Fun and educational ways to use AI with your children

Artificial intelligence might sound complicated, but in practice it can be surprisingly fun for the whole family. Whether you’re making up a bedtime story together, creating a personalised colouring page, or simply looking for some fresh inspiration — smart technology can be a playful tool to help children imagine and learn.

Below are a few ideas for weaving AI into your daily life in a natural and enjoyable way.

Bedtime stories

One of the nicest moments of the day: snuggling up together with a story. Let AI help invent it! Ask your child what the story should be about — a dog that lands in space, a knight on a skateboard, or a princess who would rather play football than get married.

AI can write the story for you, but it becomes even more fun if you have it created piece by piece. After each section you can decide together what happens next. That turns it into a game of imagination and language all at once.

When my son once asked whether his cuddly toy could talk, we made a short story together with ChatGPT. He was in absolute stitches when his bear started singing about broccoli.

📖 Want to keep the story forever? At MijnEigenBoekje.nl you can turn stories like these into a real book, complete with your child’s name and photo.
Read also: How to create a children’s book with AI.

Parent reading a story aloud on a tablet

A colouring page of yourself

With a little help from AI you can turn an ordinary photo into a personalised colouring page. Imagine: your child on their favourite tractor, or dressed as a princess with a magical crown. All you need to do is upload a photo into a drawing tool with an AI feature, and voilà — a line drawing ready to colour in.

At home we once had the table covered in pencils and felt-tip pens when my daughter got to colour herself in as an astronaut. She was so proud that she stuck her colouring page on the fridge.

It’s a simple activity, but the result is often something children truly remember.

👉 More creative ideas? Also read Learning through stories: why children grow from reading.

Colouring page of a child on a tractor

Inspiration for days without a plan

Sometimes you’re simply out of ideas. Then you can ask AI to come up with fun things to do. Rain or shine — something good always comes up.

Try asking:

“What are cosy autumn activities to do indoors with children aged 6 and 9?”
“What games can I play outside with very little equipment?”
“What can we make with just paper, glue and cardboard?”

You’ll be amazed at the creative suggestions. That’s how we once came up with the idea of building an “indoor cinema” with cushions, popcorn and a projector. It was one of the best afternoons of the year.

👉 Need even more inspiration? Also check out our gift ideas for a 3rd birthday in 2025 — original and educational!

Learning about AI, together with your child

For older children, understanding how AI works can be genuinely fascinating. Let them ask their own questions, and discuss together how a computer comes up with those kinds of answers.

You can compare it to learning from examples — just like children do. And talk about the fact that AI isn’t always right — that it’s important to keep thinking for yourself.

In this great article on Ouders van Nu, Wendy van Poorten explains how she uses AI as a playmate for her children. She shows that technology isn’t something to be afraid of, but something to stay curious about together.

Building something digital

AI is also a wonderful tool for creating something digital together. A small website about your child’s favourite animal, a quiz about animals, or a mini-game you invent yourselves — all of it is possible.

Just ask ChatGPT: “Can you explain step by step how I can make this?” and discover that it’s easier than you think. Your child learns in a playful way how computers work and gets the feeling: hey, I can do this too!

📚 This fits perfectly with the vision behind A personal children’s book for the whole family: making something together you can be proud of.

And finally: keep it fun and safe

AI is great fun, but children still need guidance. Stay nearby, look along with them and talk about what they see or make. It’s better to use a parent account than an open chat, and remind your child that not everything a computer says is correct.

Of course, real imagination will always be the most important thing — but smart technology can be a wonderful addition to your child’s creativity.

💡 Want to read more?

📚 Discover how much fun it is to invent stories together with AI — and turn them into a lasting memory with a personalised book from MijnEigenBoekje.nl!