One sentence: 'Find one thing in this house that doesn't work perfectly or that annoys you. Invent a machine that fixes it. Draw the machine and label all the parts so I can understand how it works.' Problem identification first. The child investigates the house for friction points. Then invention sketch. Results include 'The Automatic Sock Finder 3000', 'The Plate Cleaner So I Don't Have To Eat Vegetables', and 'The Alarm Clock That Wakes You Up By Playing Your Favourite Song.' Completely self-directed. 45-60 minutes without any parent involvement after the prompt.

What you need

Paper
Pencil

How to do it

1Walk through the house. Find one thing that doesn't work perfectly or that genuinely annoys you.
2Invent a machine that fixes it. Draw the machine and label all the parts so I can understand how it works.
3Hand over paper and pencil. Leave completely. This needs no further instruction.

Variations

If they can't find a problem: offer one prompt — 'something that takes too long, or keeps falling over' — then leave again.
How it ends: one finished invention is enough to call it done — 'the workshop's closed for today.'

💡 Parent tip

If they can't find a problem: 'Think about something that takes too long, something you always forget, or something that keeps falling over.' One prompt is enough. Once looking for friction, children find three problems in under a minute.

What your child develops

Design thinking — identifying a real problem before designing a solution is the first step of the design process
Annotated technical drawing — labeled diagrams are a specific communication skill used in engineering and science
Empathetic design — designing for a personal pain point produces more motivated, more detailed work than an abstract brief