Apps

30 creative activities for kids that you can do at home

Time for some fun📱

Published

April 18, 2020

Chay Lazaro

Being a parent with young kids can be tough and overwhelming, especially at a time like this when kids can’t go to school. Coming up with ideas to not only entertain them but also to keep them engaged and curious is a challenge so Apple’s team of educators wants to help.

Here is a set of 30 fun, constructive, and creative activities for younger kids (4-8+) to do with the built-in features of iPad and iPhone. These activities are age appropriate and your kiddo can work on them independently. They can also be tailored even for those who are young at heart.

1. Personify something

Take a photo of an everyday object at home or outside, and draw on it using Markup to transform it into a character.

Get started: Open your photo, tap Edit, then tap the three dots in the top-right to use Markup.

2. Capture a time-lapse video

Set up your iPad to capture a time-lapse video while you build a fort, make your favorite snack, clean up your toys, or watch an ice cube melt.

Get started: Choose Time-Lapse mode in your Camera app. Tap the Record button to start recording; tap it again when you’re done.

3. Make coloring sheets

Take a few fun photos, then change them to black and white to create your own coloring sheets. Use Markup to add color.

Get started: Open each photo, tap Edit, and apply one of the black-and-white filters. Go further by creating a book using a template in the Pages app.

4. Picture your name

Take a photo of each letter of your name by finding them in books or signs. Put them together to spell out your name in a colorful collage.

Get started: Crop the letters in the Photos app, then add each photo to a Keynote file in the right order.

5. Go on a photo walk

Pick a color or letter of the day and take photos of things that are that color or start with that letter. Then put them together in a collage or video. Try to make a rainbow or complete the alphabet!

Get started: Add the photos of each color or letter to a slide in the Keynote app. Or add each photo to Clips and record your voice saying the colors or letters.

6. See color in slo-mo

Record a video in slow-motion of drops of food coloring falling in water. Do primary colors first, then mix them together to create secondary colors.

Get started: Choose Slo-mo mode in your Camera app, then record.

7. Emojify your mood

Draw a circle, then add silly eyes, a happy face, or eyebrows that show the mood you’re in. You can also add shapes and images, then share it with your friends!

Get started: Add the images to a Keynote slide, then tap   the plus sign to use the drawing tools. Or use shapes to get started, then decorate with emoji.

8. Storyboard your daily routine

Take a photo of something that represents each of your regular activities. Combine the photos and add a title, time, and checkbox for each activity. Mark it up daily!

Get started: In the Keynote app, tap the plus sign to use the drawing tools. Draw your emoji, then add shapes or images to decorate your picture.

9. Calendar together

Download this fun template to identify the days, months, seasons, weather, temperature—and even your mood!

Get started: Open the document using the Keynote app. Copy the labels and paste them to the right spot on the calendar.

10. Find shapes in nature

Take a photo outdoors, then use Markup to trace all the shapes you can find in the photo.

Get started: Open your photo, tap Edit, then tap the three dots in the top-right to use Markup.

11. Make a simple book

Think of an imaginary story. Take photos or videos acting out different parts. Create a book with each photo or video scene, along with story captions. Then decorate it with drawings, shapes, or emoji images.

Get started: Add your photos and videos to a book template using the Pages app.

12. Tell a story with shapes

Add a variety of shapes from the Shapes menu to a blank page, and rearrange them to create a story. Try rearranging the same shapes to create three different stories.

Get started: In the Pages app, tap the plus sign in the top-right to open the Shapes menu. Drag the shapes to rearrange them.

13. Record news interviews

Have fun recording yourself asking and answering questions. Use different sounds and voices, becoming an alien giving the weather in outer space or a squirrel covering nut collections outdoors.

Get started: Use the Audio Recorder in the GarageBand app.

14. Create a comic strip

Take a picture of yourself and each of your favorite toys
as the characters. Combine the photos in a video, transform them using the comic book filter, and record yourself telling a story.

Get started: Touch and hold the Record button in the Clips app to import each character’s photo from Photos. Tap each clip to use the comic book filter effect.

15. Concentration

Write phrases or sentences using only emoji or shapes with a friend or sibling. Share your clues with each other and take turns solving them.

Get started: Open a document in the Pages app and tap the globe in the bottom-left of the keyboard to see the emoji. Tap the person icon in the top-right to collaborate with a friend.

16. Go back in time

Find an old photo. Re-create the scene, take a picture, then use a black-and-white filter to make it look like it was from the past.

Get started: Open your photo, tap Edit, then tap the three circles at the bottom to use filters.

17. Write a love letter to the planet

Take, find, or draw a picture of your favorite place. Add text boxes or a voice recording of why you love it and how you’ll take care of it.

Get started: Add your photo to the Pages or Keynote app. Tap the plus sign to choose Record Audio, or choose Shapes and add a text box.

18. Make skip counting fun

Record yourself skip counting by 2s, 5s, or 10s. Use the fun voice effects to give yourself a monster or robot voice.

Get started: Use the Audio Recorder in the GarageBand app.

19. Make patterns

Add a series of two or three shapes to a blank page to create a pattern. Repeat the pattern with a new set of shapes, then practice identifying and tracing each shape.

Get started: In the Pages app, tap the plus sign to use the Shapes menu to add shapes. Drag the shapes to arrange them in a pattern. Tap the plus sign again to use the drawing tool to trace on top of the shapes.

20. Go on a scavenger hunt

Use this template to create your own scavenger hunt by replacing the items in each square with different shapes or images.

Get started: Open the template in the Keynote app. Tap the plus sign in the top-right to open the Shapes menu, and replace the items in each box with shapes of your choice. You can also replace them with emoji.

21. Leaning tower of pillows

Build a tower of pillows, and record a slo-mo video of the tower tumbling to the ground.

Get started: Choose Slo-mo mode in your Camera app, then record.

22. Strike a pose, twice

Have a family member take a pano photo with you in the first frame. Run to the end so you appear in the photo twice.

Get started: Start on the left side of the camera frame, then run behind the photographer to pop into the frame from the right side.

23. Send flowers

Use shapes to make a bouquet of flowers. Add some text, and send it as a postcard to someone special.

Get started: Tap the plus sign in the top-right of the Keynote app to open the Shapes menu. Export as an image to share.

24. Have a laugh

Ask Siri to tell you a joke.

Get started: Say “Hey Siri, tell me a joke” into your iPad.

25. Reach for the stars

Lay on the ground, and looking up, take burst photos of a family member jumping and reaching for the stars. The upward angle will make it look like they’re touching the sky.

Get started: Touch and hold the shutter button to take a burst of multiple photos. Tap Edit to select the frame when the person jumping is highest in the air.

26. Become an artist

Take a photo of yourself or your favorite toy. Trace the lines on top of the photo, then delete the photo to reveal your work of art.

Get started: Add your photo to a blank slide in Keynote. Tap the plus sign to use the drawing tool for tracing on top of your photo. Save it as an image when you’re done.

27. Put things in order

Take a picture of each step of an everyday activity, like washing your hands: turn on the water, soap your hands, scrub, rinse, and dry. Put the photos in order to create a sequence. You just learned your first coding concept!

Get started: Add your photos to the Keynote or Clips app, and sort them in the correct order. In Clips, you can make a short movie that includes music, titles, and stickers.

28. Get your questions answered

Have a question? Like, why is the sky blue? Or, how much does an elephant weigh? Let Siri find the answer.

Get started: Say “Hey Siri” into your iPad.

29. Use your voice

Use Voice Memos to create an audio message to share a funny joke with a friend, send an invitation for a virtual play date, or just say hi!

Get started: Record a message in the Voice Memos app, then share it using Messages or Mail.

30. Personalize a portrait

Take a self-portrait and use Markup to draw on it and let your personality shine. Do you have a cape or wings? Maybe a unicorn horn? Green highlights in your hair?

Get started: Open your photo, tap Edit, then tap the three dots in the top-right to use Markup.

Related Topics:Apple coronavirus Covid-19 iPad iPhone

Apps

Firefox ad reunites all your favorite memes from decades ago

The Numa Numa Guy, Annoying Orange, and Chocolate Rain are back!

Published

October 27, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Before Tung Tung Tung Sahur and Skibidi Toilet, the early internet was populated by charismatic personalities looking to make their presences felt in a land that didn’t have a lot of rules yet. As early users, we danced to “Dragostea din tei,” belted out “Chocolate Rain,” and copied “Shoes” word-for-word. Today, Firefox is bringing all those good memories back for a grand reunion.

In a new ad, the web browser featured ten of the biggest stars of the early internet including the aforementioned Numa Numa Guy, Tay Zonday, and Shoes’ Kelly. You can also see Annoying Orange, Chuck Testa, Overly Attached Girlfriend, Bad Luck Brian, Where the Hell is Matt?, the Apparently Kid, and the Success Kid.

Now, this isn’t just a reunion. The ad has a clear message about today’s most concerning issue: AI. Everything has “built-in AI, always asking, asking, asking,” as the Annoying Orange said.

“They make money by following us, and somehow, I’m the creepy one?” the Overly Attached Girlfriend asked.

All these famous personalities are asking what happened to the internet today. Obviously, the big takeaway is that we should all go back to Firefox.

Compared to other browsers, Firefox has a lot of built-in features that offer a lot of control for users. For one, it has its own VPN for privacy. Secondly, reflecting the ad’s message against AI, the browser has a toggle to minimize AI features.

Apps

Apple Music is getting a Liquid Glass makeover

The new logo debuts next week with iOS 27.2.

Published

October 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Apple Music is getting a revamp. In one of the tamer things going on with the brand today, Apple has introduced a new design language for its native music streaming platform.

In the midst of all the hubbub surrounding the iPhone Duo, Apple released a change in the visual identity of Apple Music. Rather than a static logo, the platform’s newest evolution offers a dynamic look that melds Liquid Glass and the power of sound together.

Confirmed through a behind-the-scenes video, Apple says that the new aesthetic was made with practical effects. Music producer Fred Again and NEST Acoustics submerged the platform’s logo in a tank of mineral oil and creating ripples with sound. The new language matches well with the chrome aesthetic typical of today’s trends and… well, Liquid Glass, of course.

Apple says that the more ripple-filled version will play before longer content like concert recordings (similar to Netflix’s startup stinger). Meanwhile, a black-and-white version will replace the app’s icon currently colored red and white. Current previews show off a simple logo, but it’s unknown whether Apple is adding a but more elements when the final version drops.

The updated version will debut for users after next week’s iOS 27.2 and macOS 27.2 updates.

Apps

Disney+ strengthens footing as go-to sports streaming app with UFC, NBA, more

ESPN on Disney+ brands itself as ‘new home ground for sports’

Published

October 20, 2026

GadgetMatch

Disney+ is strengthening its footing as a go-to sports streaming app as ESPN on Disney+ is now available in the Philippines, one of its markets with a huge sports-loving fanbase.

The launch coincides with a brand new campaign, “Ito ang Homecourt Mo!” (This is your homecourt!), welcoming Filipino fans to a new home ground for games, stories, and moments.

Subscribers can access live events, on-demand replays, studio shows, documentaries and original programming together in one dedicated destination through ESPN on Disney+.

Production and coverage will be led by ESPN, delivering high-quality broadcasts, commentary and expert analysis across the sports season where available, alongside Disney+ general entertainment and family programming.

Following last season’s success, NBA returns to ESPN on Disney+ with matchups during NBA Tip-Off Week.

Christmas Day games will also be available to stream, including the NBA Finals rematch between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs and the Philadelphia 76ers versus the Los Angeles Lakers.

Playoff games through the conference finals shall also be streamed live and on demand.

Meanwhile, the UFC is among some of the new regular sports programs Filipinos can watch on Disney+.

The action kicks off at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi scheduled on October 25, where two world championship titles are expected to be on the line: UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski takes on undefeated No. 1-ranked contender Movsar Evloev, and UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan defends against former champion and No. 1-ranked Merab Dvalishvili.

Alongside live UFC numbered events and UFC Fight Nights, fans will have access to a library of classic fights and curated UFC content.

There will also be the original and and behind-the-scenes programming, including UFC Countdown, UFC Connected, UFC Main Event, UFC Fight Flashback, UFC Reloaded, and ROAD TO UFC.

A new home ground for sports

Other notable sports programming will include the Formula E 2026/27 season, with practice, qualifying and main races across 21 rounds in 13 host cities.

Also available on Disney+ are NCAA events, including March Madness, and Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL), with all games live across the regular season and championship series.

ESPN’s popular 30 for 30 documentaries will continue to be available on the platform. The line-up also features ESPN studio shows, including ESPN FC and Pardon the Interruption.