the others. No touching.
  • Try on clothes you have not worn in a year 30 minutes. Your closet and a mirror. Build one new outfit out of old pieces.
  • Video call someone you have not spoken to in a year 30 minutes. Text first: are you free for ten minutes. It will run longer than ten.
  • Watch a documentary on a subject new to you 60 minutes. A library streaming app or a service you already pay for. Choose by title alone.
  • Watch a live animal webcam 10 minutes. Zoos and wildlife groups stream nests, reefs and watering holes for free.
  • Watch a tutorial for something you will never do 15 minutes. Any video site. Glassblowing, sheep shearing, watch repair. Pick the oddest one.
  • Write a fold-over story 15 minutes. Paper and pens. Write a sentence, fold it under, pass it on. Read them aloud at the end.
  • Write a haiku about your lunch 10 minutes. Paper and a pen. Five syllables, then seven, then five.
  • Write a letter to yourself one year from now 20 minutes. Paper, an envelope, a pen. Seal it, date it, and hide it in a coat pocket.
  • Write a limerick about someone you live with 15 minutes. Paper and a pen. Five lines, and the first one ends with their name.
  • Write a new ending for the last movie you watched 15 minutes. Paper and a pen. Half a page. Fix the thing that annoyed you.
  • Write a postcard to a friend in another city 10 minutes. A postcard or an index card, a stamp, a pen. Three sentences is a full postcard.
  • Write a recipe card for a dish you make from memory 15 minutes. An index card and a pen. Whoever inherits the dish will need the amounts.
  • Write a six-word story 10 minutes. A pen and any scrap of paper. Six words exactly. Write five and keep the one that stings.
  • Write a thank-you note and mail it 15 minutes. A card or paper, an envelope, a stamp from the drawer. Walk it to the mailbox today.
  • Write and perform a commercial for a household object 20 minutes. Any object in the room. One minute, a slogan and a jingle. Pairs work well.
  • Write down last night's dream 10 minutes. A notebook. Write in the present tense and do not try to make it make sense.
  • Write one page with your other hand 10 minutes. Paper and a pen. Copy a paragraph from any book. It gets readable around line ten.
  • Write the worst opening line for a novel 10 minutes. Paper and a pen. Make it long, overwritten and proud of itself.
  • Write your life story in exactly 100 words 20 minutes. Paper and a pen. The cutting is the fun part.
  • Write your name in five styles of lettering 15 minutes. Paper, a pencil, a marker. Bubble, block, script, tall and thin, tiny capitals.

Outside 167

  • Blow giant bubbles 20 minutes. Dish soap, water, a spoon of sugar, two sticks and a loop of string.
  • Borrow a library book from a shelf you never visit 40 minutes. A library card. Walk to the 500s or the 900s and take the third book that catches your eye.
  • Bounce a tennis ball on a racket 50 times 10 minutes. A racket and a ball. Then alternate sides of the strings each bounce.
  • Browse a thrift store with a five dollar limit 40 minutes. Five dollars. The rule is one object with a story, not one more mug.
  • Build a chalk obstacle course 25 minutes. Sidewalk chalk. Spin here, hop here, walk the wavy line, then time each other.
  • Build a sandcastle 40 minutes. A sandbox or a beach, a bucket, a spoon for details. Dig down for the damp sand.
  • Build a snowman 40 minutes. Snow that packs, a carrot, a scarf you can spare. Roll the base until you cannot push it.
  • Build a stick house at the foot of a tree 25 minutes. Fallen sticks, bark and leaves only. Make it big enough for a mouse.
  • Buy one fruit you have never tasted 30 minutes. A grocery store or market and about 3 dollars. Look up how to cut it when you get home.
  • Call a friend while you walk a mile 20 minutes. A phone in your pocket and earphones. The walk ends when the call does.
  • Chalk a hopscotch court and use it 15 minutes. Chalk and a small stone. Ten squares. You remember the rules once you start hopping.
  • Chalk a target and throw wet sponges at it 15 minutes. Chalk, sponges, a bucket of water, a wall or the driveway. Rings worth 10, 20 and 50.
  • Chalk a town for toy cars 25 minutes. Sidewalk chalk and a few toy cars. Roads first, then a gas station, a school, a pond.
  • Collect five different leaves and compare them 15 minutes. Fallen leaves only. Line them up by size, then by color, then guess the trees.
  • Collect rocks on a walk and crown one winner 20 minutes. Pockets. Put all but the winner back before you head home.
  • Count dogs on a walk 20 minutes. Shoes. Guess the number before you leave. Extra points for a dog in a coat.
  • Do a bird count from one spot 10 minutes. A yard or a park bench, paper, a pen. No names needed: small brown one is fine.
  • Do an alphabet walk 30 minutes. Shoes. Spot something for each letter from A to Z, in order. Q and X allow cheating.
  • Draw a chalk mural on the driveway 30 minutes. Sidewalk chalk. Start with one big shape and fill it with patterns. Rain is the eraser.
  • Draw a map of your block 25 minutes. A clipboard, paper, a pen. Pace it out and mark trees, hydrants and good dogs.
  • Dress each other at a thrift store for ten dollars 60 minutes. Ten dollars each. Pick outfits for one another, then wear them to dinner.
  • Dribble a basketball around the block with your weak hand 15 minutes. A basketball. Eyes up, weak hand only, and switch back for the last stretch home.
  • Eat lunch at the farmers market 60 minutes. About 10 dollars each. Everyone buys one thing and you share it all on a bench.
  • Eat your lunch outside 20 minutes. Your normal lunch, carried to the nearest bench or step.
  • Find a hidden cache with a free treasure hunt app 45 minutes. A phone with GPS. Hobbyists hide small logbook containers in most towns.
  • Find north with a stick and its shadow 20 minutes. A stick, two stones, sun. Mark the shadow tip now and in 15 minutes. The line runs west to east.
  • Find the house numbers 1 to 20 in order 30 minutes. Shoes. Any street counts, but you have to find them in order.
  • Find the moon and draw its phase 10 minutes. A clear evening, paper, a pencil. Do it again in three nights and compare.
  • Find the oldest building in your town 30 minutes. Ask at the library or look it up, then go and stand in front of it.
  • Find the oldest headstone in the local cemetery 30 minutes. A public cemetery in daylight. Walk quietly, keep to the paths, read the dates.
  • Find the rainbow in order on one walk 20 minutes. Shoes. Something red, then orange, then yellow, on through violet. Violet takes the longest.
  • Find three constellations 20 minutes. A clear night and the darkest corner of the yard. Give your eyes ten minutes to adjust.
  • Fly a kite 30 minutes. The kite from the garage, an open field away from power lines, a steady breeze.
  • Follow one ant for ten minutes 10 minutes. A crack in the sidewalk and patience. A magnifying glass if you own one.
  • Go bowling 90 minutes. A lane and shoes, often about 20 dollars each. Bumpers are allowed and nobody may judge.
  • Go for a run at talking pace 30 minutes. Running shoes. If you cannot hold a conversation you are going too fast.
  • Go for a swim at the public pool 60 minutes. Pool entry, often about 5 dollars. Ten easy lengths, then float.
  • Go puddle stomping in rain boots 10 minutes. Rain boots and a wet day. Find the deepest one on the block.
  • Go roller skating on a smooth paved path 30 minutes. Skates, a helmet, wrist guards. A rink, a paved park path or a lot you have permission to use.
  • Go sledding 60 minutes. A sled and a hill with a long flat runout, well away from roads.
  • Go to a playground and use the swings 20 minutes. A playground with no kids waiting. Adults forget how good a swing is.
  • Guess the steps to the corner, then count them 5 minutes. Shoes. Say your guess out loud before you start. Try again with giant steps.
  • Have a sidewalk chalk drawing contest 25 minutes. Chalk and one sidewalk square each. A passer-by picks the winner.
  • Hit a tennis ball against a practice wall 20 minutes. A racket, a ball and the wall at the public courts. Count your longest rally with yourself.
  • Hold a hoop spinning contest 10 minutes. One hoop each or take timed turns. Longest spin wins. Hips forward and back, not in circles.
  • Hold a long jump contest in the sand 15 minutes. A sandbox, a beach or a long jump pit. Mark each landing with a stick.
  • Hold a paper boat race on a pond 20 minutes. A sheet of paper each and a breezy day. Fold, launch, blow. No touching after launch.
  • Hold a penalty shootout 15 minutes. A ball and two jackets as goalposts. Five kicks each, then sudden death.
  • Hold a potluck picnic 60 minutes. Each person brings one dish and nobody coordinates. Three potato salads is part of the fun.
  • Hold a tug of war 10 minutes. A long thick rope, even teams, soft ground. Gloves help. Mark the middle with a bandanna.
  • Identify three trees on your street 20 minutes. A field guide or a free plant app. Look at the leaf shape, the bark and the seeds.
  • Jog to a landmark and walk back 25 minutes. Running shoes. Pick something about ten minutes away at an easy pace.
  • Join a pickup game at the park 60 minutes. Sneakers and a ball. Ask who has next. Most courts and fields welcome one more.
  • Juggle a soccer ball with your feet 10 minutes. A ball. Count touches before it hits the ground. Beat five, then ten.
  • Jump a long rope together 15 minutes. A long rope and two turners. Run in, jump five, run out, next.
  • Jump rope on the driveway 10 minutes. A jump rope and flat ground. Thirty seconds on, thirty off, five times.
  • Keep a footbag in the air 15 minutes. A footbag or a small beanbag and a circle of people. No hands. Count the touches.
  • Kick a ball against a wall 15 minutes. A ball and a wall with no windows. Alternate feet and count your record.
  • Leave a kind chalk message on your sidewalk 10 minutes. One stick of chalk. Five words for whoever walks past next.
  • Let a coin decide every turn on a walk 20 minutes. One coin. Heads is left, tails is right. Head home after twenty flips.
  • Lie on a blanket and stargaze together 40 minutes. A blanket, jackets, a dark spot. First to see a satellite picks the snacks.
  • Lie on the grass and watch the clouds 15 minutes. A patch of grass and a jacket to lie on. Name three shapes before you get up.
  • Look at the fish in a pet store 30 minutes. Any pet store with tanks. Free to look. Pick the fish you would be.
  • Look for a four-leaf clover 15 minutes. A patch of clover. Scan for the square shape rather than counting leaves.
  • Make a ring pattern from leaves and stones 20 minutes. Fallen leaves, stones, seeds. Work outward in rings and leave it for the next walker.
  • Make bark rubbings from three trees 15 minutes. Paper and a bare crayon. Different trees give very different prints.
  • Make nature bingo cards and play them on a walk 30 minutes. Paper, a pen, a park. Nine squares each: a feather, a red leaf, a bird call, an ant.
  • Make taped chalk stained glass on the driveway 30 minutes. Painter's tape and chalk. Tape a web of lines, color every cell, peel the tape.
  • Paint rocks and leave them along your street 40 minutes. Smooth stones and whatever paint or markers you own. A face, a word, a pattern.
  • Photograph faces hiding in everyday objects 20 minutes. A phone camera. Outlets, mailboxes, car fronts. Once you start you cannot stop.
  • Pick a bouquet from your own yard 15 minutes. Scissors and a jar. Weeds with flowers count.
  • Pick up litter along one block 15 minutes. Gloves and a bag. One block, both sides, then you are done.
  • Pitch a tent in the yard 30 minutes. A tent and a yard. Sleep in it tonight or just read in it this afternoon.
  • Play 500 with a ball 20 minutes. One thrower, the rest catch. The thrower calls points for each throw. First to 500 throws.
  • Play a flying disc passing game to end zones 40 minutes. One disc, six or more people, shirts to mark end zones. No running while you hold the disc.
  • Play a plastic bat and ball game 40 minutes. A plastic bat, a light ball, shirts as bases. Pitch slow so everybody gets a hit.
  • Play badminton without a net 20 minutes. Rackets and a shuttlecock. Count the longest rally instead of keeping score.
  • Play capture the flag 40 minutes. Two bandannas, six or more people, a park with some cover. Agree on the borders first.
  • Play catch 15 minutes. A ball, and gloves if it is a baseball. Step back a pace after every ten clean catches.
  • Play disc golf with trees as holes 40 minutes. One flying disc each. Take turns naming the next tree. Fewest throws wins.
  • Play dodgeball with a soft foam ball 20 minutes. A soft foam ball only, a center line, even teams. Hits count below the shoulders.
  • Play flashlight tag at dusk 20 minutes. One flashlight and a yard. The beam is the tag. Set the borders before it gets dark.
  • Play follow the leader on a walk 15 minutes. Three or more people. The leader sets the route and the silly walk. Swap every block.
  • Play four square 20 minutes. Chalk and a bouncy ball. Four squares, one bounce each, the king serves.
  • Play freeze tag 15 minutes. Four or more people and a park. Tagged players freeze until a free player touches them.
  • Play hide and seek in the park 25 minutes. A park with trees, clear borders, and a loud call to bring everyone in at the end.
  • Play keep-away 10 minutes. A ball and three people. The one in the middle swaps out with whoever gets intercepted.
  • Play kick the can 30 minutes. One can and places to hide. Kick it to free everyone who has been caught.
  • Play kickball 45 minutes. A bouncy ball, four bases, two teams. Baseball rules, but you roll the pitch and kick it.
  • Play knockout at the hoop 15 minutes. Two basketballs and a line of players. Score before the person behind you does or you are out.
  • Play lawn bowling with any balls you own 30 minutes. One small target ball and two larger balls each. Closest to the target scores.
  • Play mini golf 60 minutes. Usually about 12 dollars each. Loser of each hole putts the next one wrong-handed.
  • Play mother may I 10 minutes. Four or more people. Ask for steps. Forget to say mother may I and you go back to the start.
  • Play red light, green light 10 minutes. Four or more people and a stretch of grass. Caught moving on red, back to the start.
  • Play sardines outside at dusk 25 minutes. A yard or park with cover. One hides, all seek, each finder hides with them.
  • Play shadow tag 10 minutes. A sunny afternoon. Step on someone's shadow and they are it.
  • Play sharks and minnows 15 minutes. Six or more and a field. Minnows run across, the shark tags, tagged players become sharks.
  • Play Simon says 10 minutes. Four or more people. Do it only if Simon says. The leader speeds up until someone slips.
  • Play soccer tennis over a chalk line 20 minutes. A ball and a chalk line. One bounce allowed, feet and heads only.
  • Play tourist in your own town 120 minutes. Look up where visitors get sent and go to the one place you have never been.
  • Practice cartwheels on the grass 10 minutes. A soft lawn and empty pockets. Hands down one at a time, legs over like wheel spokes.
  • Put out a dish of water for the birds 5 minutes. A shallow dish and a flat stone in the middle for small birds to stand on.
  • Race laps of the block with predicted times 15 minutes. A watch. Everyone predicts their own time. Closest prediction wins, not the fastest.
  • Race leaf boats down a stream 15 minutes. A leaf each and moving water, even a rain gutter. First past the finish stick wins.
  • Race sticks under a footbridge 15 minutes. A footbridge over moving water and a stick each. Drop together, run to the other side.
  • Rake a leaf pile and jump in it 20 minutes. A rake and a lawn full of dry leaves. Check the pile for sticks first.
  • Read a magazine at the library 40 minutes. A public library. The magazine rack is free and nobody minds how long you sit.
  • Read every plaque and marker downtown 30 minutes. Shoes. Towns hide their history on small bronze signs nobody stops for.
  • Read in the park 60 minutes. A book and a blanket. Phone on silent at the bottom of the bag.
  • Ride bikes to a landmark and back 60 minutes. Bikes, helmets, water. Pick a place about five miles out and take a photo as proof.
  • Ride your bike somewhere you have only driven 40 minutes. A bike, a helmet, air in the tires. Familiar roads feel new at bike speed.
  • Run a park scavenger hunt 30 minutes. A list: a feather, a forked stick, something red, a smooth stone. Fallen things only.
  • Run a photo scavenger hunt across town 60 minutes. Phones and teams. A blue door, a dog in a sweater, a misspelled sign.
  • Run a pillowcase sack race 10 minutes. One old pillowcase each and a finish line. Short hops beat big leaps.
  • Run a relay with a different silly walk each leg 15 minutes. Two teams and a turnaround point. Hop, walk backwards, crab walk, then sprint.
  • Run a three-legged race 10 minutes. A scarf per pair. Tie inside ankles together and agree on which leg goes first.
  • Run a wheelbarrow race 10 minutes. Pairs and soft grass. One walks on hands, the other holds the ankles. Swap at the halfway line.
  • Run an egg and spoon race 10 minutes. Spoons and eggs, hard-boiled if you value the lawn. Drop it and you go back to the start.
  • Run through the sprinkler 15 minutes. A hose, a sprinkler, a hot day, towels by the door.
  • Set up a beanbag toss 30 minutes. Beanbags or rolled socks and a box as the target. Step back a pace each time through.
  • Shoot around the world at the hoop 20 minutes. A basketball and a hoop. Seven spots in an arc. Make it to move on, miss and stay.
  • Shoot free throws at the park 20 minutes. A basketball and a public hoop. Shoot in sets of ten and write down each set.
  • Sit in your parked car and listen to one whole song 5 minutes. A driveway and a song you loved at seventeen. Volume up.
  • Sit on a bench and sketch what passes 20 minutes. A pocket notebook and a pen. People move, so draw fast and leave it unfinished.
  • Sit on your front step and wave at people 15 minutes. A drink and the front step. You will learn more about your street than in a year of driving.
  • Sketch one building on your street 20 minutes. A notebook and a pen. Count the windows before you start drawing them.
  • Sketch the same view and compare 30 minutes. Paper, pens, a park bench. Ten minutes, same view. The differences are the fun part.
  • Skip instead of walking for one block 5 minutes. Shoes. It is very hard to skip and stay grumpy.
  • Skip stones 20 minutes. A calm pond or lake shore and flat stones. Low and sidearm, with a snap of the wrist.
  • Smell every flower on your block 10 minutes. Shoes. Front-yard flowers from the sidewalk only. Most smell of nothing, and one will stop you.
  • Spell a word at the basketball hoop 20 minutes. A basketball and a hoop. Match the basket the last player made or take a letter.
  • Stand barefoot on the grass for ten minutes 10 minutes. A lawn you trust. No phone, no podcast, just feet.
  • Stretch on the grass 10 minutes. A lawn or a park and a towel. Reach, fold, twist, and lie flat for the last minute.
  • Swap a book at a neighborhood book box 25 minutes. A book you are done with. Leave one, take one. Many neighborhoods have a box on a post.
  • Take a listening walk with no headphones 15 minutes. Shoes. When you get home, write down ten sounds you heard.
  • Take a night walk with flashlights 30 minutes. Flashlights and a route you all know by day. Everything sounds different.
  • Take a photo walk with one color as the rule 25 minutes. A phone camera. Pick a color at the door and photograph only that.
  • Take a picnic to the nearest patch of green 40 minutes. A sandwich, a drink, a blanket. It does not need to be a nice park.
  • Take portraits of each other in good light 20 minutes. A phone camera and open shade, under a tree or beside a building. Ten photos each, keep one.
  • Take the bus to a stop you have never used 60 minutes. Bus fare, usually a few dollars each way. Get off, walk ten minutes, ride home.
  • Throw a flying disc 20 minutes. A disc and an open field. Step back a pace after every five clean catches or tree hits.
  • Time yourself walking one mile 20 minutes. A watch and a route you know is a mile. Write the time down and beat it next week.
  • Toss a wet sponge on a hot day 10 minutes. A big sponge and a bucket of water. Catch it, squeeze it over yourself, throw it back.
  • Toss water balloons 15 minutes. A pack of balloons, about 3 dollars, and a warm day. Step back after each catch.
  • Trace each other in chalk and draw outfits 20 minutes. Chalk and a driveway. Lie down, get traced, then draw yourself the outfit you wish you had.
  • Trace your commute on foot for ten minutes 10 minutes. Shoes. Walk the first stretch of a route you only ever drive.
  • Try the coffee shop you always walk past 40 minutes. About 5 dollars. Sit in, order the thing you cannot pronounce.
  • Visit a plant nursery just to smell the herbs 30 minutes. Free, unless a basil plant follows you home for about 4 dollars.
  • Walk a neighbor's dog 30 minutes. A neighbor with a dog and a busy week. Ask, borrow the leash, take the long loop.
  • Walk a painted line like a tightrope 5 minutes. A quiet path or empty court with a painted line. Heel to toe, arms out, eyes ahead.
  • Walk a street you have never walked 20 minutes. Shoes. Leave by the front door and take the first turn you normally skip.
  • Walk a trail none of you have tried 60 minutes. Shoes, water, a trail map on someone's phone. Pick one under three miles for a first visit.
  • Walk and talk with one question per block 30 minutes. Shoes. At every corner the next person asks a question everyone must answer.
  • Walk in the rain with a big umbrella 20 minutes. An umbrella and shoes that can get wet. The streets are empty and smell of rain.
  • Walk to a friend's house unannounced with snacks 30 minutes. Snacks from your kitchen. Text from the doorstep so they can say no.
  • Walk to get ice cream 40 minutes. About 5 dollars each. The rule is that you walk both ways.
  • Walk to the nearest mailbox the long way 15 minutes. The thank-you note you wrote, or any letter. Take a street you never use.
  • Walk to the nearest water 30 minutes. Shoes. A river, a pond, a fountain, a canal. It is closer than you think.
  • Walk to the view in your neighborhood 30 minutes. Shoes. The hill, the footbridge or the public overlook where the sky opens up.
  • Walk your usual loop in the other direction 10 minutes. Shoes. The same block, backwards. Notice three things you never saw.
  • Wash the dog in the yard together 30 minutes. A hose with warm water if you can, dog shampoo, old towels. You will get wet too.
  • Watch squirrels for ten minutes and name them 10 minutes. A park bench. Give each one a name and a job. No feeding.
  • Watch the sunset from start to finish 30 minutes. A spot facing west and a jacket. Look up the time and get there fifteen minutes early.
  • Watch trains from a station platform 20 minutes. A station or a public footbridge. Count the cars on a freight train.
  • Water a street tree 10 minutes. A bucket or two of water for the young tree nearest your door in a dry week.
  • Window-shop the main street 30 minutes. No wallet. Pick the one thing in each window you would take if it were free.
  • Write down three overheard lines 20 minutes. A notebook and a bench somewhere busy. No names. Writers call this research.

How this list was compiled: All 433 activities and the lines under them were written for this page by Random Generator HQ; nothing is copied from another list. The rule for getting on the list was that you can start within ten minutes of reading the card, counting setting off on foot or by bike as starting; a few cards wait for dark, sun, wind, rain or snow, and say so. The minutes on each card are a plain estimate of how long the activity itself takes, and the rest of the line says what you need. No screens means you do not look at a screen while you do it; a phone used only as a timer, a speaker or a voice recorder does not count as a screen. 10 minutes means the card's estimate is ten minutes or less. Free means you spend nothing beyond ordinary things already in a home, such as paper, flour, tape, a ball or a deck of cards; a card that costs money says roughly how much in United States dollars, as a guide and not a quote. Left out on purpose: alcohol, gambling, dieting, cold water dips, breath-holding, heights and climbing, trespassing, pranks, viral stunts, campfires and bonfires, and feeding wild mammals or waterfowl. No brand, game or platform names are used; commercial games are described by how they are played. Licence: own work