100+ Creative Things To Do – Even When You Aren’t Creative

Spoiler Alert: I’m going to show you the perfect way to scratch that little creative itch that’s been nagging you! If you’re convinced you aren’t a creative person, this is the ultimate list of 100+ creative things that will prove you wrong! I‘ve organized them by the ways we each naturally learn and process information – by our senses. (👀👃🏼👂✋🏼👄 So out there, right?) But whether you think in pictures, need to work with your hands, find calm in the kitchen, or process through imagination, you’ll find easy and creative things to do on this list that will have you feeling as innovative as Marie Curie 🥼 before you know it. No artistic talent required, no expensive supplies needed – just simple, fun, and creative things to do.

And here’s a BONUS! As women, our creativity and parenting aren’t separate. When we engage our senses through creative activities, we help calm and regulate our nervous system. And a regulated mom has the patience to connect with her teen in ways an overwhelmed, holding it all together with spit and duct tape mom simply can’t. Exercising your creativity muscle isn’t so you can become an artist. Expressing our creativity is so that we can be more whole.

The Bestest Weirdest Christmas Present Ever

The best Christmas present I’ve ever given my son was the year he was five. I saved and collected and searched high and low for the most unusual things to include in this “amazing” gift. I was proud of what I pulled together. And I had collected so much, that Santa had to put it together and wrap it in a box that somebody’s stove came in!

I included small boxes, paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls, bubble wrap, mesh, fabric scraps, foam pieces that an upholsterer gave me from his back room, a box of paperclips, fun colored binder clips of all sizes, painter’s tape, duct tape, masking tape, a tube that once held somebody’s dining room wallpaper, rubber bands, scotch tape, soda cans – crushed flat, and stuff I can’t even remember.

So when I proudly shared my clever idea with my friend, she said “Wait, you’re giving him what? So, trash. You’re giving him trash? I don’t think he waited in line for an hour to sit on Santa’s lap asking reindeer 🦌🛷 to haul trash to his house…”

“Well… Maybe not. But he’s going to love it! You’ll see.”

She remained skeptical and I became nervous.

When she put it like that, it sounded like I may as well just chuck my five-year-old into the recycle truck as it passed and let him scrounge around for some new toys like a puppy who’d rather chew on my shoes than the toys I bought him.

So, basically, what I’m confessing here is that I gave my five-year-old a box of trash for Christmas one year.

I’m not one to gloat, but I was right and she was wrong. Oh. So. Wrong.

That gift became so many different things over the next 6 months as I stepped over and around continuous creations. At first we played in the big oven box. At some point that box got broken down to become something else. And later cut in half to become something different again. He was enthralled with all the things he transformed that “trash” into and he was enthralled for six months.

And as I gloated beamed with pride over the next six months, I realized that encouraging his creativity was so important to me because nobody had encouraged mine at his age. And creativity is a part of us that we are all born with.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up

pablo picasso

I guess Pablo knows. 🥰

Somewhere between that creative five-year-old and grown up me, something happened. My creativity got buried under ‘adulting,’ lawyering, responsibilities and kids. I forgot that creativity wasn’t just something I needed to nurture in my children – it was something I needed for myself.

And maybe you’ve forgotten too.

How to Be Creative

I know what you’re thinking: “But I’m not creative!!!” Confession: I don’t always feel creative either! But I still love finding creative things to do! And here’s why:

Creativity is a skill that can be taught and learned. It’s not something that we are either born with or doomed to suffer without.

Learning to be creative doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, Sir Ken Robinson teaches that:

“If someone tells you they cannot read and write, you don’t assume that they are not capable of reading and writing, but that they have not been taught. It is the same with creativity. When people say to me that they are not creative, I assume they just haven’t learned what’s involved.”

Sir Ken Robinson – Out of Our Minds

So many people don’t know where to start – and being here is the perfect first step. I’ve put together this ultimate list of creative things to do so that you can start with something simple, with things you already have, and end up feeling a familiarity and comfort – as if you were being introduced to eight-year-old you all over again.

How This List Works

Now, I could have just thrown 128 creative ideas at you in one big overwhelming list and run off to paint a kindness rock. But I didn’t do that. Because I’m not trying to give you overwhelm, I’m trying to give you chill-axe.

I got a little nerdy (okay, a LOT nerdy) and organized these 100+ creative things to do based on how you’re hard-wired to see the world – through your senses.

Some moms are visual thinkers who find calm in beautiful things. Others melt into the sofa when they hear the right song, or need to work with their hands; they find creativity in the kitchen, or think better while moving.

Why This List is Helpful

Here’s why this matters: When you choose creative activities that naturally appeal to you, you’re more likely to actually DO them. And you can’t get benefit from your creativity if this gets bookmarked, but then just gathers dust.

Plus, if you’re new to creative practice (or it’s been a while), starting with activities that match how you naturally take in the world makes it easier to begin. Less resistance means you’re more likely to stick with it long enough to feel the difference.

So pick your favorite sense section. Try what calls to you. And if something surprises you by appealing even though it’s not “your” category? Try that too. Novel sensory experiences can be powerful – sometimes what you need is exactly what you didn’t expect.

Don’t worry if you don’t know which category fits you. Just scroll through and notice which activities make you say “ooh, I want to try that!” Your body already knows what it needs.

A note about multisensory experiences: Many activities engage multiple senses at once – and that’s perfect! Multisensory experiences can be even more powerful for creativity. A tactile activity like bread-making also engages your sense of smell and taste. Photography is visual but also involves movement as you find the perfect angle. Don’t worry about perfectly categorizing everything – just try what interests you.

Pretty clever, right? (I’m not one to gloat, but…okay, yes I am. A little bit.)

Creative Activities: Organized By Each of The Senses

Not sure where to start? Browse through and see what makes you say “ooh, I want to try that!” The activities you’re naturally drawn to are telling you something – trust that tiny voice.

👁️ Visually Creative Things to Do:

If you’re the mom who’s drawn to beauty, color, and visual detail or if you think in pictures and find calm in beautiful things, these might be a perfect fit:

• Choose a photo you love – use editing software to create something new and different – maybe in the style of an artist you love (think: Andy Warhol; Pablo Picasso; Salvador Dali)
• Throw a small dinner party and create the table scape of your dreams
• Create the first page for a Scrapbook (and then do the rest!)
• Decorate your deck or porch for the season – maybe fresh pillows (could even be from somewhere else in the house), a throw, or a new plant
• Find the perfect frame for a photo you love (get funky!)
• Design a photo wall in your home
• Make dinner all one color (spinach pasta with pesto and asparagus)
• Paint or color something with only one color (all variations of blue)
• Wherever you are, look around and choose an item you love – then imagine it differently. I have a ceramic dog that holds my glasses – I imagine his as Godzilla stomping through the city!
• Take note of a color that you love and imagine everything n that color
• Visit an art museum
• Visit the library
• Watch a foreign film
• Watch a free movie or documentary
• Have girls’ night at a sip and paint place
• Visit a science museum
• Spend an evening at a planetarium
• Browse Escher art books (or any artist you love)
• Grab a book on architecture
• Create a vision board
• Photography walks (capture light, shadows, patterns)
• Adult coloring books
• Rearrange furniture/redecorate a space
• Watch the sunrise or sunset intentionally
• Create a gallery wall
• Organize by color (closet, bookshelf, pantry)
• Window-shopping as visual inspiration
• Cloud watching

🎙️ Sound-based creative things to do:

If you’re the mom who gets melty at the sound of a favorite song, wants music playing, loves podcasts, or thinks more clearly when you can hear yourself talk through things, these might be your perfect fit:

• Play the kazoo or any other instrument
• Start a book club
• Use brain teasers for family game night
• Create themed playlists for different moodsLearn an instrument (or relearn from childhood)
• Sing (car, shower, no audience required)
• Listen to a new genre each week
• Record voice memos of thoughts/song ideas
• Listen to podcasts that inspire you
• Explore music from different cultures/eras
• Make up songs about mundane tasks
• Attend a concert (or watch one online)
• Notice and record ambient sounds on walks
• Create a “soundtrack of your life”
• Listen to audiobooks while creating with hands

✋🏼 Hands-on creative things to do:

If you’re the mom who loves working with your hands, who loves the feel of textures and materials, these hands-on creative things to do are a perfect fit:, these might be your perfect fit:

• Tie dye a t-shirt
• Try your hand at quilting 🧵🪡
• Join a knitting, crochet, or fiber arts group
• Plant some flowers
• Bake bread
• Go old school – finger paint!
• Build a small she-shed
• Create a collage with mixed media (tearing, gluing, layering, bumpy items, smooth items)
• Learn hand-lettering or calligraphy
• Try weaving or macramé
• Sculpt with air-dry clay
• Use stones to “draw” a Mandela

🍱 Taste-targeted creative things to do:

If you’re the mom who experiments with recipes, loves trying new flavors, and finds joy in creating through food, these deliciously fun activities will be your perfect fit:

• Take a favorite recipe and come up with five ways to change it up, then have a tasting of each version for dinner
• Create a “theme” lunch for your kids and see if they can guess the theme
• Make dinner with only ingredients already in the refrigerator
• Cook a new cuisine
• Experiment with spice combinations
• Plate your lunch like your favorite chef
• Come up with a theme for dinner (breakfast for dinner, murder mystery, your favorite childhood meal, movie themed, Hollywood glam, soup bar, a common flavor thread for each item (a spice like thyme or an accent like lemon or an ingredient that must be in each item like tomato!)
• Baking experiments (what if I add…? I’m going to say that there’s not much I’ve baked that wouldn’t also be great with a chocolate chip!)
• Make a recipe and then photograph it like you would for Bon Appetit
• Invent a recipe using only what you have – no cheating – it must be a new creation!
• Taste-testing (think: dessert tray, charcuterie, salty things like crackers, olives)
• Mindful eating (focus intentionally on the flavors and textures and smells as you eat)
• Making homemade infused oils or vinegars
• Create a signature cocktail or mocktail
• Fermentation projects (kombucha, kimchi)
• Plant a pot with herbs for cooking

🌺 Scent-centered creative things to do:

If you’re the mom who is energized or soothed by a certain scent, who notices scents others miss, and if you finds comfort in familiar aromas, these scent-based creative things to do are a perfect fit:

• Concoct a new essential oil blend to diffuse
• Have a friend over and make candles – see how many scented items you can use – essential oils? flowers? herbs?
• Growing herbs for their scent
• Creating room sprays or linen sprays
• Use that essential oil blend while you are doing another thing from the list!
• Pull together an arrangement of fresh and highly scented flowers
• Bake bread (for the smell)
• Invite that friend back over (or a new friend) and make soaps!
• Take a walk and intentionally notice all the scents – maybe even come home and journal about them or make a scrapbook page about them.

💃🏾 Body-aware creative things to do:

If you’re the mom who needs to feel your body working and your muscles engage, who thinks more clearly after a work out, or who finds satisfaction in effort and resistance, something on this list is going to pull you in:

• Make a sculpture from sticks collected in your yard
• Build a raised garden bed or planter boxes
• Create a rock cairn (stacked stone sculpture) in your garden (or anywhere!)
• Find a pottery studio and make a clay pot (the pressure and resistance is deeply calming)
• Create a large-scale painting (murals on a fence, painting furniture, outdoor art)
• Create a patio with with heavy tiles or stones – make a mosaic
• Rearrange an entire room – everything moves for a fresh look or to repurpose a room
• Hand-build a birdhouse or fairy garden structure
• Knead and shape large batches of bread dough 🥖 or pizza dough 😋
• Create garden art by moving and arranging heavy stones or pavers into patterns
• Sand and refinish a piece of furniture
• Dig and create a new garden bed, pathway, or outdoor feature
• Snap photographs from unusual angles – lay on the ground, climb on a chair, move your body

🏃🏽‍♀️ Moving – grooving creative things to do:

For moms who think better while moving

If you’re the mom who always seems to think better on the move, who paces while problem-solving, can’t sit through long meetings, and who feels most clear-headed when you’re in motion, snap up on of these activities as your perfect fit:

• Dance while cooking dinner – choreograph your kitchen movements
• Take walking photography tours of your neighborhood
• Sketch or journal while gently swinging on a porch swing
• Record voice memos of story ideas while walking
• Walking brainstorming sessions – solve a problem while moving
• Create art on an easel while standing and moving around it
• Practice taking some photos while slowly moving in a circle to capture 360-degree perspectives
• Audio journal while pacing your yard or a park
• Rocking chair knitting, reading, or creative planning
• Take your sketchbook to a park and draw while sitting on a swing
• Walk labyrinth patterns (you can create your own with rope/chalk) while processing creative ideas
• Garden while frequently moving between standing, kneeling, and reaching
• Do high knees while dictating a story or letter into your phone

🧠 Internally-attuned creative things to do:

If you’re the mom who journals to process your feelings, daydreams of what might happen next, and who needs her down time, these thoughtful and creative things to do might just rock your (inner) world:

• Gather some friends (or start a text thread) and have each friend share 5 unique words that describe each of you
• Challenge your kids to a duel of creating the strangest 🤪 story
• Read a classic book you’ve always wanted to read
• Write a story in 500 words or less
• Write a love letter in 5 minutes or less
• Play the “who are they?” game – create a back story for the bank teller, your barista, or somebody in the grocery store
• Begin your own creativity journal – you can quickly jot down thoughts, surprises, ideas, doodles – anything that comes to you in the moment. This is a terrific way to make sure you don’t lose any of those great ideas!
• Begin a habit of brainstorming ideas. The wackier the better! Stretch your brain! You can do this with your partner, your children – any time that a decision arises is an opportunity for brainstorming! Dinner ideas, Saturday afternoon ideas, or school projects, the list is endless
• Surprise somebody today
• Look for something to be surprised by each day
• Journal emotions and where you feel them in your body
• Emotion-based art (paint what anger looks like)
• Daydream intentionally (schedule it!)
• Imagine alternative outcomes to real situations
• Tell yourself bedtime stories
• Rewrite endings to movies/books you didn’t like

Which Activities Whisper to You?

Notice which activities made you feel excited. As you scrolled through these 100+ creative things to do, did you feel drawn to certain sections more than others? Notice your reactions – they’re valuable clues about what appeals to you and what you’re more likely to actually do.

The activities that made you think “ooh, I want to try that!” or “I’ve always wanted to…”? Start there. You’re more likely to stick with creative practices that feel natural and appealing rather than forcing yourself to do things that feel like work.

👉 Read the The Ultimate Resource Guide To Designing The Creative Life You Always Dreamed Of where I dive deeper into sensory preferences, how to identify which approaches work best for you, and how your creative practice connects to showing up more present and patient with your teen.

Want to understand more about how different people experience and process different situations? You can check out your unique mom super skill below with our quick and easy quiz. [2-3 min]

Keep Exploring Your Creativity:

Want to go deeper? These posts explore different aspects of creativity, self-restoration, and connection – choose what calls to you next.

Discover why you stopped being creative: What Killed My Creativity…And How I Got It Back

Learn what the science says about using creativity: Get Creative and Transform Into a Happier and More Relaxed Human – Proven by Science!

Connect creativity to parenting: Why Creative Thinking Is The Most Powerful Skill We Can Teach Our Children

Explore creativity WITH your kids:

• 20 Creative Craft Ideas For Teens
• 20 Fun Crafts for Tweens

Get the complete strategy: Ultimate Resource Guide To Designing The Creative Life You Always Dreamed Of

Coming Soon: 🎁 Gift ideas for creative people:

• Top Ten Books To Unleash Your Creativity
• 25 Best Gifts For The Creative Genius On Your List

Keep it Up!

You have 100+ creative things to do. Here’s where to start:

1. Pick ONE activity that made you think “ooh, I want to try that”
2. Do it this week – no pressure for perfection
3. Notice how you feel during and after
4. Try another one when you’re ready

That’s it. No fancy system. Just one small creative act at a time. You’ll watch the benefits add up!

Because here’s what I know: When you reconnect with your own creativity, you become more present, more patient, and more available to yourself. And that carries over into your home life. And to parenting your teen.

We all deserve this.