Stuck inside? Our favorite puzzles, games and screen-free diversions keep the spirit of summer alive

4 hours ago 6

Last winter, extreme cold forced many of us indoors to huddle around our space heaters. Now, scorching temperatures and poor air quality have yet again chased us inside, this time at summer’s peak. But you don’t need to resign yourself to binge-watching all 35 episodes of Love Island USA or doomscrolling for hours just because your kayaking trip is canceled.

Over the past year, we’ve uncovered a treasure chest of screen-free boredom busters, testing 80 jigsaw puzzles, 35 board games and even some new ways to embrace your creative side. Below are seven ways to enjoy the rest of the summer, even if it’s from the comfort of your air conditioning.


Hot Streak Party Game

Hot Streak Party Game

$39.99


Piecework Court Classics 1,000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

Piecework

Court Classics 1,000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

from $40


Oxo Grilling Skewer Set

Oxo

Grilling Skewer Set

$17.99


No Particular Order Guided Journal

No Particular Order

Volume 1 Journal

$34

No Particular Order Volume One Journal
Photograph: Courtesy of No Particular Order
$34 at No Particular Order

I can’t stop recommending No Particular Order’s stationery, which goes beyond your basic gratitude journal or set of greeting cards with thought-provoking designs.

This guided journal is packed with 200 unique journal prompts that are perfect for killing time indoors while contemplating your entire existence. A few of my favorites include “What makes a house a home?” and “I would have these bumper stickers on my car”.

No Particular Order

Volume 1 Journal

$34


Gritin Skin-Friendly Resistance Bands

Gritin

Skin-Friendly Resistance Bands

$15.99


Ravensburger 1,000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

Ravensburger

1,000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

from $24.99


Winsor & Newton Watercolor Paint Set

Winsor & Newton

Watercolor Paint Set

$23.81


Kobo Libra Colour E-Reader

Kobo

Libra Colour E-Reader

from $259.99

Kobo Libra Colour E-Reader
Photograph: Courtesy of Kobo
$259.99 at Kobo
$259.99 at Amazon

Take your beach read to the couch with one of our favorite e-readers. After testing six of the top models on the market, writer and bookworm Jenny McGrath deemed this one her overall favorite. “It has more fonts and font sizes to choose from than the Kindles I tested, and it’s possible to make subtler adjustments to the brightness and warmness, too,” she wrote.

Read the story: The best e-readers in the US, for every kind of book lover

Kobo

Libra Colour E-Reader

from $259.99


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Other pieces you might enjoy from the Filter, the Guardian’s guide to buying fewer, better things:

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