Have had some success with giving the kids tasks. The 8-year-old can be hot or cold to these types of things, all depends on the mood. I've found that things like a Lego set can give him a lot focus and put him in a really good mental space - though he tends to reject ideas like "let's make a birthday card", etc. He's very creative, but likes to come up with his own ideas. I'll give him materials, but too much direction tends to derail him.

I will listen to the music when I have some space :-)