Cartwheel. On the day we scattered my father’s ashes, we lightened the mood with some competitive gymnastics. I don’t know how it started, but in attempting a cartwheel, I was shocked at my own creeping decrepitude. Over the last year, I’ve been watching online tutorials and practising – and I can do a passable cartwheel now. For that joyful split-second, upside down and wheeling, I’m reconnected with my eight-year-old self. Emine Saner
‘For one joyful split-second, I’m reconnected with my eight-year-old self.’ Photograph: Posed by model; lzf/Getty Images
Have a kitchen disco. Never underestimate the fun ready to burst out of your kitchen. The crucial ingredient? Good music, played loudly. Parcels are my new favourite – the whole family have become superfans since last summer’s awesome Glastonbury set. Tieduprightnow, Gamesofluck, IknowhowIfeel, Hideout, Safeandsound – so many danceable, joyful tracks. Patrick Barkham
‘Quite a grand way to start the day.’ Photograph: Posed by model; RossHelen/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Make pancakes. I don’t do it every morning – probably four times a week, though. Pancakes are quite a grand way to start the day, but I’m a grand sort of person first thing. My weekdays are wildly unpredictable now that I have children, and while the chaos of hot butter slapping in a pan and my two-year-old wielding an egg beater isn’t exactly textbook fun, it’s the only moment we’ll all sit down together. I used to think treats were for withholding. Now I know better. Morwenna Ferrier
Wear colourful underwear. It used to be white, or black or beige. Now, opening my top drawer each morning brings me joy. Pink, blue, green, purple, yellow … mix, match, contrast. On cerebral days, explore colour adjacency. Option to coordinate socks. It’s my secret, daily fun. Or was. Paula Cocozza
‘Getting disoriented somehow orients me.’ Photograph: Posed by model; Ippei Naoi/Getty Images
Get lost. Ever since boyhood, I’ve enjoyed losing my bearings. Where I live, in southern Italy, I trek high up a hill into dense woods until the dirty paths end. I never know where I’m headed, much less how to get back home, but that tingle of suspense snugly fits my definition of fun. Getting disoriented somehow orients me. Bob Brody
Cook something from scratch, as a family or group, that you have never made before and would normally buy from a shop – ravioli, eclairs or sushi, say. Better yet, make something you thought could only be bought from a shop: cheese and onion crisps, jelly babies, M&Ms. People create recipes for such things and post them online. Doing it together is the key: that way, you have collective responsibility if the whole thing goes wrong. And each experiment should be a one-off – it probably won’t turn out well enough for you to ever try it again. Tim Dowling
A spot of collaborative creativity. Photograph: Posed by models; South_agency/Getty Images
Try communal painting. In February, I went to A Creative Pause, an art class with a twist, and it was the most fun I’ve had in ages. You draw and paint on a big communal sheet of paper and keep moving around the table, so you don’t feel self-conscious about what you have produced. Together, you create a stunning mural and everyone gets to take a piece of it home. It switched on a part of my brain that felt really good – and inspired uplifting conversations about creativity along the way. Sarah Phillips
Watch Younger. Romcoms are not usually my jam, but earlier this year I stumbled upon the Netflix show Younger. Set in the New York publishing world, it has a preposterously silly premise: Liza (Sutton Foster), a 40-year-old divorcee, pretends to be 26 to land an entry level job. Cue seven seasons of “now everyone will find out her secret!” jeopardy. Mindless joy. Anita Chaudhuri
‘You’re trusting the chef to choose what you eat.’ Photograph: Francesco Riccardo Iacomino/Getty Images
Go omakase. This Japanese word translates to “I leave it up to you”. In the dining context, you’re trusting the chef to choose what you eat. This sounds like something a control freak like me would hate, but – shocker – it turns out I’m a huge fan. My favourite local restaurant is a one-sitting-per-night, small, cosy spot where you simply tell staff your dietary requirements and they bring you a taster menu of seven surprise courses. Never what I would have ordered, always completely delicious. Polly Hudson
Visit an arcade. For half the cost of a pair of jeans, you can play skee-ball (my favourite), get weirdly intense about air hockey, and win dinky prizes from claw machines. Even better, you can see your friends do all these things and remember how we were all small children once – and still kind of are. Madeleine Aggeler
‘I’m a tiny dot in the hugeness of the world, observing it from the main character’s seat.’ Photograph: Tami Ruble/Alamy
Sit in the front seat on the top deck of a bus. It doesn’t matter where you’re going, it’s an ageless joy. Take in the landmarks or the life-affirming sights of the more ordinary, but no less fascinating, streets below you. I don’t think I ever feel more happy or alive than when I’m a tiny dot in the hugeness of the world, observing it from the main character’s seat. Justin Myers
Watch theatre from home. The National Theatre at Home app is some of the best fun you can have with your pyjamas on. I’ve laughed out loud at Ncuti Gatwa in The Importance of Being Earnest, Andrew Scott in Present Laughter, and that fire extinguisher scene in One Man, Two Guvnors. Even when I cried last week at the end of Nye, I’m pretty sure I was still smiling. Frances Ryan
‘I can sense the knots in my brain relaxing as I pedal.’ Photograph: Posed by models; Peter Cade/Getty Images
Try cycling. I love to spend hours riding around on my bike, exploring quiet back streets, dedicated cycle lanes and paths along canals. I can sense the knots in my brain relaxing as I pedal; nothing makes me feel as free and joyful. And the best thing about it? The utter elation when you cruise down a hill and feel like a kid again. Ann Lee
Eat unconventional gelato. Forget mint choc chip, strawberry or vanilla; since discovering flavours such as butter-toasted sweetcorn, walnut and cherries, and banana miso, gelato pilgrimages have become a near weekly indulgence, especially now the sun is out. Ice-cream works too. One scoop, in a tub, no regrets. Leah Harper
Who could be cross with Animal Crossing? Photograph: Maskot/Getty Images
Play a video game. Really, any game that brings you joy – Crossy Road, Marvel Snap, Pokémon Go, I Love Hue or Tetris on your phone; Animal Crossing on your Nintendo Switch; a blockbuster narrative game on your PlayStation at home; even something from your childhood. I know someone who carries around a little Game Boy so that they can always play a farming game called Harvest Moon instead of doomscrolling. Keza MacDonald
Go tracking. Less effort than a treasure hunt, tracking is great fun for kids, or even grownups who loved being a Brownie or Cub. One person sets off and lays a trail using sticks, stones or chalk, and the rest leave later and try to follow it. It can lead anywhere you want (an ice-cream shop or pub are always fun). You can find symbols online, or make up your own before you start. Hilary Osborne
‘It’s salty, sweet, sickly, shameful and moreish’ … Rich Pelley with his Pringles dish. Photograph: Courtesy of Rich Pelley
Make a Pringles chocolate block. Why not join 2026’s most unhinged viral trend? Grab a full tube of Pringles, melt a massive bar of chocolate in a microwave (or bain marie if you’re Gordon Ramsay), pour it all in, bung the tube in the fridge to set, then scoff it. It’s salty, sweet, sickly, shameful and moreish all at once. Yum. Rich Pelley
Compose music. Thanks to apps such as Koala, Dubler and Ableton Note, music-making doesn’t have to require years of training. Spending a few minutes each day recording musical experiments is a great antidote to doomscrolling and it may just unlock a new, creative sense of fun in your life. Ammar Kalia
‘More fun than slogging on a treadmill.’ Photograph: Posed by models; Maskot/Getty Images
Get sweaty. Saunas are hot right now – and for good reason: even if you’re feeling miserable, perspiring alongside strangers in a small room releases feelgood endorphins. Not to sound like a wellness bro, but I like to endorphins-maxx by combining the sauna with a cold plunge. It gets the blood flowing – and, in my opinion, is more fun than slogging it out on a treadmill. Arwa Mahdawi
Host a themed dinner party. Last year, my sister revealed she loves both margherita (the pizza) and margarita (the cocktail) – and the idea for a Margheritas and Margaritas night was born. Since then, I’ve been keen to give more get-togethers a novel spin. You don’t have to be intense about it – although I do have a friend who sent a moodboard to guests ahead of a Halloween dinner – but adding a theme to a social gathering (summer solstice feast, anyone?) makes it just that little bit more fun, trust me. Lucy Knight
How accurate can you be without measuring? Photograph: Posed by models; JGalione/Getty Images
Draw your own nose. The challenge is for everyone to draw – without measuring by hand, pencil or any other instrument – their own nose as closely as possible to its true shape and size. Profile or square on is up to you. Everyone then cuts out their “nose”, measures it against their face and the most accurate wins. Nell Frizzell
‘Tango is slithery, intimate and sultry.’ Photograph: Posed by models; JackF/Getty Images
Take tango lessons. Argentinian tango is complicated to learn, but it’s the challenge that brings me so much joy. In contrast to the Irish dancing I learned at school in Belfast, tango is slithery, almost horizontal, intimate and sultry. My weekly 90-minute lessons are hilariously different to how I use my body and mind the rest of the week.. Anna Hart
Learn to play chess. I haven’t actually improved since I was about 10, but this isn’t about technical ability. For me, chess has livened up everything from long train journeys to evenings in the pub. There is nothing quite like sitting across from a friend, lover or total stranger engaging in furious mental combat as your pints grow warm. Sasha Mistlin
‘Springsteen forces us to interact’ … the Boss performing in Manchester, 2025. Photograph: Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images
See the Boss. Every couple of years or so, I find an unimaginable burst of joy in seeing Bruce Springsteen play live. Most entertainment tries to reduce our friction with the world; Springsteen does not. He forces us to interact, to be part of something greater than ourselves. That connection is the most joyful thing of all. Michael Hann
Get sprinting. Running is often treated as an ordeal, but have you seen the way kids run? Inspired by my three-year-old, who turns every walk into a race, I have started adding random sprints into my jogs. I feel invincible, like the reigning champion of the block. It’s exhilarating and it’s fun! Abi Millar
‘Sometimes it’s more fun alone’ … Sinéad Campbell at Everyman King’s Cross. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian
Cinema solo. Although I enjoy sharing the experience with a friend, arranging plans around busy schedules can be a logistical ordeal. Sometimes it’s more fun to just go alone. Catching an evening screening at my local cinema is a spontaneous way to decompress after work and gets me out of a streaming rut. Sinéad Campbell
Introduce a daily aperitivo. I’m not suggesting nightly boozing (though it’s 2026, no judgment here); rather, start your evening pretending to be Italian. At 6pm, my husband and I curate a selection of salty snacks – nuts, olives, anything Italian sophisticates might nibble – and make an iced, ideally colourful drink (the non-alcoholic Martini Vibrante is almost-perfect Campari red, FYI). I’d love to be able to say we go full Italian, sitting outside, watching our neighbours passeggiata while chatting. Actually, we aperitivo on the divano (sofa, yes I Googled it) watching bad TV. It’s still great. Emma Beddington
‘The closest to pure pleasure any of us are likely to get.’ Photograph: Anita Kot/Getty Images
Count the dogs. It’s been a year since our dog Herbie died. I miss him terribly; I loved him and he loved me. What more could you want? Now I have to find other ways of getting my daily canine fix. When I walk through the park, I make a point of counting every mutt and watching what they are up to. A dog smelling its best smells and living its best life is the closest to pure pleasure any of us are likely to get. John Crace
Browse Pinterest. Unlike other social platforms, Pinterest isn’t built for performance or comparison but visual discovery. You can scroll without pressure, and build worlds that reflect your taste. To me, it feels part moodboard, part archive, part daydream. It’s a slower, more intentional kind of inspiration that I find uniquely calming. Anita Bhagwandas
‘It goes down even better than sweets’ … Catherine Shoard’s potion. Photograph: Catherine Shoard
Make potions. For those who turn to a chemical cocktail in search of happiness, here’s one that never fails. Get a bucket, then tip into it citric acid, baking soda, food colouring and water. Watch as it fizzes and sizzles, colours marbling, foam going everywhere. Optional extras: oil, glitter, vinegar, petals, baked beans. This was the big hit of a Harry Potter party (potions class) – it went down even better than sweets with 25 Cubs. It’s also an easy win at home: exciting yet calming, ideal for sundowning children restless in the kitchen. Mop essential. Catherine Shoard
Watch an old TV series. Many small-screen marvels are over just as you’re getting hooked. To beat this, I’d recommend going for an older show with loads of seasons and episodes. If you like comedy, you can’t go wrong with Friends, The Big Bang Theory or 2 Broke Girls. If drama is your thing, The West Wing, Scandal or Law & Order are decent bets. And for fantasy and sci-fi, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica and Smallville will keep you glued to the sofa. Sammy Gecsoyler
‘Maddeningly addictive’ … Cuphead. Photograph: Studio MDHR
Play Cuphead. I was warned not to buy this action game for my six-year-old – “far too hard for a kid!” said people in the know. Well, it is maddeningly difficult. But it’s even more maddeningly addictive. Since Christmas, we’ve been sat side-by-side on the sofa playing the 2017 game in all its stunning, 1930s-style animated glory. I like to think it has been a beautiful bonding experience … but sometimes when I look over I realise that he’s long gone to bed and I am actually up playing it alone. Tim Jonze
Add novelty buttons. Whenever I’m in a new city, I visit a local haberdashers and seek out silly buttons to attach to otherwise boring clothes. My bespoke pieces currently include a cardigan with blackberry buttons and a jacket with fake Roman coin fastenings. I still have houses and mini mobile phones to go. Amelia Tait
‘A total tonic.’ Photograph: Posed by model; ArtistGNDphotography/Getty Images
Try bouldering. As something to remind you that thumbs can grip as well as scroll, I heartily recommend it. And while I am nowhere near good enough to have entered that elusive flow state – yet – the focus it takes to be 4.5 metres up with no ropes is a total tonic to the psychological feeling that you have multiple tabs open. That, right now, is exactly the kind of fun I need. Ellie Violet Bramley
Binge medical dramas. As a self-confessed health nerd, I’ve always found them a fun way to escape and immerse yourself in someone else’s story. I’m currently loving The Pitt, whose every episode represents an unwaveringly tense hour of one shift. Then, for light relief, I’ll switch over to the Scrubs reboot, a nostalgic revival of the original show. A perfect night in. Lizzie Cernik
‘The real king of holiday card games.’ Photograph: Steve Skjold/Alamy
Play Monopoly Deal. I have never finished a game of Monopoly, yet I have won – and lost – dozens of games of Monopoly Deal. Why? Because unlike its tedious parent, the card-game version of Monopoly is well designed, blisteringly strategic and loads of fun to play. It’s luck-based enough to make dramatic comebacks possible, and occasionally unfair enough to still function as a devastating critique of capitalism. Why everyone plays Uno is a mystery to me: this is the real king of the holiday card games. Joel Snape
Learn a tune. I hadn’t learned anything new on guitar since pre-kids – the oldest is 16 – when I heard friends discussing how hard it would be to play Blackbird by the Beatles. Gauntlet. Thrown. On the first attempt, the chord changes and singing over the fingerpicking seemed impossible, but unravelling the song’s mysteries was so fun that I was still there, four hours later, my little finger throbbing. I can’t stop playing it now, much to the irritation of said teens – joy! Amy Fleming
‘It’s absolutely, unforgettably hilarious’ … Kate Abbott takes off. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian
Go skydiving (sort of). I took my kids last month and they had a good time, sure – but I haven’t squealed with such delight in years. If you want four minutes of exhilaration that is absolutely, unforgettably hilarious, look no further than Hangloose’s outdoor vertical wind tunnel (also known as an Aerodium), which is so powerful it was used for aerial stunts in the Mission: Impossible movies. It’s not cheap, but I screamed myself silly as the 120mph blast sent me flying skywards. Eat my jetstream, Tom Cruise! Kate Abbott
Learn Japanese. Unless you absolutely need to learn a language, you’re unlikely to stick with it unless you really enjoy it. That’s why I’d recommend Japanese. Teachers suggest that learners use mnemonics to remember kanji characters – attaching memorable images to new words speeds up fluency. For instance, “circular” is pronounced “maru” in Japanese. To recall this, I imagine Martin Freeman chasing Ruby Wax around in a circle. Also, I just learned that the Japanese word for testicles (金玉) means “golden balls”. Apparently, Japan is a nation of David Beckhams. Daniel Lavelle
‘Simply marvellous’ … Dorothy L Sayers’s Gaudy Night. Photograph: sjbooks/Alamy
Read old detective novels, ideally from earlier than 1950. There’s less horror, lower stakes, and plenty of irresistible lines that you can irritate your loved ones with by insisting on reading them aloud in a clipped RP accent. Right now, I’m loving Dorothy L Sayers’ 1935 mystery novel Gaudy Night, about a vicious vandalism and hatemail campaign wreaking havoc on a fictional women’s college in Oxford. Simply marvellous, old chum. Rebecca Nicholson
Climb outdoors. The feel of real rock under you and big space all around is a thrill. It’s crazily addictive, but a challenge to get started. A fun way in is to sign up for the very sociable Arc’teryx Climbing festival (May 23-25) in Langdale, or get on a course with outfits such as Climb South West, Climb Pembroke and Mountaineering Scotland. Kevin Rushby
‘Even a novice can knit a baby blanket.’ Photograph: Posed by models; Compassionate Eye Foundation/David Oxberry/Getty Images
Join a knitting class. My local group is full of seasoned knitters and, although I’m an eternal novice, I’ve managed an Ewok hood, a baby blanket and two beanies (with much needed help) to give as gifts to nieces and nephews. My knitting is still questionable, but the solidarity with my sisters of stitch – and the laughter as I try to configure the knitting acronyms – make it all fun. Remona Aly
Have a kickabout. It’s become an extended-family tradition that every Easter Sunday, before lunch, we have a mass game of football. It’s fun because most of us are comically bad at football – though the skill levels evolve every year as the oldies get slower and the youngsters get faster. The lack of seriousness is universal and unifying, and when we stuff our faces afterwards, we feel that we’ve really earned it. Steve Rose
‘Pick the worst-looking film you can find’ … the cast of Hackers. Photograph: THA/Alamy
Go to a used DVD shop with friends and pick the worst-looking film you can find. Watching truly terrible movies with others always conjures up a kind of shared hysteria. Recently, for example, the 1974 William Shatner film Impulse – with its baffling editing, acting and dialogue – led to much communal cackling. Next up? 1995’s Hackers, or 2002’s FeardotCom. George Francis Lee
Trawl auction sites. I recently discovered the ultimate secondhand shopping experience in The Saleroom, a website that displays lots from every live auction in the UK. I love bargain hunting – I am physically incapable of walking past a charity shop without going in. I relish finding a hidden gem, or giving something another life – not to mention the thrill of a bidding war. I’m currently in a battle of wills over a beautiful still life from a studio clearance in Wales. Kirsty Major
‘So what if they’re available from any corner shop?’ Photograph: Robert Billington/The Guardian. Food styling: Lucy-Ruth Hathaway.
Make crumpets. However much cooking I do, I’m always delighted to find an excuse to knock up a batch of crumpets. The magic of seeing those bubbles pop across the surface gets me every time. Yes, they’re available from any corner shop, but where’s the fun in that? Felicity Cloake
Join a book club. On the first Tuesday of each month, I get to chat about reading, writing and life in general at my local LGBTQ+ book club. The book choices, and my fellow readers, are wonderfully diverse and everyone gets the chance to be heard. Many of the books take on new meaning and it’s the most wholesome, supportive, joyous thing I do. Lucy Webster
‘Wear something ridiculous and ignore any naysayers’ … Rachel Dixon with her boyfriend. Photograph: Courtesy of Rachel Dixon
Wear fancy dress. My choir puts on themed concerts, and the joy of planning my outfit rivals the joy of standing on stage belting out Golden from KPop Demon Hunters. This term’s theme is film and TV, so I’ve been scouring charity shops for OTT dresses worthy of Cathy from Wuthering Heights (the sexed-up 2026 version, naturally). You don’t need an organised event to play dress-up, though. Plan a themed night with friends, wear something ridiculous and ignore any naysayers who turn up in jeans and a T-shirt – you’ll be having far more fun than they are. Rachel Dixon
Elevate your cuppa. As a desperate measure to curb my migraines, I stopped eating sugar in January. It’s a bonkers way to live but I haven’t had any since, which feels miraculous. The one concession I’ve made is to have vanilla soy Alpro in my tea. It’s creamy, makes forgotten cups gone cold drinkable and fresh cups feel fancy. Every one is a treat. Dale Berning Sawa
