College Life
27 Exciting Things to Do at Night When Bored: Fun & Creative Ideas to Try!
Looking for fun and productive ways to spend your nights? Discover the best things to do at night when bored, from creative hobbies to relaxing activities. Stay entertained and make the most of your evenings!
As a junior at Hofstra University, I can attest that many nights feel so incredibly dull because it seems like there are only enough hours in the night to get in homework, and a bit of studying before you need to get to bed to have some sort of sleep to get through the next day.
Being a college student is super stressful, and most of the time, motivation can be extremely low.
Sometimes, you just need to pick yourself up, like doing something fun, creative, or relaxing, after being straight productive for a couple of hours doing homework or studying.
If you can do one of these for an hour every night, you can make your nights more exciting.
Many college students, including myself (lol), have found ourselves doomed to scrolling, whether it’s on Instagram, X(Twitter), TikTok, or any other social media app, wondering what to do. That is why
I want to share the most fun things to do at night when bored. The best part about all these activities is that they are budget-friendly and can be done alone or with friends.
There is an option for any mood because every day has a different nightly vibe.
Photo by Nia Roman
In This Post:
• Fun and Entertaining Things to Do at Night
• Creative and Productive Things to Do at Night
• Relaxing and Self-Care Activities for Nighttime
• Learning and Skill-Building Activities
• Final Thoughts
Fun and Entertaining Things to Do at Night
Photo by Nia Roman
Photo by Nia RomanSome fun things I, as a junior in college, tend to find myself doing with my friends are hosting a movie night or a game night.
At my school, every dorm building has a lounge, whether it’s in a suite-style living or a communal-style living. I love to set up my games and snacks in the lounge in my building for my friends,
and we watch movies and do homework. On the weekends, we also do game nights.
One little tip I learned: having snacks that are on theme earns you more points for people to want you to host again and again!
You can also do a potluck snack style where every friend brings a different themed snack or drink and shakes things up, which, by the way, is the most fun idea I have had while hosting movie and game nights.
If puzzles and challenges are more your speed, I would recommend hosting and googling some virtual escape rooms because it is a fun way to test your problem-solving skills while still having fun. There are so many low-cost karaoke machines.
If your dorm lounge has a TV or you have a TV in your room, get a cheap microphone and use it with YouTube or apps like Smule, where you can duet with friends.
It can be a great way to unwind from a stressful day of classes and homework and let loose while having fun.
Sing your hearts out with karaoke, I promise it will be super fun.
You can also host a game night with the staple games from our childhood, like Monopoly, the Game of Life, Trouble, Jenga, and Uno.
If you have a game room like my college does, you can rent out certain games like Wii and Xbox, where you can play some more fast-paced games and more childhood staples.
Playing games is the ultimate way to beat boredom before going to bed. You can also try online games in your room, where you can either play alone or with friends right from your bed.
Photo by Nia Roman
Photo by Nia RomanOnline games can be a childhood staple of Papa’s games, from cool math (if you know, you know) or Barbie and Bratz games to even SIMS or Roblox.
If you are more in the mood to grab some food or snacks with friends, which I find myself nine times out of ten doing with my friends, we go to late-night food spots that are open on campus.
And if there is nothing open late on your campus, I suggest everyone pitch in to order online food.
Most campuses also have kitchens, and I also find myself and one of my friends cooking dinner together and trying new recipes or even just cooking ramen.
One last thing I love doing is binge-watching old series, movies, or documentaries because there is a hidden gem in things you have watched and did not realize before.
Old-timey sitcoms like The 70’s Show keep you on the edge of your seat, and can help you wind down before sleep.
Related: What to Do When Bored in Class: 120+ Productive and Entertaining Ideas
Creative and Productive Things to Do at Night
Photo by Nia Roman
Photo by Nia RomanSome things I find myself doing when I am either alone or with friends are getting crafty by either making handmade jewelry, crocheting, reorganizing my room, or upcycling clothing to create something I want or to make something more trendy.
Another thing I find myself doing more often, even in the breaks within my day, is journaling. Journaling has helped me document things about my day and my feelings while also talking about how I would want the rest of my day to go.
I essentially use my journal in the middle of my day to keep a good day going or reset my day into a good one if it was originally not going in a good way.
This can be very therapeutic to get your thoughts out of your head and onto a page so that you can focus on class and feel more relaxed.
Since I am a journalism major, I find myself grabbing my phone to play with lighting and camera angles to take shots that are good for classes.
You might discover a hidden talent for taking photos and a love for photography, just like I did.
You can also play around with music by trying a new instrument by renting one from your university’s music department or listening to an artist that you have not listened to before.
One pro tip is to practice during the day or in the music room, as you should respect your quiet hour policies.
You can use apps like Yousician or YouTube for lessons for easy learning and instruction.
Photo by Nia Roman
Photo by Nia RomanOne last thing is you can use Pinterest, Google, or Lemon8 to get some photos, and if your school has printers, you can print them out and buy a cheap board from Walmart, Target, or Staples and add them to make a vision board.
You can also make one digitally by using Pinterest, Google, or lemon8 photos and saving them to your computer, and uploading them into Canva and choosing a background.
The things you choose should be things you want for the future and aspirations to motivate you.
Also, you can get creative by buying or making a personalized bullet journal, or even getting a planner and getting super creative with it. Allow your creative juices to flow and make organization for life stuff and school stuff fun.
Lastly, I have picked up painting and air clay making, which is not just for the pros. It can be super fun and allows your imagination to run wild and make meaningful things.
You can also paint and sip with friends to make it super fun (not advocating underage drinking, lol).
Related: The Best Self-Care Essentials Every College Guy Needs -The Ultimate Guide
Relaxing and Self-Care Activities for Nighttime
Photo by Nia Roman
Photo by Nia RomanAs a junior in college, I found that pampering myself with a spa night in my dorm has been one of my main sources of maintaining health and relieving stress.
You can DIY your face mask, do your nails, or take a relaxing shower.
Another thing that I find helpful is doing yoga and meditation daily. You can take some deep breaths and light stretching to help you sleep and relieve stress, or you can follow my routine, which is below:
My Yoga Routine:
• Enhanced Energy Levels:
Using energizing breath techniques is when you focus on deep breath inhalation, and it can help boost energy and vitality.
The longer the inhale and the shorter the exhale, the more it helps to invigorate the body and mind.
This technique focuses on the longer inhale and shorter exhale with a 2:1 ratio.
• Calmness & Relaxation:
Calming breathing techniques emphasize longer exhales to promote relaxation and reduce stress.
This technique helps to activate the body’s natural relaxation response, giving a sense of calm.
This technique focuses on the shooter inhaling and longer exhales with the preferred 1:2 ratio.
• Balances State of Mind:
The balancing breath technique involves an equal balance between inhales and exhales, which helps to maintain a balanced state of mind and body.
This practice helps to harmonize the effects of other breathing techniques while ensuring overall mental and physical equilibrium. Since this is a balance of equal inhales and exhales, the preferred ratio is 1:1 to maintain balance.
I do this either before bed or in the middle of the day to help relieve tension and stress, or help me to sleep.
Another thing I suggest is reading a book, listening to an audiobook, or even listening to a podcast, which can help you catch up on things you have been wanting to read or listen to.
Listening to a podcast can also allow you to have an interactive experience and get into new things that you have put off because of classes and homework, and hopefully inspire you and your creativity.
Some book recommendations I have is any book from Ali Hazlewood or Stephan King, and a podcast would be Crime Junkie or any AudioCHECK podcast.
You can also listen to calming music like lo-fi beats, a TED talk, or a devotional to help calm you down before you sleep.
Another thing you can do is to end your night off with a high, and write a gratitude list and just jot down the things you’re grateful for, whether it’s a general thing or just from the day.
One thing I find myself doing personally is decluttering and organizing my dorm.
I have a small room since I live in a single room, so a tidy room is key to a tidy mind, and you can either put on music, an audiobook, or a podcast, and it can help refresh your night for the next day.
Related: 30 Effective Study Motivation Tips – The Ultimate 2025 Guide
Learning and Skill-Building Activities
Photo by Nia Roman
Photo by Nia RomanOne thing you can do is learn a new language by taking up a language class, having friends teach you, or downloading Duolingo, Babbel, or even YouTube, and you can make learning fun and easy.
I am currently learning Korean using Duolingo, and it is super fun. Hopefully, the next time I write, I can add some of my Korean skills lol.
You can take some free online courses on something fun that interests you, that you haven’t done yet, or something you want to relearn. I am currently on YouTube at university, lol, to relearn crochet.
Or you can look up TED talks to help expand your knowledge. If you are worried about your study skills, you can practice speed reading and memory techniques, but make it a fun game and reward yourself.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. No one’s memory is perfect.
Photo by Nia Roman
Photo by Nia RomanRemember, practice helps you remember things for the future.
You can also explore coding or building a website to create a blog or a podcast. This is a good skill to have, no matter what your major is, and there are free platforms out there, or you can even take beginner classes in college for your distribution classes.
If you love desserts, maybe start looking for cooking tutorials on YouTube or buy a dessert book so you can learn to bake cookies or make cupcakes from scratch the next time.
I find that planning the next day or the next two weeks can help you know what you need to do, keep you on track, and feel more in control of your school life and personal life.
Lastly, which I am scared to do, start a side hustle, like starting a blog, podcast, courses, or teaching anything you want. You can also do freelance work or start an online business.
Final Thoughts
Photo by Nia Roman
Photo by Nia RomanHEY, NO MORE BORING NIGHTS!
As a college student, I understand nights can be super boring, but there are so many free options out there for entertainment, relaxation, or self-improvement that you are not limited to just these 27 different activities to make your college nights more enjoyable and meaningful.
Let me know what activity you already do and which one you want to try.
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