No-supplies activities for 9 year olds

The best activity is the one you can start immediately. These need nothing at all — no craft box, no shopping trip, no printing. Just you, your 9 year old, and whatever room you are already standing in. At nine, competence matters. Activities that produce something to keep or show tend to hold longest.

They work well in waiting rooms, on holiday, at a grandparent's house, or on the days when the craft cupboard is empty.