Kids Inventions Challenge Ideas

Challenge your kids to invent something!

Kids really love inventing things - but they sometimes need a little inspiration. The challenges below are designed to get them thinking!

Take the challenge and see what you kids can invent. Not sure how to get started? Check out these Invention Ideas for kids first.

Depending on the age and ability of your child, they could do a drawing - or get them to really make up their solution.

Challenge 1 - Automatic Snow Plow

It has been snowing heavily here and that prompted us to look at ways of clearing the drive! Here is an invention by I-Shovel.

Can you do better? See if you can invent a way to clear snow from a driveway - or to stop the snow getting there in the first place! Draw a picture of your design - or see if you can make it.

Challenge 2 - Make something Fun

The site TheFunTheory tries to look at things that are boring for people - and make them more fun.

Here is an example.

What can you find in your town or house that people avoid doing? How could you make it more interesting for them? How could you make tidying your room fun?

Design and draw your ideas - or make them!

Challenge 3 - Scrapheap Challenge

One of the shows my son loves is Scrapheap Challenge (Junkyard Wars). He loves the idea of making things out of scrap, so we sometimes have our own home-scrapheap challenge.

Choose a vehicle (such as a bulldozer or hovercraft) and everyone has to build one out of things they find around the house (not life sized ones!) You can decide the rules in advance - is Lego or Meccano allowed? Does the vehicle have to be motorized?

Give everyone a time allowance to build their vehicle - one hour works well.

When the time is up, set up a challenge track for everyone to negotiate their vehicle around. With bulldozers for example, you may need to bulldoze some sand, push over some obstacles and move some heavy stones from one location to another.

Fastest time wins!

Challenge 4 - Pet Entertainment!

This neat video gives me lots of ideas of ways to keep your pet occupied and happy.

What about your pet (or imaginary pet)? Can you think of something to keep them busy? Why not draw a picture (with an explanation) - or make it up and try it out.

Invented something great?
Why not share it?

Have you had a great idea for an invention? Tried one of the invention challenges and got a picture to share?

I would love to hear about it. Fill out the form below and share it with us.

Read what other inventors have said.

Click below to see other invention ideas for kids.