Summer holidays can be both a blessing and a challenge. As parents, we want our children to have fun, stay curious, and maybe even learn something new. While screen time often turns into passive consumption, this summer can be a chance to flip the script. With the help of generative AI tools, your kids can go from consumers to creators.
The way I started this exercise is to ask my kids to think about problems and challenges they encounter or they thin parents encounter. It could be related to their own experience of primary/secondary school, etc. I’ve asked them to write it down and told them I’m happy to dedicate some budget to play with existing tools to bring their solutions to life. In the end, the results blew me away!
If your kids have dabbled in Scratch or Python but never really coded for fun, these tools can act as firestarters. But you don’t need any experience to get started with GenAI. They encourage curiosity, creative exploration, and even a bit of early exposure to emerging technologies. While parental supervision is highly encouraged, here are 5 generative AI tools to explore together.
1. ChatGPT (OpenAI)
GPT-5 is expected to come out later today, so this might be dated very quickly!
ChatGPT is more than just a chatbot. Another recently introduced feature is Study Mode, a powerful learning assistant for kids. Whether your child wants to invent a game, revise for a test, or bring their imagination to life with images, ChatGPT is a versatile companion.
Why it’s great
It enables kids to explore ideas without needing to code or install anything. With simple prompts, they can learn, create, and play.
Activities to try with kids
1. Study smarter using Study Mode
- “Can you help me understand fractions with pizza examples?”
- “Quiz me on world capitals like a trivia game.”
- “Explain gravity like I’m in Year 5.”
2. Create a text-based game or story
- “Let’s write an adventure game where I’m a pirate searching for treasure.”
- “Make a quiz about Pokémon with levels of difficulty.”
3. Generate illustrations to bring ideas to life
- “Draw a picture of a robot riding a dolphin in outer space.”
- “Show me what a superhero that controls the weather might look like.”
- “Create a scene from the jungle with animals having a party.”
?? Tip: You can create a child-friendly custom GPT with a gentle tone and creative personality. Always supervise use and set clear boundaries on screen time and safety.
2. Google’s AI Storybook Generator
Google’s AI Storybook is an interactive storytelling tool that turns simple ideas or drawings into fully illustrated books. It combines text, narration, and visuals to help children author their own tales.
Why it’s great
It brings together imagination, reading, and visuals in a way that feels like magic. Perfect for younger kids who love picture books and creative play.
Activities to try with kids
- Draw a dinosaur, scan it, and make it the main character
- Start with “A penguin who loves baking” and see the story unfold
- Use the story as a bedtime ritual, then talk about what to add in a sequel
?? Stories can be printed or shared with family and friends.
3. Suno AI (Text-to-Music Generator)
Suno AI lets you create songs using only text prompts. This can be really fun as you can choose specific things to mention in the lyrics, the style of the song, etc. Whether your child wants to write a silly birthday song, a lullaby for their pet, or an epic theme tune for their imaginary video game, Suno brings their ideas to life with original music. As an alternative, you can try Elevenlabs Music, which has gone the legit way of licensing the data and getting artists paid.
Why it’s great
It introduces kids to music creation without needing instruments or production software. It’s instant, fun, and wildly creative.
Activities to try with kids
- “Make a rock song about a cat who thinks he’s a superhero.”
- “Create a birthday song for Grandma with a jazzy feel.”
- “Write a soundtrack for our family’s summer holiday video.”
?? Helps kids experiment with rhythm, tone, and storytelling through music. Just keep an ear on the lyrics for safety.
4. Base44
Base44 was truly a magical experience with my kids. I’ve asked my 10 year old, who was diagnosed with ADHD to help me create a website that can help other kids with ADHD understand their symptoms and suggest solutions.
We described the desired website and content in a prompt and the result blew me away. Try it here.
Base44 makes it easy to build interactive apps or chatbots using natural language prompts. It’s a great playground for older kids who want to turn their ideas into working mini-products without deep coding skills.
Why it’s great
It turns creative ideas into functional tools. Whether it’s a mood tracker, trivia game, or joke bot, kids can design it and see it work immediately.
Activities to try with kids
- Create a quiz game about Marvel superheroes
- Build a website for your kid’s favourite athlete or team
- Design a digital pet that responds with AI-generated emotions
?? Especially engaging for tweens who have used tools like Scratch or Roblox Studio, but very intuitive.
5. NotebookLM
NotebookLM is an AI-powered research assistant. Kids can upload notes, PDFs, or documents and ask questions to understand and summarise content. Think of it as an intelligent highlighter that talks back.
NotebookLM became an indispensable tool for me as a mental sparring partner. But literally until this week, it was only available to users 18 and older. That changed on August 4th and your kids will have a blast collecting links about the topic of interest, asking questions to the sources, visualise connections in their sources with interactive Mind Maps and generating an audio overview podcast of two people summarising the answers.
Why it’s great
It helps children think critically and engage more deeply with what they’re reading. It’s ideal for project-based learning and school assignments.
Activities to try with kids
- Upload a NASA guide and ask, “What are the coolest things about the solar system?”
- Summarise a chapter of a school book and test if the AI missed anything
- Build a mind map of questions based on a research topic like volcanoes or the Titanic
?? Suitable for older kids and a great bridge between passive reading and active learning.
Give Curiosity a Nudge
Generative AI tools are incredibly powerful when used thoughtfully. This summer, don’t worry about teaching your kids prompt engineering. Focus on sparking their imagination, asking questions together, and having fun exploring what these tools can do.
Pick one tool each week, co-create something with your child, and talk about what surprised you both. It’s a fun way to build digital literacy and prepare them for the future, one creative moment at a time.
I'm a former general partner at google ventures, head of Google for Entrepreneurs in Europe and founding head of Campus London, Google's first physical hub for startups.
I'm also the founder of Techbikers, a non-profit bringing together the startup ecosystem on cycling challenges in support of Room to Read. Since inception in 2012 we've built 11 schools and 50 libraries in the developing world.
- Weekly Firgun Newsletter – February 27, 2026 - February 27, 2026
- The Rise of the Personal AI Agent - February 26, 2026
- Pre-Seed Is Stronger than ever, but less startups are getting funded - February 25, 2026
