AI-guided problem solving for ages 8–18

From “I’m bored”
to “I have a customer!”

Ideas at Play guides children through solving a real problem for a real person—from asking better questions to building, testing, and improving their own solution.

The AI provides guidance. Your child does the thinking and the work.

Apply for the pilotSee how a project unfolds ↓
Parent-supervisedNo contact with strangersFirst pilot project free

“New members of our robotics club never know where the tools belong.”

WHAT I FOUND OUT

  • New members are nervous about asking repeatedly
  • The drawers all look the same
  • Experienced members lose time answering questions
Visual tool map · Version 1
Paper labels · 25 minutes
TESTED

How it works

One project. Seven simple steps.

1Notice
2Investigate
3Choose
4Build
5Test
6Improve
7Reflect
NoticeSpot a small, real problem at home, school, or nearby.

One small mission per session. Every session ends with something your child does away from the screen.

What they practice:
Independent thought · courage · communication · entrepreneurship · resourcefulness · resilience

Built for parents: You approve real-world activities. Children never contact strangers alone. No public profiles or child-to-child messaging.

Join the first pilot.

For families with children ages 8–18. The first 7–14 day project is free.

The first guided project

One idea. Seven real-world steps.

Over 7–14 days, your child completes one manageable mission at a time. Every session ends with an action away from the screen.

1

Notice

Find a small frustration worth understanding.

2

Investigate

Ask three known people about their experience.

3

Choose

Select one person and one problem to focus on.

4

Build

Make the simplest useful first version.

5

Test

Put it in someone’s hands and observe.

6

Improve

Make one meaningful change using evidence.

7

Reflect

Tell the honest story, including what failed.

A real response matters

A “customer” does not have to mean money.

The goal is not to turn a child into a salesperson. It is to discover whether another person values the work enough to act.

Success can be someone using the solution, contributing time, offering a trade, making a clear commitment—or choosing to buy it.

Actual useTimeA tradeA clear yesMoney

A different kind of AI

Guidance without taking over.

Most AI tools are designed to produce answers. Ideas at Play is designed to hold back. The child’s judgment—not the AI’s output—is the point.

The AI guides. Your child decides and acts.

Ask the child

Begin with one question and make room for an original answer.

Request real-world evidence

Move from guesses to something seen, heard, tested, or recorded.

Offer a small hint

Provide just enough structure to help the child take the next step.

Give an example only when needed

Examples are a last resort when the child is genuinely stuck.

Inside the experience

One clear mission. Evidence of real work. A parent in the loop.

The interface keeps the project visible without turning it into another complicated productivity tool.

CHILD MISSIONDay 2
INVESTIGATE

Ask your sister three questions.

Where do the pencils disappear? What has she tried? Where would a holder be useful?

↗ AWAY FROM SCREEN
PROJECT EVIDENCE2 notes · 1 photo
“I don’t use my pencil case because it stays in my school bag.”
Prototype photo
controlled by parent

Evidence helps the coach ask a better next question.

PARENT VIEWProject active

Building the first version

4 stages complete · Next activity needs approval

Designed for family use

Built for parents to trust.

You remain informed from the first observation to the finished project story.

You approve every activity

Real-world steps need your sign-off. Children never contact strangers alone.

Minimal data by design

No addresses, no unnecessary personal details, no public profiles, no messaging between children.

Boundaries from the start

Pilot projects exclude medical, food, financial, and transportation activities. Concerning conversations are surfaced for parent review.

A small, supervised first cohort

Help us shape the first project.

We’re inviting a small group of families with children ages 8–18 to complete a supervised 7–14 day project.

During the pilot, every coaching response is supervised. We’ll learn where children feel confident, where they get stuck, and what parents need to feel informed.

We’ll only use these details to contact you about the pilot. We never share them.

Application received.

We’ll be in touch as we assemble the first group of families.