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

Google, on Android adopting Liquid Glass: “Not happening!”

Just in case you were wondering.

Published

May 7, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Google is slightly moving away from Material Design. Last week, a set of icon changes saw Android adding splashes of gradients to its formerly flat app icons. To poke fun at Android’s move away from flat designs, a user on X created a mockup of Android running Apple’s Liquid Design. Google, however, had a response ready in the chamber.

On X, @Micetor made a mockup of Android, specifically on the upcoming Pixel 11, using Apple’s latest Liquid Design aesthetics. It looked much like what an iPhone does except with Google’s icons and fonts.

Clearly, Google does not need to reply to any unsubstantiated mockups about its ecosystem. But they still did.

Sameer Samat, Google’s head for the Android ecosystem, personally replied to the mockup with a simple rebuttal: “Not happening!”

Not happening! Y'all are wild. 😂

— Sameer Samat (@ssamat) May 5, 2026

Despite using the design language for over a decade, Google does not want to drop Material Design altogether. Though the new gradients have revitalized the design language somewhat, the essence of flat design is still there.

Apple, on the other hand, wants a return to 3D. Liquid Design mimics the transparent aesthetics of Windows Vista. Though a bunch of users have found the design polarizing, other brands have started copying the design for themselves, incorporating elements on Liquid Design on their interfaces.

Whatever Google is doing, it’s coming in due time. The company is hosting its annual Google I/O on May 12 to showcase new developments coming to the Android ecosystem, including its design.

Apps

iOS 26.5 will support end-to-end encryption RCS messaging

The final update should come out within the month.

Published

May 5, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Back in 2023, Apple finally adopted the RCS messaging standard, ensuring that iOS and Android users could communicate more seamlessly despite being on different platforms. This year, the platform is adding an improvement to the feature: end-to-end encryption.

Starting with the upcoming launch of iOS 26.5, Apple will now support end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging between iOS and Android users (via 9to5Mac). Besides the seamless communication, users on both platforms can start enjoying secure messaging with one another.

Apple has been testing the feature since February. Now, the company is confident enough to release the encryption technology in a new build for iOS 26.5 meant for developers. At this point, it’s just waiting for an actual release.

Why is this a big deal? Encryption adds an extra layer of security for your messages. Plus, end-to-end encryption means that messages is encrypted and decrypted only by the sender and the receiver. Third parties, which includes Apple, cannot intercept and access your information.

With the feature on, both messaging platforms on Android and iOS will show a lock icon to signify that, yes, your messages are encrypted.

Though the current build isn’t meant for end users just yet, it’s expected that iOS 26.5 will launch within the month, if not by next week.

SEE ALSO: Apple iPhone 17e review

Apps

YouTube makes picture-in-picture mode free for everyone globally

The update is rolling out globally now.

Published

April 30, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Picture-in-picture (or PiP) mode is a godsend for multitaskers. The feature lets users watch videos in a tiny floating window while doing other tasks. However, the feature isn’t readily available for all users. Or wasn’t, at least. YouTube is now rolling out PiP mode for free globally.

Previously, PiP mode was exclusive to YouTube users who pay for Premium or Premium Lite. It was also exclusive to the United States.

Now, YouTube is making the feature completely free for users all over the globe. It will be available for both iOS and Android versions of the app.

There’s still a catch, though. The free version is available only for “longform, non-music content.” The same goes for Premium Lite subscribers. Music is still an exclusive feature for those who pay for the regular version of Premium. Basically, there is no change for paying users or users in the United States.

Using PiP mode is simple. All you need to do is load up a video you want to watch in the background. Then, just exit the YouTube app and go about your other tasks. The video will be inside a floating, resizable window while you look at other things.

There’s no timeline on when the update will reach your device. However, YouTube has promised that it will roll out globally within the coming months.