Watch: A week of family challenges that are fun for all ages

From pillow marathons to fill-the-bucket challenges, try these easy family activities for some healthy competition

If you’ve run out of ideas for keeping the family entertained at home, Michael Haddin is here to help.

The personal trainer and owner of Haddins Fitness at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City has designed an easy to do at-home games challenge, which will give you a whole week’s worth of fun. Or, if you’re feeling extra fit, try turning it into a full-on family sports day.

There are five challenges, designed for the whole family, using everyday items most of us will have at home.

Pillow marathon

In teams of two, set up a race using pillows as stepping stones. Each team of two will get two pillows, moving them forwards to take the next step without ever touching the ground. The course can go from one end of the dining room, garden or balcony to the other. This encourages a bit of healthy competition.

Watch the video above for demonstrations of these challenges

Ball toss

Use markers to measure out distances of one, two, three and four metres from a box or bucket. Starting at the closest marker, throw a ball into the bucket and then, when both team members have got it in, move backwards to the next marker. The first team to get the ball in from all four markers wins.

Bucket toss

Over/under burpees

While one team member planks in position, the other will jump sideways over them, before climbing underneath them as they hold the plank. The team will see how many they can do in 60 seconds, before switching. At the end of the two minutes, count up who has done the most.

Over / under burpees

Fill the bucket

This one could get a little messy, so it is best done outside. Place a large tub of water in the middle of two spaced out smaller buckets. Give each opposing team member a sponge or smaller container. It’s then a race to see who can run to the central bucket of water to fill their own empty bucket at the side. Whichever team has the fullest bucket at the end of the five minutes wins.

The fill the bucket challenge

Throw and catch

This is a skills-based challenge. Standing one or two metres apart, see how many times you can throw and catch a ball in one minute. It’s all about speed, and whichever team manages the most successful catches, wins.

Haddin suggests taking on one challenge a day for five days, awarding the winning team with one point and the second team with two points. At the end of the week, tally up the total and the team with the lowest score, wins. Not only will it spark some healthy family competition, but it will also keep you fit and entertained in the process.