Our only large table is the dining table, and during the school year, it’s homework central. All spring, I’d been saving a new puzzle, waiting for school to get out so my family and I could start it.
What I didn’t expect was how we’d keep going, one puzzle after another, all summer long. Someone always seems to wander over to hunt for a piece during a hydration break or at halftime of whatever World Cup match is on. I’ve even sold a couple to a neighbor, mostly for the happy excuse to buy some new ones.
My favorite puzzle partner is my son Shiloh because we work at the same easy pace. My husband Dustin, on the other hand, moves so quickly that I sometimes have to beg him to slow down, especially when it’s a really good puzzle that I want to savor.
It has made me notice something: many of the activities my kids are enjoying most this summer cost very little and require almost no planning.
My friend Courtney Adamo wrote a lovely post on her Substack about her family’s favorite free hobbies: bird-watching, collecting rocks, pressing flowers. Reading it, I recognized the spirit right away, even though ours has taken a different shape.
My kids aren’t really outdoor kids. Given the choice, they’d rather be gathered on the couch with something quiet in their hands. So our version of “free and slow” looks a little different, but the feeling is much the same.
With only a month left before school starts, I’ve found myself wanting to hold onto this unstructured, whatever-feels-good pace a little longer before we shift back into routine.
A few hobbies we’ve been leaning into lately:
Cardboard crafting. Shiloh has been building an entire helmet out of recycled cardboard boxes, and after reading a book about World War I, he’s now crafting a gas mask. No kit, just scissors, hot glue, and plenty of trial and error.
Crocheting little succulents. My older daughter has been crocheting since she was six, and one of her go-to projects is making tiny succulent plants. It’s a simple, repetitive project that keeps her hands busy and gives her the satisfaction of finishing something, one small plant at a time.
Learning to draw manga. My other daughter loves reading manga, and this summer she brought home a library book about drawing it. Her sketchbook is now filled with colorful manga characters, each one more fantastic than the last.
And then, of course, there are puzzles.
There’s a slowness to them that other activities don’t quite match. I’ve found puzzling especially calming on days when I feel overwhelmed or frustrated. After doing a little research, I learned there may be a reason it feels so good.
Puzzles ask for just enough focus to pull your attention into the present, which can help interrupt a racing or worried mind. There’s something satisfying about finding the right piece, placing it where it belongs, and slowly watching a picture come together. Somewhere in that steady rhythm, my mind begins to settle.
No wonder puzzling has become our family’s favorite way to wind down in the evenings.
And unlike a lot of summer projects, a puzzle doesn’t really end when it’s finished. It can be boxed back up and rediscovered years later. Pulling out an old one comes with its own memories attached.
I can tell you exactly when we completed certain puzzles: the one I packed for a fishing trip, or the one that got us through our first two weeks living in Germany, when all six of us were isolated together in a hotel room during Covid before we were allowed to leave.
A good puzzle sticks with you long after the last piece goes in.
For younger children who haven’t quite discovered puzzles yet, these two from the shop are lovely places to start. I chose them for their whimsical illustrations and all the little details waiting to be noticed. They’re the kind of puzzles that just might make a child fall in love with the whole process.
Bunny’s Birthday Puzzle is a 100-piece woodland scene filled with details that reward a slow, careful look. It also includes a fold-out poster with twenty things to spot along the way.
Explorers: School of Magic is an imaginative 100-piece scene filled with tiny rooms, curious characters, and stories to discover as the picture comes together.
Maybe the best summer hobbies are the ones that leave a little room for boredom, imagination, and time together around the table.
