"Mommy, I'm bored!" How often do you hear this refrain in your house? For me, it is far too frequent... And it doesn't help that as a divorced mom with shared custody, often it is just one kid at home, and they want me to entertain them. While obviously I spend time with my kids, I also have things I need to do (and sometimes they're bored when I'm sleeping on the weekends), so I like to have things available for my kids to do to entertain themselves. With one of my kids it is easy, since he likes to read. But my other kids don't enjoy reading, so it's usually just them using the phone or computer when they want to entertain themselves.
For those that want kids to entertain themselves without using screens, I've acquired a collection of games that are either one person games, or one person friendly, and I've ranked them in terms of how popular they are in my house, from Meh all the way to The Best.
13 Solo Screen Free Games to Keep Kids Entertained
Meh
Rubik's Cubes- I can't have a list about solo screen free games without including these because they are some staples of our childhood... but you need to pick your audience. One of my kids loved Rubik's cubes and figured out how to do them extremely quickly, but the rest of us haven't really been interested in them since we found them too challenging. It is a one hit wonder or loser, you either get it or you don't, and if you aren't good at it, then you don't even bother. So I'd probably give this a 2, if only because I had one kid that really liked them for a point. Complete dud for the rest.
Rush Hour. This game is extremely popular, and if you mention that you're looking for a solo screen free game, this inevitably will come up as a suggestion. It has never been popular in our family, though. I think I've seen my kids sit down to play it once or twice, tops. It doesn't help that pieces go missing easily and if one is gone the game is done. Rating this a 2 since other people obviously like it, so there's something going there, it just didn't work with us.
Better
Swish is not specifically a solo game, but you can play it solo mode. You put out cards and try to figure out which cards or groups of cards can be combined to make a "swish", by twisting them, flipping them, etc... so that dots line up with circles. This is fun for a few people but it can make your brain hurt sometimes, especially because there's the pressure to get them before the competition. But when playing solo mode, it works as a puzzle without the speed pressure. I like this, my kids play it occasionally, but I have to remind them about it. I'd give it a 6.
Set is a really great game, and I even have instructions to make your own homemade set (pun intended). You have to make matches of 3 cards that all fit a set (color, pattern, amount, or shape) but when playing in a group, like Swish, there's the time pressure, but when playing on your own, you can take your time to figure them out. My kids usually prefer this in a group, even though solo is fine. I'd give it a 5 for solo play, and 7 for group play.
Maze Ball- My kids liked this Perplexus Maze Ball when they were younger, where you have to turn a clear ball to get little balls to follow the maze inside. The issue with it is it can be challenging, and each time the ball falls off the track you need to start over, so it can be frustrating. Additionally... if you drop it, it can break. My kids used this when they were younger, but we no longer have it. This would get a 6.
Brick Logic Game- I had this game growing up, and I loved it. It took me so long to figure out what it was called and find it, and I couldn't even find it on Amazon, just Aliexpress, but now my kids play it from time to time. I give it a 6 because it would have been an 8 when I was a kid but my kids would probably give it a 5.
Best
Architecto- My son got this game which is basically like 3D tangrams for his birthday one year. Everyone always wants to play it, and sometimes he's generous enough to let them play. This game is always in high demand, so I'd give it a 10.
Hoppers - This peg solitaire type game is one of the newest games I got, but it is really fun, with multiple different levels, and my kids all wanted to play and had a great time. I'd give this an 8.
Balance Beans- This game uses physics and creativity to figure out how to balance various beans onto a see-saw, with certain pieces already on the board and others given to you that you need to figure out where to place them so they stay balanced. The kids and I really liked this, and it totally stumped me some times and it was fun but not too hard. I'd give this a 9.
Minecraft Magnetic Travel Puzzle- We had guests over and they stayed up for hours trying to figure out every puzzle in the book. My kids all wanted to play constantly and had a terrific time playing. The fact that it's Minecraft themed makes it even more of a win here. 10 for sure!
Wish List
These games are on my wish list, because they look fun, different than what we already have, and are not too expensive. (I try to have my price limit be around 10 dollars, give or take a few dollars, unless its a game that I already know we love.)
Tetra Tower Game- This reminds me of the Balance Bean game, where you also have to put on pieces, but its tetris style blocks instead, and on a 2D plane, not a 3D one, which seems like an extra challenge. Very affordable.
Spider Web- This game uses rubberbands to try to "catch bugs" and it looks fun, creative, and again, affordable.
Suspend- I have wanted this game forever, but it was above my price range, but now it is on sale for a very affordable price. It also revolves around balance. (Hmmm, do you sense a theme here?)
Can't Forget TheseThis list wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention the few games that are childhood staples, even if they aren't necessarily the most popular.
Deck of Cards for Solitaire. I mean, it is in the name, and a deck of cards is really cheap.
Tangrams. We grew up with them. They're ok, but nothing special. They are solo play though.
Dominos. Whether you play these "properly" or to topple, these are fun and a classic.
What games do your kids enjoy playing on their own? What would you recommend? Are you familiar with any of these, and how would you or your kids rate them?