Kids today. You can’t converse with ‘em, you can’t understand the computer without ‘em. Wouldn’t it be nice to find artistic experiences that blend their basic tech skills with your desire to spend quality time together making nifty things they’ll love (even though they’re too cool to admit it)? Happily, imaginative technology abounds. Now you just have to get the kids over to your clicky device without them knowing you’re about to make Grandma’s birthday present.

Arts & Crafts

Scrapbook Factory Deluxe is simple yet highly customizable Windows software that lets you take all those digital pics of soccer games, birthdays and embarrassing dance outfits and transform them into detailed, personalized scrapbooks. For kids not yet ready for a real camera, Snapshot Adventures: Secret of Bird Island is a playful download that lets shutterbug-wannabes snap pictures of 135 animated bird species. DoodleDroid, an all-ages painting app for Android smartphones, offers the versatility of 21 different brushes and speed-sensitive results. Got a kid who’s especially deft with visual composition? Patchworkz is a creatively challenging download masquerading as a humble quilt-making game. Finally, artisans of every age will be drawn to Crayola Art Studio for Windows. Virtual watercolors, pastels, chalk and over 1,000 edit-friendly images deliver oodles of imaginative possibilities.

Building & Design

Simulated (sims) play can be a great way to fire up kids’ imaginations. Sure, when you were little you were limited to building cities with sticks in the sandbox, only to see your big brother pull a Godzilla and trample it to pieces. Thankfully, times have changed. Children now have the option of creating and controlling a wide range of animated worlds, many of which can be saved and shared. In your face, bro!

Virtual Villagers 3: The Secret City is a Windows download where players guide castaways as they search for rations, unravel island mysteries and even raise offspring. The game runs in real time, requiring creativity to go hand-in-hand with accountability. The SimCity Box for the PC delivers four builder- themed games to help your little Mike Brady realize remarkable architectural dreams. Too complicated? Based on the TV series, Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise for Nintendo DS challenges players to put up homes and plant veggies so the whimsical Piñata species may grow and thrive. Speaking of growing, Gardenscapes is a delightfully playable Windows download with a scavenger hunt and some landscape design thrown in for kicks. The goal is to sell valuables from an inherited estate and spend the earnings on plants, statues, fountains, flowers and more.

Music

Move over, Jonas Brothers. The world has yet to experience the awesome power of your clan’s rockability. With these varied games, whether your pre-teen is designing her virtual band’s guitars or you’re competing with your ninth-grader for the title of the next Mix Master Mike, count on cranking that creativity up to eleven… and then down to seven because the neighbors complained.

With DJ Hero, you are the DJ and you rock the party. Simple? Not exactly. Creative? Totally. Try DJ techniques like sampling, mixing and freestyling, and start a beat battle with a rival DJ (one of your teenagers). Prefer your little ones to be classically inspired? Give them your Blackberry and let ‘em pound the keys of the StormPiano, an app that turns your mobile into a handheld piano. Alice is an Android app that tells you when favorite acts are coming to town and even lets you buy tickets to the show. Rock Band gets everyone moving with group games and guitar, drum and microphone accessories (sold separately). Embarrass your children from the comfort of your family room as you all jam along to songs by Foo Fighters, Bon Jovi, Duran Duran and more.

Culinary Arts

Are your kids budding epicureans and “Iron Chef” devotees? Or will they only eat ketchup and grapes? No matter— a cornucopia of food-related games delivers activities to make practically any family at home on the range. Below, sample a small crop of irresistible indulgences.

The Cooking Mama series is immensely popular, and in Cooking Mama Shop & Chop for Nintendo DS, players learn about creativity in the kitchen. Following recipes and using tools of the tradefood prep, players hone their culinary skill from shopping cart to culinary critics. Learn about recipes and food prep, enter a culinary contest and earn medals for a meal well done. Kids who love cake (um, everyone) will want to try Cake Mania, an arcade-style Windows download where managing time is as important as choosing the right frosting. When it’s time to experience non-virtual food, consult the Nintendo DS and America’s Test Kitchen: Let’s Get Cooking. With more than 300 recipes presented in a family-friendly format, your kids may think they’re just playing as they fix dinner (and you nibble and supervise). Not nearly that organized? Give your smartphone to Junior while grocery shopping and have him consult the Cooking Capsules Taster app to select ingredient lists and step-by-step real meal instructions.Chocolatier 2: Secret Ingredients is a Windows download celebrating creativity on multiple levels. From acquiring recipes and seeking rare ingredients to sending players on more than 200 quests and encounters, this game delivers unexpectedly tasty challenges.