10 Fun Family Activities That Encourage Teamwork Instead of Competition

Want fun family activities that won’t lead to sibling rivalry? These 10 cooperative activities will help you enjoy quality time together—without the pressure to win.

Make family time more enjoyable with these cooperative family activities that encourage teamwork, creativity, and connection—no competition required!

Note: This post includes affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if purchases are made through those links. Please see my full disclosure to learn more.

A little friendly competition among family members can be fun, but if your family is anything like ours, sometimes things get a little too heated. My three boys are best frenemies (friends + enemies), and some days we lean more to one side than the other. There have been times when I wanted to do something fun as a family, but I knew that playing a competitve board game together would NOT end up being fun.

Can you relate?

When sibling rivalry is running particularly high at our house, or when one family member has been having an especially hard time, I know we need fun family activities that will bring us together and help my kids practice working as a team. The last thing we need during those times is more competition.

If you’re looking for ways to play together without the stress of competition, cooperative activities are the way to go! These fun family activities focus on teamwork, problem-solving, and shared success, making them perfect for families who want to bond without the drama.

Here are 10 cooperative and fun family activities to try

1. Do a Jigsaw Puzzle

Puzzles are a great way to work together toward a common goal. Everyone can contribute at their own pace, and it’s so satisfying when the final piece clicks into place. Our family’s favorite puzzles come from The Magic Puzzle Company. They are full of fun little details and easter eggs that are exciting to discover as you work on the puzzle, and there is a secret twist at the end. I can’t explain more; that would ruin the surprise, but it was delightful! We like to do puzzles while we listen to audiobooks or watch nature shows like Planet Earth. It’s a low-key and thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a cold winter evening. Here are some more favorite puzzles:

3 boys working on a jigsaw puzzle together. One of 10 fun family activities that will help you enjoy quality time together—without the pressure to win.

2. Solve an At-Home Escape Room

Have you ever done an escape room? They’re such a fun challenge and they make a great date night with friends…but they’re also pricey! Our kids have been wanting to go do one, but instead of paying the hefty price tag, we’ve brought the escape rooms home with us! There are tons you can buy and print from Etsy (some are better than others), but there are several companies that make at-home escape rooms that are ready to go right out of the box. We most recently did this Stargazer’s Mansion Escape Room, and it’s our favorite of the ones we’ve done so far. Here are some others we’ve enjoyed:

Exit the Game: The Mysterious Museum – This company has tons of different storylines to choose from, and they offer a variety of difficulty ratings.
Finders Seekers Myteries – I have bought two of these mystery boxes as at-home date nights to do with my husband. They’re geared more for adults, but you could definitely do it as a family too, especially if you have older kids. They have a Junior Explorer version as well, which I haven’t tried yet, but it looks fun.

3. Play a Cooperative Board Game

Some of the best board games don’t pit players against each other—instead, they encourage players to work together toward a shared victory. Here are a few of our favorites:

Outfoxed! – A fun detective game for younger kids, and my all-time favorite game for preschoolers! We played this one constantly when my kids were little. It’s easy enough for preschoolers, but it’s actually fun for me, too. Much less obnoxious than Chutes and Ladders.
Race to the Treasure – Build a path with your team and collect three keys on a race to beat the ogre to the treasure! This is another cute one for younger kids, recommended for ages 5+ (but younger kids can play, too, since everyone is on the same team).
Forbidden Island – A race against time to collect treasures before the island sinks. We love this one! In fact, we just played it again a few days ago (when my oldest child really wanted to play a game, but I knew he was on edge after losing several other games in a row).
Pandemic – Work together to save the world from outbreaks of disease (great for older kids and teens).

Young boy playing the cooperative board game Outfoxed.

I haven’t played the following cooperative games yet, but they look awesome and get great reviews! They’re going on my Christmas list…or I’ll just find an excuse to buy them before then!

Castle Panic – Work together to defend your castle from waves of attacking monsters.
Gnomes at Night – Navigate magnetic gnome pieces through a shifting maze to retrieve stolen treasures.
The Crew – Complete space missions in this trick-taking card game that has strict communication rules!

4. Cook Together

They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, and for us that is definitely true! If your kids are anything like mine, they LOVE good food, especially dessert. Don’t we all, really? Rather than just eating together as a family (which is great, too), try making it a team effort! You can bake cookies together for an after-dinner treat, or go all in on a build your own pizza night! (Use my no-fail, best-ever pizza recipe). Here are more favorite family recipes to try:

This simple recipe is a perfect, beginner-level dish for getting your kids involved in the kitchen. Plus, it's addictively delicious--a perfect afternoon snack or summertime dessert.

5. Build a Blanket Fort

Use blankets and couch cushions or chairs to create an epic fort, working together to make a fun hideout the whole family can climb inside and enjoy. Once it’s built, grab some books to read together, watch a movie, or play a cooperative game (see above for ideas!).

6. Create a Joint LEGO Build

Set a fun family challenge—like building a castle or a jungle island—and see what you can make as a team. Work together to design and construct the basic structure and then let each person add their own ideas and personal touches!

7. Plant a Garden

This isn’t a one-time Friday night activity, but it’s a fantastic way to get family members working together toward a common goal. Let kids help choose what to plant, and get everyone outside to prep and plant the garden. As you continue to share the responsibilty of watering and caring for your garden, kids will develop patience and a sense of accomplishment as they see their little seeds start to grow into yummy food or bright, beautiful flowers. Bonus: It’s amazing how much more willing my kids are to eat food they have grown themselves!

Fathern and son working together to pick ripe pumpkins from the family garden.

8. Have a Dance Party

Get on your feet, turn on some tunes, and get out some wiggles with a simple dance party! Put on your favorite playlist, or allow each family member to request one song. Want to make it even more fun? Have a glow-in-the-dark dance party! We do this every year before Halloween, and it’s become a much-loved tradition. We turn out the lights, give everyone glow sticks, and do our best reinactments of Thriller and The Monster Mash.

Have real dance skills? Try choreographing a family dance that everyone learns and then record your family performing it!

9. Pass a Story

Have one person start a story with a simple sentence such as, “Once there was a dragon who was lonely.” Pass the story around the group, allowing each person to add a little bit more. The game continues until everyone has contributed, creating a fun and often silly story together!

Rules? You set whatever rules make the game fun for your group. You may want to limit each person to adding one sentence, or give each person a certain amount of time. We like to pass the story to the next person with a cliff hanger like “The ground shook beneath his feet, and when he turned around……NEXT person!”

The one big rule we have is that everyone’s ideas are welcome, and you have to go along with whatever the storyteller says. No complaining “That’s dumb!” or “I don’t want that to happen!”

10. Go on a Scavenger Hunt

For more than a decade now, I’ve been using scavenger hunts with my kids. There are SO many different types, and my boys love them all. They can be used just about anywhere, anytime, and they’re a great way to get everyone working together to cross all the items off our scavenger hunt list! Here are some of our favorites (psst…they’re all FREE printables):

Want more scavenger hunts? Try these!

Reality check…with a spoonful of hope

Will these activities completely stop sibling rivalry? Probably not (my kids still battle over the last puzzle piece). But they will help build teamwork, and that’s a skill worth practicing!

I know I can’t make my kids get along all the time, and there will be tough moments. My goal isn’t a rivalry-free home—it’s simply to create more opportunities for connection, laughter, and teamwork. Because in the end, I hope these postive moments are the ones that they’ll remember most.

So, give these fun family activities a try. I’m rooting for you!

What are your favorite fun family activities? Share in the comments below!

10 Fun Family Activities That Encourage Teamwork Instead of Competition