Free activities for kids: writing, AI and coding

Story character builder: a free writing activity for kids

Every good story starts with a character readers care about. This 30-minute activity helps children invent one, and the story usually follows on its own.

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Five senses setting: a descriptive writing activity for kids

Most young writers describe only what things look like. Adding sound, smell, touch and taste turns a flat setting into somewhere a reader can almost stand.

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The 50-word story challenge: a fun writing activity for kids

A whole story, beginning, middle and end, in exactly fifty words. It sounds impossible, and that is what makes children want to try.

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Comic strip story: a creative writing activity for kids

For children who love drawing more than writing, a comic strip is the perfect way to plan a story, and the writing becomes much easier afterwards.

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Story dice game: make your own and tell a story

Draw pictures on paper dice, roll them, and use whatever comes up in a story. It is a game, so children forget they are practising storytelling.

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Diary of a character: a perspective writing activity for kids

Writing as someone else is one of the best ways to understand a story, and to find a writing voice. All you need is a book your child already knows.

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Sort it like a computer: a free AI activity for kids

Children play the role of a machine learning model with objects from around the house, and discover first-hand how AI learns, and how it gets things wrong.

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AI or not? A home scavenger hunt for kids

AI is all around the house, hidden in apps and devices. Hunting for it helps children notice how much they already use, and start asking how it works.

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Spot the AI mistake: a fact-checking activity for kids

AI can sound completely sure and still be wrong. This game teaches children the habit that matters most: check before you trust.

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Decision tree guessing game: an AI and logic activity for kids

A decision tree is a chain of yes-or-no questions: the same idea behind some AI systems. Children build one that can guess an animal.

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Family AI rules poster: an AI safety activity for kids

Rules children help write are rules children remember. Make a poster together that sets out how your family uses AI tools safely.

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Robot sandwich: an unplugged coding activity for kids

Write instructions for making a sandwich. A parent follows them exactly, like a robot. The results are funny, and the lesson about coding sticks.

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Grid maze directions: a coding activity without a computer

Draw a grid, add a start, a goal and some obstacles, then write arrow commands to get there. It is how many children first meet programming.

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Loop dance routine: learn coding loops by moving

Loops are one of the most important ideas in coding. Children learn them best with their whole body: by writing and performing a dance.

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If-then card game: learn coding conditions with cards

Programs make decisions with "if this, then that". A deck of cards and a few rules turn that idea into a game children want to play again.

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Debug the recipe: a find-the-bug activity for kids

Programmers spend much of their time finding mistakes. This activity turns debugging into a detective game with a slightly silly recipe.

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Design a video game on paper: a creative coding activity

Before any game is coded, it is designed. Children love inventing games, and planning one teaches the same thinking programmers use.

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