Invention Workshop — Design a Solution
Child identifies a real problem in their daily life and designs an invention to solve it. They describe or draw the invention, explain how it works, and iterate on the design when challenged. Parent observes engineering thinking, creative problem-solving, ability to explain mechanisms and cause-effect, and willingness to revise designs based on feedback.
Opens a guided voice session in TogetherTime.
What you'll need
Set up at a table with paper, pencils, coloured pencils or markers, and optionally a ruler. Encourage the child to think of a genuine problem they experience. Have extra paper available for iterations.
How it works
- 1~35s
What problem did your child identify? Now ask them to dig deeper: 'WHY is that a problem? What exactly makes it annoying or difficult? When does it happen? How often?' Good inventors don't just know THAT something is a problem — they understand the problem deeply before trying to solve it. This is problem definition, and it's the first step of engineering thinking. Watch: does they describe the problem vaguely or specifically? Tell me the problem and how well your child defined it!
Watch for: problem_identification_depth
- 2~45s
Now the creative part — designing the solution! Tell your child: 'You've defined the problem perfectly. Now invent something to fix it. It can be anything — realistic or wild. Draw it on paper, label the parts, and be ready to explain how it works. Think about: What does it look like? What is it made of? How does someone use it? What happens when you turn it on or activate it?' Give them 3-4 minutes to draw and think. Then ask them to present the invention. Tell me about the design and the explanation!
Watch for: invention_design_quality
- 3~35s
Every invention gets tested! Your job now is to be the friendly challenger. Ask your child: 'What happens if it breaks?' 'What if it rains on it?' 'What if a 3-year-old tried to use it — would they figure it out?' 'What's the most likely thing to go wrong?' These are engineering stress-test questions, and they test whether your child can think critically about their own design. Watch: does they get defensive, or does they think about the problems and try to fix them? That's iterative design. Tell me how your child handles the challenges!
Watch for: design_iteration_response
- 4~30s
Final step — the Inventor's Pitch! Ask your child: 'Imagine you're on a TV show for inventors and you have 30 seconds to convince the judges to fund your invention. Tell them: the problem, your solution, how it works, and why it's great.' Then the reflection: 'What part of being an inventor was hardest — finding the problem, designing the solution, or defending it against challenges?' And: 'If you had a whole month and a real workshop, what would you improve?' Tell me the pitch and the reflection!
Watch for: creative_solution_communication