AGES 6–9 WITH AN ADULT · 20 MIN
Teach a pretend machine
Sort paper shapes, guess a hidden rule, and discover why examples matter. No screen or account needed.
Try the pattern gameFor young makers & their grown-ups
Big imagination.
Meet your next project.
Make something small enough to finish and interesting enough to make your own. Start on paper, work together, and see where the idea takes you.
Three projects. Plenty of possibility.
AGES 8–12 WITH AN ADULT · 30 MIN
Design a tiny game
Turn one action into a paper game someone else can play. Coding is an optional next step.
Make a game on paperAGES 10+ WITH AN ADULT · 25 MIN
Be a fact detective
Choose a low-stakes claim, find its evidence, and explain what you can—and cannot—conclude.
Try the fact-check01 / NO-SCREEN AI
Teach a pretend machine.
You need: ten paper shapes in two colors, two sheets labeled A and B, and a pencil.
Make examples.
An adult chooses a secret rule, such as round versus not round, and sorts six shapes into the two groups.
Guess and test.
The learner guesses the rule and sorts the remaining four shapes. Add a surprising example, such as a circle in a new color. Does the rule still work?
Explain the surprise.
Talk about what the examples showed and what they hid. This is a simplified analogy for learning patterns, not a complete model of AI.
02 / GAME DESIGN
A game that starts with “what if?”
You need: paper, a pencil, and a paper token. Choose one action: move, match, find, or answer.
Draw the first version.
Make a start, six spaces, one challenge, and a finish. Give the game a name. Write how to begin, what happens on a turn, and how to win.
Let someone play.
Watch without explaining everything. Where do they pause? Change one rule and test it again.
Choose one digital step.
If you want to code it, an adult can help choose a suitable tool. Start with one interaction, such as moving a character. Keep sharing private until an adult reviews it.
03 / CRITICAL THINKING
“How could we know?”
You need: a low-stakes factual claim selected by an adult, a trusted book or educational source, and our fact-check sheet.
Find the exact claim.
Underline something you can check. Separate facts from opinions and predictions.
Find the evidence.
Open a relevant original source. Does it actually support the claim? Check a second source if the answer is uncertain.
Choose your conclusion.
Write “supported,” “needs more checking,” or “we don’t know.” Explain your choice. Uncertainty is a useful answer.
Curiosity comes with care.
Activity age suggestions describe the learning task, not permission to use an AI service. Adults should check each tool’s current age rules, privacy settings, and school policies. Use fictional examples and keep children’s personal information out of prompts. An adult should operate adult tools and review output before sharing it.
Explore the official resources: Code.org curriculum · Scratch for parents · Common Sense Media’s parent guide. Links reviewed October 1, 2026; check current requirements before use.