BuzzFeed and our publishing partners may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Read More

Who needs socializing when you can watch birds and learn to crochet?

I am a contributor who has been writing for BuzzFeed Shopping for over two years with an emphasis on home goods, parenting items and toys, beauty products, and anything that can make your day-to-day life run a little smoother.

Promising reviews: "My solo record is 98 right now. It has different games. You can play it by yourself. You can play one on one. You can play pass it. And party mode. All fun." —Aliz

Promising reviews: "This game is such a fun puzzle! I love the art, the wooden components, and the simple rules. The decisions are really juicy. It plays great as a solo game since there's not a lot of player interaction." —R. Goodmansen

"My favorite game for solo play. Chill and engaging at the same time. I'm so in love with this game and play it several times per week for relaxation and brain health. I'm super-picky about themes, mechanics, and the look of a game. This one ticks all the boxes and brings me straight to my happy place. The aesthetics are gorgeous, from the colors to the stunning designs and art, to the little nuances of design that make the game feel organic. It's beautiful to the eye and wonderfully tactile. I found the game super-easy to learn, yet challenging enough to dish up a new puzzle for me solve every time I play. Playing with a partner (or more) adds the opportunity for extra strategizing. Everybody can enjoy it, whether kids or adults, neurodivergents wanting some gentle stim downtime, or elders who would normally just do crossword puzzles. It's a great game." —Sattva

Promising review: "This is a great game and if you've got some time on your hands and are looking for something to do. This Wheel Of Fortune handheld game would be just the thing to play. You should get it." —christmas lover

Promising review: "Unique twist to the original Rubik's Cube. Hours have already been spent playing with it." —Wendi

Check out a TikTok of Murdle in action. 

The best part?? Once you finish "Murdling," you can use your sleuthing skills on Volume 2, Volume 3, and a whole BUNCH of other themed Murdle books! 

Promising review: "The puzzles are a lot of fun, but the characters, story lines, and other details take the Murdle experience to another level. I have no idea how the author came up with all of this creativity! You can Murdle solo or with friends. I look forward to future volumes, but this one will keep me busy for a while!" —Liz Gately

Promising review: "I'm enjoying answering all the questions in this. Some really make you dig deep, and they also help bring up some forgotten memories. My kids are going to love having this book when I'm gone!" —T Lance

Check out this TikTok of some cool humans doing their own photography color hunt that you can totally steal for your own solo adventuring!

Promising reviews: "I've been just delighted with this little camera. I'm new to Camp Snaps, but this felt like a great place to start. I'm a professional photographer, and sometimes that means photography can feel like work. Obviously, it's not the same quality as my DSLR or even my phone camera, but that's exactly what makes it so fun. I love that it's screen-free, slightly unpredictable, and you don't get to see what you took until later. It's put the joy back into photography for me. I've been having an excellent time taking it along on all of my adventures." —Ty

Get it from Camp Snap for $74.95 (available in 10 colors, in a pro version, and as a point-and-shoot video camera!)

Y'all, I have two of these and likely need another because my three-person family fights over the two we *do* have. Cool helicopter flying over? Grab the Nocs. 

Promising review: "I wear glasses and keep them on when I use this monocular. It is easy to use and has been a wonderful addition to my bird watching experience." —Joy

"Absolutely love our zoom tube. Bought it for my outdoorsy boyfriend for his birthday and we LOVE taking it hiking with us. So cool to look at other ridge lines and other people hiking. Also great for seeing birds and wildlife! We saw an eagle and we’re able to watch it fly for so long with the zoom tube. This thing is seriously awesome for beginners. It’s small and lightweight and fits into our hiking bag perfectly. And it just LOOKS cool as heck. We love it!" —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $76.92+ (available in nine colors). 

Paper Peony Press is a Texas-based boutique publishing company that specializes in purpose-driven books. 

Promising review: "I’ve tried several instructional books on hand lettering. This book is the best by far. I won’t name the other books, but suffice it to say they are all at the top of the list when you search for hand lettering. It is the only book that gives practice for the base strokes and also discusses posture and how to hold the pen, and at what angle to the paper. It is also a lovely book to work with; nice artwork/illustrations. I recommend this book to other beginners out there!" —Karen Rorick

Promising reviews: "Must-have — especially for on-the-go needs. Easy to zip up. Looks great, and love the battery there to get it ready for the next playtime. Good quality. Belkin is always our go-to." —Pinar

"This is great! The Switch 2 has very poor battery life, so this was a good solution. Very protective and sturdy." —Captain Llama

Get it from Amazon for $69.99 (available in three colors).

They also have color-your-own stickers if you want to share your coloring joy with others. (10/10 recommend putting on your neighbor's stack of papers in meetings.) 

Promising reviews: "I am absolutely in love with these tiny little books. There is no way that I can do one page a day. I do five pages a day and will buy all the seasonal little books I can afford. My 2026 suddenly got a little brighter. Thank you for these tiny little bits of micro joys. Keep up the good work. I plan on turning them into stickers once I finish coloring them. I will add these stickers to my snail mail and all my planners and journals." —Maria

"Love these coloring books! Small enough to fit in your purse. Simple pictures that are quick and easy to color. Adult coloring books are made to help relieve stress. Intricate pictures stress me out. These designs help me relax and can be colored in just a few minutes." —Colleen E

Get it from Amazon for $7.99+ (available in many styles and multipacks). 

My new daily ritual has been to draw a card, look up its meaning, and then think about it when I'm coloring. HIGHLY recommend for a daily solo activity, tbh. Also stocking up on these for gifts because ~the holidays are coming~ and I've got lots of introvert friends who will love these, too. 

Promising reviews: "Fun game! My whole family loves it. It’s small enough to take around places. Container is well made." —penalope18

"Very easy to use and fun for all ages. Great gift ideas, and it is small and compact, so you can take it anywhere with you!" —Jocelyn

Check out this video of a bookish human taking *their* Kobo to the beach!

I can't say enough nice things about the Kobo. I've had Those Other E-Readers, and while I enjoyed them... y'all, the physical buttons on the Kobo are a delight, being able to sync DIRECTLY from my library via Libby is a game changer, and the serotonin from getting to choose my own screensaver? Game changer. Say hello to *my* new fave throw-in-the-bag pal, for sure.

Promising reviews: "I love my Kobo Libra Colour. The only other e-reader I've had is a Kindle Basic, and I love the Kobo ecosystem much better. I love the buttons. I love the stylus for annotating and highlighting. I love my purchase. Do not regret it!!" —Amber-Rose BROWN

"This is my first e-reader ever, and I love it! Easy to use for a beginner. The touchscreen is fast. No ads. Shows stats/activity use, shows your book cover while sleeping. You can borrow from your local library and plenty more. 😀 Definitely recommend!!" —Darlene Totaram

Get it from Rakuten Kobo for $259.99 (available in black and white and with lots of additional accessories). 

Promising review: "This gets 10 stars from the family. I bought the gray version first, and was impressed by the display quality. I bought two of the first generation of Kindle Scribe for my kids before. They love it so much and bring the devices everywhere they go. Now I am getting this one for myself, mainly for taking notes at work. However, the screen looks just too nice to resist. and I am starting to read books now! I am giving this 5 stars, and highly recommend it. And I have just purchased the fig version for my wife. It was supposed to be her Christmas gift. But getting it now as a Valentine's gift. She said it's totally worth the wait. And she falls in love immediately. Also, bringing the device to work for notes and reading during lunch break time." —Denny Chao

Promising review: "I absolutely love this Tamagotchi! It brings back so many childhood memories while still being fun and engaging today. It’s simple to use, interactive, and keeps you entertained as you take care of your virtual pet. The design is super cute, and the quality is great. It’s perfect for both kids and adults who want a bit of nostalgia. Definitely a fun little device to have or even give as a gift!" —Arlin Maciel Corniel

Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (available in three styles). 

Promising review: "One of my favorites ever!!! The idea is perfect, and the pages are all unique and fun to color, with no repetition, and the details aren't too tiny. Great for anxiety if you're doing coloring for mental health. (I hate the pages that are just tiny patterns repeated endlessly. Makes my anxiety worse.)" —Ezra Johnson

Promising review: "This is exactly what I was looking for! It lies flat to easily complete the word search and not have to fight with the book. There are different types of puzzles, and some have extra secret searches! It’s great for the slow days at work!! I will definitely be buying more of these word searches!" —Roy Y Hahn

Woobles is a small business that specializes in crochet kits. 

Promising review: "Excellent gift for beginners looking to explore crochet or knitting. The materials were of high quality, and everything was explained very clearly. End product looked great too." —Nick

Get it from Amazon for $29.95+ (available in eight styles, and also as Snoopy, Pochacco, a Minecraft creeper, and more!)

Each set comes with a 100-color palette, a sketch pencil, a sponge, a swatch sheet, and three water brush pens. 

Promising review: "Love collecting watercolor sets, and this one is amazing — so many exquisite colors to paint with. Creativity is everything, and imagination with all these colors is unlimited. Pure happiness!" —pve

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in five sizes and styles).

Promising review: "This workbook is perfection. So well made and explained for beginners in the watercolor world. So entertaining yet challenging for more advanced watercolor enthusiasts. I ordered this book, along with some new watercolors to practice with, and from the moment I opened it, I was obsessed. I absolutely love Sarah’s designs. As someone who hasn’t painted in years and has not much experience, I found this book to be so helpful. It was so easy for me to start painting again and remember how much joy I feel while I am doing so. Its instructions, tips, and stunning color combinations definitely helped awaken my creativity a little more each day. 10 out of 10! 🎨🫶🏼" —Ale

Foldology is a small business that specializes in unique puzzles. 

Promising review: "So much fun! This activity has provided hours of enjoyment. They start off easy, and with each one, you learn a new fold, and they progressively get harder. Definitely a worthwhile purchase for someone who likes puzzles." —Amazon Customer

Promising review: "I personally have always loved Burn After Writing books. They're so interesting and worth the money you put into getting them. If you're looking for something affordable, self-discovery, or a little recap in your life, I highly, highly recommend!" —Hannah-Aubrey-Jay

Promising review: "You will get much more out of this than what you paid for. Really well done and fun, even if some players aren't Swifties." —J. Hayes

Promising reviews: "Bought for my wife, who is a huge Swiftie, and she is obsessed! Great gift for anyone who likes Swift. Contains lots of little Easter eggs and nods to a ton of her songs!" —Stephanie Koschel

"This is such an amazing creation. You can tell the illustrator put in SO MUCH WORK into researching the Tay universe and capturing absolutely every detail possible of her entire career. I gasped at the 'No, it's Becky' reference! A job very well done. I am so happy I purchased this!!" —Alexia

Promising reviews: "My kids love these! We gift them, use them as prizes, stocking stuffers, and basket fillers. They put them in their backpacks and take them to restaurants and on road trips. A fun portable craft/activity for all ages." —Mariah 

"These DIY 3D sticker scene books are such a fun and creative activity! The stickers are high-quality, reusable, and easy to work with. I love how many different scenes there are to make, and the little details are adorable. It’s relaxing, great for stress relief, and perfect for kids and adults alike. A wonderful gift idea or activity to keep everyone entertained!" —Ella

Promising review: "We have a relative who mentioned a desire to take up embroidery. This made a perfect gift for her. I haven't embroidered in years, but I'm considering getting something similar for myself. It includes everything you need for a great price." —Liz Czaja

Promising review: "I’m a young adult who spends a lot of time in the hospital due to bad health issues. Most of the time, it’s nerve-wracking and very boring. I ordered this little book to take with me for next time, and I was very happy with it! It kept me busy and calmed my nerves. It was easy to do and therapeutic. I like the variety of pictures!" —Cherry  

Just don't accidentally write an important number on it when you're *not* on lunch break because it will slowly fade. 

Promising review: "I bought one of these many years ago and love mine. I just bought this one as a gift for a friend. She loves it! This item is of great quality. Perfect size to do quick, creative work. This board helps a person come into the present. Let the world melt away while they use it. Before you know it, time has slipped by, and the calm has set in. It may be perfect at the office! Definitely would have people stopping by to chill for a minute! (Just a thought.) I would imagine this would be calming for kids, too! Get one for yourself. Leave the world behind." —ClearlyLiving

Seriously, I'm sitting by the door waiting for this to arrive. Texas is FINALLY starting to get the memo that it. Is. AUTUMN and I plan to bike through the neighborhood to celebrate. LOVE that I don't have to sling my leg up and over the side... I'm in my '30s. I don't have time for that nonsense when I just want to pedal around for some light exercise and excellent vibes. 

Get it from Sun & Ski Sports for $599.99 (available in two sizes and two colors).

* Products You’ll Definitely Want On Hand If You Spend A Lot Of Downtime At Home

* If Your Eyes Are Burning From Staring At Your Phone, Check Out These 33 Hobbies That Require Zero Screens

* Fun Hobby Products To Keep Yourself Amused On Days When You Need A Little Serotonin Boost

* If You Don’t Have An Answer To “What Do You Do For Fun?”, You Should Try These 30 Things

* Fun Hobby Products For Everyone Who Has A Little Free Time (But Not That Much Free Time)

BuzzFeed Shopping is service journalism first: our writers and editors spend all day shopping so you don’t have to, vetting products, fact-checking brand claims, and surfacing what actually helps in real life. We center readers over revenue, recommend products with authenticity (using real experiences, not ad-speak), and reflect our diverse audience, inclusive of a variety of price points, people, and needs. We cut through fake deals, favor useful info over glossy fluff, and recommend both budget and splurge options with context so you can decide what’s right for you — and still have a little fun along the way.

Reviews in this post have been edited for length and/or clarity.