The best inventions solve a problem, address an unmet need. This is true for all inventions and invention ideas for kids are not different.
Encourage children to conduct a frustrations diary. What annoys them in every day life?
Don’t think about solutions yet, just brainstorm ideas.
Write down every problem that comes to mind – no judging!! Don’t stop to think how you will solve the problem that come up, just write the ideas down.
Take a few days to do that – at the end you are bound to come up with a few problems that can be solved through a new invention.
Nothing is too small or inconsequential. Make a list of everything you would like to change.
Cassidy Goldstein was only 11 year old when she was annoyed with broken crayons, which were too small to draw with. She realized her crayons were breaking easily and she often ended up with small pieces of a crayon that were hard to hold and draw with, and therefore useless. she had to keep buying new boxes of crayons just to replace one missing color.
This realization led her to look for a way to use her small pieces of broken crayons. Her invention - the crayon holder. a little tube, inspired by the tubes used to hold single roses fresh in water, that is used to hold small pieces of crayons.
She registered a patent for the invention, and it is now being sold across the US. It is also the basis for writing aid products aimed at helping people with disabilities.
Encourage your child to interview other children, or just observe his friends and other people at school– what problems are other children having?
Walk around with a notebook and act like a detective – what are children at school or the play ground doing that annoys them? What products are they using and frustrated with?
Quick invention ideas for kids: Let’s take an easy seemingly trivial example - Do your hands get sticky after eating a Popsicle?
Why not invent a frozen treat that comes with a disposable wipe stored in its stick, so that hands can be cleaned immediately after eating?
Do you find it annoying that you cannot read your book at bedtime without opening the light and waking up your siblings?
Why not invent a bookmark that lights in the dark?
The important step is not to disqualify or judge any problem that comes to mind. Don’t think about the solution or commercial potential of your ideas. At this initial stage just make a list of frustrations.