Junk robot: build a robot from boxes, tubes and tape, then give it a superpower
Recycling bin to robot army
Off-screenAges 6–11EasyTick off when done
Creative & Making · 37 quests · 35 off-screen
Creative making activities, no craft kit required
Making things is how kids find out what they're good at. The creative quests are open-ended and screen-free: draw today's mood as a monster, design a logo for an imaginary brand, fold a paper aeroplane and test how far it flies, build something and give it a name.
Some of them hide real skills inside play. Inventing a new rule for a game you already play is game design. Framing three interesting photos around the house is composition. Learning a card trick and performing it for someone is practice, patience and a little nerve. None of them need a craft kit — paper, pencils and whatever's in the drawer will do.
For younger kids (about 6–11)
Shorter, more playful, more hands-on. 9 quests.
+15
Pillow fort with 2 rooms and a password
The best architecture is soft
Off-screenAges 6–11EasyTick off when done
Puppet show: make 2 sock puppets and put on a 3-minute show for the family
The couch becomes a theater
Off-screenAges 6–11EasyTick off when done
Paper-plate mask: make one and act out its character for a minute
Become someone else
Off-screenAges 6–11EasyTick off when done
Draw with your eyes closed: a parent says what to draw, compare the results
Masterpieces by accident
Off-screenAges 6–11EasyTick off when done
Kitchen band: make 3 instruments from pots, rice jars and rubber bands, play a song together
Loud, silly, musical
Off-screenAges 6–11EasyTick off when done
Show all 9 quests
Clay or dough sculpture: make your favorite animal in 10 minutes
Squish, shape, done
Off-screenAges 6–11EasyTimed
Paper chain of thank-yous: one link for everyone who helped you this week
Gratitude you can hang up
Off-screenAges 6–11EasyTick off when done
Invent a new animal: name it, describe where it lives and its superpower
Nature, but better
OnlineAges 6–11EasyShort written answer
For teens (12–16)
Longer, more open, more grown-up. 3 quests.
Short film night: plan a 1-minute silent film, shoot it on a family phone, show it at dinner
Director, cast and premiere, all at home
Off-screenAges 12–16HardTick off when done
Redesign a corner of your room for under $20 — plan it, then do it
Interior designer on a budget
Off-screenAges 12–16MediumTick off when done
Make a 30-second explainer about something you know well, filmed on a family phone and shown at dinner
Your topic, your edit, your premiere
Off-screenAges 12–16MediumTick off when done
Great at any age
Scale the difficulty up or down to suit your child. 25 quests.
Draw your mood today as a monster
Feelings as art
Off-screenAll agesEasyTick off when done
Design a logo for an imaginary brand on paper
Designer for a day
Off-screenAll agesMediumTick off when done
Composition challenge: frame 3 "interesting" shots around the house
Photographer's eye (no upload — just note them)
Off-screenAll agesEasyTick off when done
Invent one new rule for a game you play, test it
Game design
Off-screenAll agesEasyTick off when done
Build something and give it a name
Open-ended making
Off-screenAll agesEasyTick off when done
Fold a paper boat or airplane and test how far/long it goes
Hands-on analog classic
Off-screenAll agesEasyTick off when done
Show all 25 quests
Learn one simple card or coin trick and perform it for someone
Analog magic, real audience
Off-screenAll agesMediumTick off when done
Origami jumping frog: fold one and hold a jumping race
Fold it, then flick it
Off-screenAll agesMediumTick off when done
Make a board game on paper with your own rules, then play it with a parent
A game nobody else has
Off-screenAll agesMediumTick off when done
Rock painting: find a smooth stone and paint a tiny world on it
A pocket-sized artwork
Off-screenAll agesEasyTick off when done
Family drawing relay: each person adds to the picture for 30 seconds, then passes it
Nobody controls the picture
Off-screenAll agesEasyTick off when done
House of cards: build the tallest one you can in 10 minutes
Patience, tested by gravity
Off-screenAll agesMediumTimed
Make a stop-motion flip book from 20 sticky notes
Animation, the old-school way
Off-screenAll agesMediumTick off when done
Costume challenge: build a costume in 15 minutes from things in one room
Fast fashion, the fun kind
Off-screenAll agesEasyTick off when done
Write and record a song chorus on a family phone (stays in the family)
Your own hook
Off-screenAll agesMediumTick off when done
Design a dream bedroom floor plan to scale on squared paper
Architect for an afternoon
Off-screenAll agesMediumTick off when done
Nature art: make a picture on the ground from leaves, sticks and stones
Art that the wind takes back
Off-screenAll agesEasyTick off when done
Comic about your day in 4 panels
Your life as a comic
Off-screenAll agesEasyTick off when done
Upcycle challenge: turn an old T-shirt or jar into something useful
Trash to treasure
Off-screenAll agesMediumTick off when done
Charades marathon: everyone acts out 3 films or animals, a parent keeps score
The family's funniest 20 minutes
Off-screenAll agesEasyTick off when done
Car-window art: draw what you see out of the window, a new thing every 2 minutes
The view keeps changing, so does the art
Off-screenAll agesEasyTick off when done
Bake and decorate cookies with a parent at the oven — each one a different face
Edible art
Off-screenAll agesMediumTick off when done
Photo story: take 5 photos at home that tell a story without words, show the family
Storytelling with a camera
Off-screenAll agesMediumTick off when done
Design a theme park ride and describe it in 5 sentences
Thrills on paper
OnlineAll agesEasyShort written answer
Dance-off: everyone invents one move, put them together into a family routine
The weirdest dance in the street
Off-screenAll agesEasyTick off when done
At home
How to run creative & making quests at home
You don't need the app to use these. A few habits make them work much better.
- Keep a “making box” with paper, tape, scissors, string and pencils so offline quests can start in seconds.
- Ask about the thing, not the quality. “Tell me about this monster” beats “that's nice”.
- Be the audience for the card trick, and be suitably amazed.
- Let them keep what they make somewhere visible for a few days. It's a quiet record of the habit.
How Tandomo uses these
The quests above are templates, not a fixed list. Each morning the app writes a new set for each child, adapting ideas like these to their age, their interests and anything you've asked it to focus on — so a pizza-sharing problem might become a pizza-sharing problem about their soccer team. Creative & Making usually appears as one or two quests in a mixed set of 7–10, alongside other subjects and plenty of off-screen time. Your feedback on the parent dashboard steers what comes next (more in the FAQ).
Creative & Making activities: common questions
My child says they're “not creative”. Will they enjoy these?
Many of these are closer to experiments than art: test how far a paper plane flies, invent a game rule and see if it works. There's no right answer to get wrong.
Do they need to upload photos of what they make?
No. Making quests are ticked off as done, with an optional note. Nothing needs to be photographed or shared.
What materials do we need?
Paper, pencils, tape and a deck of cards cover almost everything. Nothing needs to be bought.
Related reading
Creative & Making quests, built around your kid
Take the short quiz and get a free 7-day plan with quests like these, personalized to your child.
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