Creative activities to enjoy solo or with family
Whether you're looking to unwind alone or bond with your kids on a rainy afternoon, creative activities offer a joyful escape from screens and routines. As a parent and amateur blogger, I’ve tested dozens of ideas with my own family—and I’ve found that the best ones spark imagination, laughter, and sometimes a little mess (which is part of the fun!). Below are some of our favorite creative pursuits that work just as well solo as they do with a crew.
Art projects that go beyond coloring books
DIY nature collages
One of our go-to weekend crafts is making nature collages. We grab leaves, twigs, flower petals—whatever we find during a walk—and arrange them on thick paper with glue. Kids love the tactile experience, and adults can get surprisingly absorbed in creating patterns or scenes. For solo time, I sometimes turn this into a mindfulness exercise, focusing on texture and symmetry.
To level it up, try adding watercolor backgrounds or layering with tissue paper. You can even frame the final piece for a seasonal decoration.
Family portraits with a twist
Forget realism—this is about fun. We each draw a portrait of another family member, but with a twist: use only geometric shapes, or draw with your non-dominant hand. The results are hilarious and surprisingly expressive. It’s a great way to encourage observation and creativity, and the portraits make for a quirky gallery wall.
Solo version? Try self-portraits using different moods or styles. It’s a great way to explore identity and emotion through art.
Creative writing and storytelling games
Story cubes or prompt cards
We have a set of story cubes—dice with pictures on each side—that we roll to create spontaneous tales. One cube might show a dragon, another a clock, and suddenly we’re spinning a bedtime story about time-traveling reptiles. It’s perfect for building narrative skills and imagination, and works beautifully solo or in a group.
If you don’t have cubes, make your own prompt cards with words or images. Shuffle and draw three, then write or tell a story that includes all of them.
Pass-the-story writing
This is a favorite in our house. One person writes the first sentence of a story, then passes it to the next, who adds a sentence, and so on. The results are often absurd and delightful. It’s collaborative, unpredictable, and encourages everyone to contribute.
When I do this solo, I challenge myself to write a story in 10 sentences, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet. It’s harder than it sounds—and super satisfying.
- Tip: Use a timer to keep the pace snappy and prevent overthinking.
- Bonus: Read the final story aloud with dramatic flair—it adds a whole new layer of fun.
Hands-on activities that spark curiosity
Kitchen science experiments
We’ve turned our kitchen into a mini lab more times than I can count. From baking soda volcanoes to edible slime, science experiments are a hit with kids and surprisingly fun for adults too. One of our favorites is making homemade ice cream in a bag—just milk, sugar, vanilla, ice, and salt. Shake it for 10 minutes and voilà!
Solo time? Try experimenting with natural food dyes or making your own fizzy bath bombs. It’s creative, educational, and you get something useful at the end.
Build-your-own board game
This one takes a bit more time but is totally worth it. We start by brainstorming a theme—pirates, space, jungle—and then design a board, rules, and cards. Kids get to flex their storytelling and logic muscles, and the final product becomes a custom game we can play again and again.
For solo creators, this is a fantastic way to dive deep into world-building. You can even digitize your game later using free online tools.
- Materials: Cardboard, markers, dice, and imagination.
- Challenge: Add a twist like “every space has a riddle” or “players must sing to move forward.”