Every studio · With Krea
Design thinking for kids
Design thinking is how inventors solve problems: spot a real problem, sketch lots of ideas, build a rough version, and test it on a person. This course walks your kid through it once, with one problem from your own home. Krea hosts four short films, and your kid ends with a cardboard fix that works. Plan about 4 minutes of films and 45–60 minutes of making.
Design thinking for kids is part of Kubrio Learn: short courses that inspire kids to make things. Learn more
Watch all 4 lessons in the appWhat your kid makes
Your kid ends with a cardboard fix for a real problem at home, a page of ten idea sketches, and a second version made better after a family member tested it.
- Ages
- 6 to 13
- Time
- 4 films, about 4 minutes, then 45–60 minutes of sketching and building
- You need
- Paper and a pencil, cardboard, like an old box, tape, scissors, with a grown-up for the cutting
- Host
- Krea
The 4 lessons
Lesson 1. Spot a real problem
Good inventions start with a problem someone has every day.
- Watch your family for a day
- Ask what bugs them at home
- Write three problems and circle one
Where: At home
Lesson 2. Ten ideas, fast
The first ideas are the easy ones, so your kid sketches ten before picking.
- Draw ten boxes on a page
- Sketch one idea in each, fast
- Circle the one to build
Where: Paper
In the app
Lesson 3. Build it from cardboard
A quick, rough first try is called a prototype.
- Gather cardboard, tape, and a pencil
- A grown-up helps with the cutting
- Build the idea and try it once
Where: At home
In the app
Lesson 4. Test it, change it
Your kid watches someone use the fix, then makes it better.
- Pick a tester in the family
- Watch without explaining
- Change one thing and test again
Where: At home
In the app
Lesson 1 transcript: Spot a real problem
Today you invent a fix for a real problem! A real one, in your home.
Inventors start with a problem. Long ago, Mary Anderson saw a driver lean out in the snow to wipe his window.
So she invented the windshield wiper! One problem, one fix.
So be a problem spotter. Watch your family. What's hard, or annoying?
Then ask them: what bugs you at home? Write down every answer.
Here's my list. Shoes nobody can find. A pet bowl that slides. A cable that falls behind the desk!
Pick one that happens a lot. I pick the cable. It falls down the back every night!
Your turn. Watch your family. Ask what bugs them. Write three problems, and circle one. Then press Next.
Free guides to practise with
Questions parents ask
What is design thinking, in plain words?
It's a way to solve a problem the way inventors do. You find out what bugs people, sketch many ideas, build a rough version, and test it on a real person. Then you change it and test again.
What age is this for?
Kids 6 to 13. Younger kids may want help writing their list of problems and with the cutting. Older kids can run the whole thing on their own.
What do we need?
Paper, a pencil, cardboard from an old box, tape, and scissors. A grown-up does the cutting with younger kids.