Chat GPT. Like it or not… it’s not going anywhere.
And, if you are reading this, I know you care about connecting with your kids. You might also be intrigued by the new world of AI that seems to be seeping into all aspects of our lives.
AI can feel a little overwhelming sometimes, right? People either seem to be on board and excited about it or flat-out against it. I was landing somewhere in the middle — until I discovered…
There are so many ways Chat GPT can help serve as a jumping-off point in connecting with kids through creative play! I decided to try out some ideas, and it definitely opened up a whole new realm of possibilities.
Now, I know what you might be thinking:
“Using AI? Isn’t that… cheating? Or being lazy? Aren’t we supposed to be OFF of our phones to connect with the kids?”
Not necessarily. I think there’s some freedom in releasing guilt surrounding screens, embracing technology, and appreciating some of the beneficial aspects of AI. Especially when it comes to encouraging family fun!
Plus… many of us are already constantly on our phones. Let’s be honest about that. If we’re going to be using them anyway, why not use them in a way that actually helps us connect with our kids?
So, today, I’m here to share some hilarious and engaging ideas for using Chat GPT to connect with your kids. If you’re curious about this new technology, I hope you give some of these a try or become inspired to use it for your own creative play ideas!
1. Puppet Show Extravaganza:
Putting on puppet shows as a kid was my favorite. My sister recently gifted my kids the most amazing pop-up puppet theatre (that also turns into a lemonade stand!) so we experimented with a little Chat GPT inspiration!
1. Ask Chat GPT to write a short puppet show script! Just provide some basic details, like the characters’ names and a setting, and let the AI do its magic.
2. Print out the script (if you want) and let your kids use it as a guideline for one of their puppet shows!
My stepdaughter wanted to do a funny Fourth of July-themed show with four characters. Having an official “script” made her feel so professional and she took it so seriously. It was really cute!
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This pop-up puppet theater (that also converts into a “lemonade stand!”) was a gift from my sister and it has been all the rage in our house. I especially love that it folds up easily and quickly. No assembly at all! That’s my kind of puppet theater.
2. Personalized Fairy Tales:
Ask Chat GPT to generate a personalized fairy tale using your child’s name and interests.
Read it out loud to them, and let them act it out with stuffed animals or dolls.
Or, better yet, if your child can read, hand them the phone and let them reveal the fairytale to you!
We asked Chat GPT to write a fairytale about my stepdaughter and my toddler son. It was so sweet to see the look of excitement in my stepdaughter’s eyes as she read it aloud for the first time!
More fun storytelling activities:
3. Hilarious Drawing Prompts:
Get Chat GPT to give you some funny drawing prompts.
Ask it for silly, outrageous, or weird prompts and specific details.
You can even ask it to request your drawings be in certain artistic styles, if you’ve got advanced artists in your house!
Take these prompts and challenge each other to draw them. It’s guaranteed creativity and laughter and all you need is a pen and paper (and a little AI-inspiration).
Pen, Paper, and Pure Fun: 10 Easy Drawing Games and Writing Activities for Kids and Adults
4. Family Trivia Challenge:
Play a game of trivia with a twist!
Let Chat GPT generate specific categories of trivia questions based on family members’ interests.
Whether it’s dinosaurs, superheroes, or space, there’s a trivia category to match any passion.
Get ready for a fierce (but friendly) competition and see who comes out on top as the family trivia champion!
We ended up playing trivia about plants, and learned about the “touch-me-not” plant — fascinating! It was fun to let the trivia questions fuel our curiosity and learn together.
5. Jokes For All Y’all:
Ask Chat GPT for some funny and kid-friendly jokes.
Write them down on little cards or just pass your device and take turns telling jokes to each other. Laughter guaranteed.
You can even specify if you want the jokes to have a theme or be a certain kind of joke. Like, “Tell me some knock-knock jokes with an ocean theme!”
If your kid is obsessed with dinosaurs, for example, just ask it to generate kid-friendly dinosaur jokes. Boom!
6. Family Superheroes:
Okay, this might be my favorite way to use Chat GPT with kids so far.
Help your child design their very own superhero by asking Chat GPT for powers, names, and costumes.
Better yet… do one for each member of the family! Include fun real-life details and characteristics about each person to help Chat GPT tailor the ideas to your family!
We did this and it did NOT disappoint. We were cracking up!!
Tips:
1. Give specific, key details about your family members to make it really fun and personalized.
For example, for my sister, we entered:
“Make up a superhero name and fantastical power for Aunt Nad, the fun aunt who loves to draw.”
It gave us this:
“Aunt Nad – The Sketch Summoner: Aunt Nad’s doodles possess a life of their own. With a stroke of her pen, she can bring her drawings to life, turning them into loyal companions or fearsome creatures. Her sketches can even come alive as temporary allies, aiding her in battles against evil.”
Come on… how fun is that!?
2. Ask the AI to make the results “outrageous, fantastical, and magical” for really entertaining results!
Bonus idea:
Help your child create their own comic strip using all the family superhero characters!
We didn’t do a comic strip, but we had fun illustrating the hilarious characters on the chalkboard.
P.S. These chalk crayons were a gift from my mom and they are a HIT! Dust-free, much more vibrant than regular chalk, and washable… which is great news for me as mother of a toddler who loves to draw on the walls.
7. Treasure Hunt Clues:
I love making treasure hunts for my stepdaughter. It’s become a tradition for special occasions, holidays, and sometimes “just-because.”
I personally enjoy coming up with my own creative riddles and rhymes for the clues, but there’s no reason to not grab some inspiration from Chat GPT, especially if you decide to do this as a last-minute thing!
For example, I asked Chat GPT this:
“Please generate five clues for a kids’ treasure hunt in my house. I want the locations to be: under the bathroom sink, on top of the bookshelf, in the sock drawer, inside the freezer, and in the silverware drawer. The clues should rhyme and be challenging but appropriate for a seven year old.”
Chat GPT’s response:
Sure! Here are five rhyming clues for your treasure hunt:
Under the Bathroom Sink:
“Look beneath where bubbles flow,
Where toothbrushes and towels go.”
On Top of the Bookshelf:
“Search high and low, use your sight,
Where stories wait and dreams take flight.”
In the Sock Drawer:
“Cozy and warm, where socks abide,
Your next clue waits, so don’t let it hide.”
Inside the Freezer:
“Chill and cold, where food is kept,
A frosty spot where secrets are adept.”
In the Silverware Drawer:
“Shiny and bright, where spoons and forks rest,
A drawer that hides the treasure with zest.”
Check out more tips ideas about treasure hunts, including templates to make your own here: Treasure Hunts: Easy, Magical Family Tradition
8. Would You Rather:
This is always one of those games that comes in handy on car rides or at the dinner table in our family. I love coming up with my own weird, outrageous questions and ultimatums. But now, when I’m not feeling particularly inspired, I’m happy to know I can turn to Chat GPT for the perfect solution.
Ask it to generate kid-friendly “Would You Rather” questions.
You can ask them to be simple, silly, holiday-themed, weird, or whatever you want!
Here are some good ones I got from asking Chat GPT for “hilarious, weird” prompts:
1. Would you rather have to wear a clown wig every day for the rest of your life or have a permanent squeaky voice?
2. Would you rather be followed everywhere by a marching band or have to hop on one leg wherever you go?
3. Would you rather have a pet dinosaur that’s the size of a house but acts like a puppy or a talking squirrel that gives you advice on fashion?
4. Would you rather always have to speak in rhyme or only be able to communicate through interpretive dance?
5. Would you rather have to wear a chicken suit to every important job interview or eat a bowl of live worms for breakfast every morning?
6. Would you rather be able to control the weather but only while doing the chicken dance or have the ability to make any food taste like broccoli?
7. Would you rather have a permanent itch that can never be scratched or a constant hiccups that never go away?
8. Would you rather have a pet unicorn that poops rainbows or a magical flying carpet that sings show tunes?
9. Would you rather have a body made entirely of jelly or have to communicate by making animal noises instead of speaking?
10. Would you rather have a personal theme song that plays wherever you go but everyone can hear it or have your hair change color based on your emotions?
9. Secret Code:
Ask Chat GPT to generate a secret code for you and your kid to decipher!
You can each use the code to write messages to each other.
For example, Chat GPT inspired me to make a code in which each letter gets shifted one position backward in the alphabet.
So, “H knud xnt, Zkhxz!”
became “I love you, Aliya!”
It’s a fun little brain exercise and requires nothing but pen and paper.
For extra fun, write down short encrypted messages on index cards and hide them around the house for each other!
10. Riddle Me This:
Ask Chat GPT to generate some fun and challenging riddles (you can specify the ages of your kids for the level of difficulty)!
Work together as a team with your kid to solve these riddles.
The AI can provide hints if needed!
To sum it up…
Here’s how I see it. Using technology for creative play with your kids is not cheating or being lazy. It’s about embracing the tools available to us and fostering imagination and connection in our little ones.
If it’s not your thing, it’s not your thing! But if you could use a little inspiration, why not go for it? Dive in, have some laughs, and make unforgettable memories together (with a little help from Chat GPT)!
Have you jumped on the Chat GPT bandwagon? Tell me about your favorite ways to use it! Share in the comments!
Hi! I’m Mia.
Mom, stepmom, wife, songwriter, performer, and theater educator.
I love sharing ideas, tips, and templates for connecting with kids through low-to-no budget, waste-free, creative play.
This is so much fun! I got to observe some of the above Chat GPT enhanced fun ideas and it’s endless! And the ideas generated by the app spur new creative tangents. Hours of fun!